New in Nijmegen? As part of your integration you have to put your signature under the ‘participatie verklaring’ (a declaration of participation in the Dutch society). In this document they explain the core values of the Dutch society. They also sometimes call this ‘the rules of the game of the Netherlands’.
When you go to the municipality and put your signature under the declaration, you promise to respect the core values. Also you promise to participate in the Dutch society. This means that you actively try to join and contribute to a nice and save society.
Learning about the participatieverklaring
Before you write your signature on the declaration, you need to have had at least one course about the declaration. During the course you learn what values like ‘freedom’, ‘equality’, ‘solidarity’ and ‘participation’ mean in the Netherlands.
In some courses you learn more about the Dutch values. You also discuss examples of the values in the daily life. You answer questions like: does everyone in the Netherlands have the same religion? Who can vote in the Netherlands? And do Dutch men and women have the same rights?
Signing the participatieverklaring
After you have learned about the participatieverklaring, you can put your signature under the declaration. You do this at the municipality. It is not an exam. When you signed the declaration, this is a proof that you know about the Dutch core values. The Dutch government sees this as the start of your integration.
Note:
You have to sign the participatieverklaring. Do you not write your signature under it? Then you might get a fine of 340 euro. Sign the declaration in time!