Family members from outside the EU/EFTA* who apply for family reunification in the Netherlands must pass the ‘civic integration examination abroad’ before their arrival. Integration requirements for this group of migrants prior to arrival do not exist in most other EU Member States. Cyprus, Germany and Austria may sometimes require proof of language proficiency. The exemption of certain nationalities from the civic integration examination in the Netherlands is under dispute. According to the court, this is contrary to the prohibition of discrimination.
EMN Netherlands ad-hoc query | Integration
The Netherlands the only EU Member State with an examination requirement abroad for family members from outside the EU/EFTA
24 October 2024
To apply for family reunification in the Netherlands, family members from non-EU/EFTA countries require a provisional residence permit (MVV). Those subject to the MVV requirement must usually pass the ‘civic integration examination abroad’ before travelling to the Netherlands. This is a test on the Dutch language and society. In the Netherlands, family members must subsequently continue the civic integration process. Certain applications, including residence with a family member holding an asylum permit (family reunification following asylum), are exempt from the basic examination.
Language requirement in Cyprus, Germany and Austria
Only the Netherlands has an examination requirement abroad for family members from outside the EU/EFTA. Cyprus, Germany and Austria do have another integration requirement that migrants from non-EU/EFTA countries must meet prior to arrival. In these three countries, this concerns proof of language proficiency. The requirement usually applies to specific residence purposes (work, family reunification, higher education). Only in the Netherlands does the requirement include knowledge of society in addition to language.
Exemption of nationalities under dispute
Some nationalities are exempt in the Netherlands from the civic integration examination abroad. These include the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Monaco and Vatican City. According to a court ruling (16 April 2024), this is contrary to the prohibition of discrimination in international treaties (including Article 2 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights). The case is currently pending before the highest administrative court.
Outside the Netherlands, only Germany applies an exemption from prior integration requirements for certain nationalities. These include Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, Andorra, Brazil, El Salvador, Honduras, Monaco and San Marino.
*EFTA: European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Countries: Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland.
**Participating countries: Austria (AT), Belgium (BE), Bulgaria (BG), Croatia (HR), Cyprus (CY), Czechia (CZ), Estonia (EE), Finland (FI), France (FR), Germany (DE), Greece (GR), Hungary (HU), Ireland (IE), Latvia (LV), Lithuania (LT), Luxembourg (LU), the Netherlands (NL), Poland (PL), Portugal (PT), Slovakia (SK), Slovenia (SI), Spain (ES), Sweden (SE); Serbia (RS)
***An information request (ad-hoc query) is an EMN instrument used to collect information on migration and asylum policy in EU Member States and EMN Observer Countries.
