What to bring to the exam — and what may not come with you
2 min read
The list is shorter than you would think, but one rule is hard: you need valid identification; without valid ID you may not take part.
That is not a formality applied leniently. It is the condition for getting in — and the only point on this page where "almost in order" does not exist.
The short list
| Valid identity document | compulsory — no valid ID, no participation |
| Dictionary for the A2 parts | not allowed |
Check well in advance whether your identity document is still valid on the exam date, not on the day you register. A document that still looks perfectly fine may have expired.
Note: different rules apply at the Staatsexamen NT2
At the Staatsexamen NT2 different rules apply — there, a dictionary is allowed for some parts.
That is exactly the kind of difference people act on because they read it somewhere. The two exams are often mentioned in the same breath, but their rules are not interchangeable. Read through the rules before you go, for the exam you are taking. The difference between the two is set out in A2 or Staatsexamen NT2.
You go per part, not once for everything
This changes what the exam day looks like: the exam consists of four language parts and one knowledge part, and you do not sit them all on the same day — you register per part.
In practice that means:
- you travel several times, each time for one part;
- so you take your identity document with you several times as well;
- and a part you have passed, you keep — see result and retake.
How to register per part and what it costs is in costs and registration.
What we do not fill in here
- Exactly what time you have to be there. That is in your own invitation and can differ per location; we are not inventing a rule of thumb for it.
- What else you may or may not take into the room. Beyond the ID and the dictionary ban for the A2 parts, we do not repeat anything that is not officially laid down.
- What happens if you are late. That, too, is not a generally published rule.
That is not evasion: it is the same principle as with the pass mark. A rule you cannot check anywhere does not help you on the exam day.
What you can do next
- Read through the rules in your own invitation before you go
- Do a practice exam so that the format itself is no longer a surprise
- See how to get the most out of practice exams
Official source: inburgeren.nl — content of the language exams.