Bocholt's border neighbour Aalten (NL) now officially a border municipality

The municipality of Aalten will become a border municipality for the first time on Monday 1 July 2024. This means that Dutch nationals living abroad, for example in Germany, will also be able to go to the municipality of Aalten to apply for or renew their passport or identity card from this date. Previously, this was only possible in 11 other Dutch border municipalities and at Schiphol Airport.

Aalten's mayor Anton Stapelkamp is enthusiastic about this expansion of municipal services: "The municipality of Aalten is a border municipality and the relationship with our German neighbours is important to us. Our police and fire brigade work closely together, we have had a bus connection between Bocholt and Aalten again for several years (line C11), and it was possible to vote across the border in the European elections. And now we are pleased to be able to offer Dutch citizens living in North Rhine-Westphalia the opportunity to apply for a passport or identity card at our municipal office at Hofstraat 8 in Aalten. Around 10,000 people with Dutch citizenship live in the neighbouring district of Borken alone. We therefore expect to be able to welcome many of them to the cosy centre of Aalten from 8 July."