Civic integration in The Netherlands

As of 15 March 2006, the civic integration examination abroad has been put into use for certain foreign nationals wishing to come to the Netherlands for a prolonged period. People wishing to form a family with someone in the Netherlands, who wish to be reunited with family members already living in the Netherlands, and religious leaders coming to the Netherlands for employment, are required to pass the test before they can issue a temporary stay mvv visa. Persons of a certain nationality, such as EU citizens and persons of American or Japanese nationality, are exempted from this duty.

The integration exam requires both knowledge of Dutch society (part I) and knowledge of the Dutch language (part II). In order to prepare themselves, people studying for the integration exam can purchase an ‘education pack’ (€63,90), which comprises, amongst other things, a video made to illustrate life in the Netherlands. Since the video shows topless women on the beach and gay men kissing, a edited version is available for people in countries where such images are forbidden.

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Civic integration in The Netherlands