PIP stands for Persoonlijk plan Inburgering en Participatie. It is the plan your gemeente (municipality) writes for your inburgering. The plan names your route and the exams you must take. Legally, it is a formal decision by the gemeente.
How you get a PIP
It starts with a letter from DUO. According to Inburgeren.nl, the gemeente then invites you to a conversation. That conversation is the brede intake.
In the brede intake the gemeente gets to know you: what you want, what you have studied, what work you have done and what you can manage. It includes a short test called the leerbaarheidstoets (LBT). This test shows how you learn. You cannot fail it. The results of the intake go into your PIP.
What is in the PIP?
The PIP records how you will meet your inburgeringsplicht, your legal duty to integrate. Under the Besluit inburgering 2021, it always contains agreements about:
- Your leerroute (learning route)
- The help and support you need to finish that route
- How much time you spend on the MAP inburgering, the part about work
- How much time you spend on the participatieverklaringstraject (PVT), a short course about Dutch values
For refugees with a residence permit (statushouders), it also records how many hours you spend on the leerroute. Gemeenten may add other agreements. Details such as lesson hours and the language school are often in a separate attachment. Asylum status holders get their course arranged by the gemeente. Other migrants, such as family migrants, choose a course themselves, but the gemeente still decides the route.
The PIP decides your level
The plan names your leerroute. Each route has its own language level. According to Inburgeren.nl there are three routes:
| Route | Level | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| B1-route | B1 language exams plus the knowledge exams | Most people, with a focus on work |
| Onderwijsroute | B1 or B2, plus the knowledge exams | Younger people who want to study in the Netherlands |
| Z-route (zelfredzaamheidsroute) | Lessons at A1, A2 exams optional | People who cannot follow the other routes |
So you do not usually choose between A2 and B1 yourself. Your route decides this. On the B1-route you can switch to A2 exams only after at least 600 hours of lessons at an accredited language school. The gemeente checks this. Our comparison of inburgering A2 or B1 explains what the difference means in practice.
Check which route is in your PIP before you buy study material. That way you do not buy books for the wrong level.
How long does the gemeente have?
Ten weeks. This is in article 5.3 of the Besluit inburgering 2021. The 10 weeks start on the day DUO tells you by letter that you have to integrate. If you were not yet registered in the BRP (Basisregistratie Personen), the Dutch population register, on that day, they start when you register with your gemeente.
Your 3-year term starts the day after the gemeente sets your PIP. Our inburgering overview explains what happens if you do not finish in time.
If you do not take part in the intake, the gemeente may finish it and make your PIP without your input.
What if the PIP is wrong?
The PIP is a beschikking: a formal decision by the gemeente. You can object to a beschikking. This is called bezwaar maken.
If the route or the level does not fit your situation, you do not have to accept it. First talk to your contact person at the gemeente. A mistake is often fixed faster that way than with a formal objection. If that does not help, look at the decision letter. It says how long you have to object and where to send it.
If your situation changes later, the gemeente can change your PIP. You do not need to object for that. Just talk to the gemeente about it.
After the PIP: the exams
The plan sets your route. You still have to learn Dutch and pass the exams at the level of your route: reading, listening, writing, speaking and KNM.
How close are you to your level?
Your PIP names your level. A practice exam shows how close you are to it.
Free inburgering practice examsIf you have not had an intake yet
Log in to Mijn Inburgering with DigiD to see where you stand. Also check whether you have received a letter from the gemeente. Is it more than 10 weeks since DUO's letter and you still have no intake or plan? Then contact the gemeente and ask about your PIP.