Two separate language regimes run in parallel here, one attached to the civic integration obligation and one to naturalisation, and they sit at different levels. Political announcements about raising the bar add to the confusion, since a proposal and a change in the law read much alike.
Still A2, as of August 2026 — IND's own naturalisation page is explicit that you need to have passed the civic integration exam at least at A2 level (the state NT2 B1/B2 exam also counts if you've done that, but it's not required). Don't confuse this with the separate civic integration obligation under the Wet inburgering 2021, which applies to people who arrived from 2022 onward and can require B1 depending on which track you're on — the Z-route, the Onderwijsroute, or the B1-route itself. That's about your right to stay and work without fines; naturalisation has always been judged by its own, lower language bar. There's been real political pressure to raise the naturalisation requirement to B1 too — it was in the 2024 coalition agreement — but the government's own follow-up letter said it couldn't proceed without extra funding, since B1 has to be assessed through the pricier state exams rather than the cheaper inburgering ones. Nothing has actually changed the law yet. Given how often this gets discussed politically, it's worth a quick check on ind.nl before you commit to an exam strategy.