Grensgemeente Aalten Issues Its 10,000th Travel Document

Rapid growth since 2024

Aalten has been offering this service since July 2024. At the outset, the municipality anticipated approximately 2,000 applications per year. Interest quickly proved to be greater than expected: within three months, 700 travel documents had already been issued. This prompted the municipality to open a second service counter at city hall shortly after the launch. The total number of travel documents issued has now reached 10,000—even faster than anticipated. The short wait times and positive reviews from previous applicants are contributing to Aalten’s rapid growth as a “ grensgemeente.”

Presentation of the 10,000th Travel Document

The 10,000th travel document was issued to Hidde van der Ham. He traveled from the island of Guernsey to Aalten with his wife and three young children to renew his Dutch passport and that of his oldest son, and to apply for Dutch passports for his two youngest children. Hidde: “My wife works in education, and it’s fall break for us right now. So it was the perfect time to travel to the Netherlands to take care of our passports. Aalten turned out to be pretty much the only grensgemeente where we could get an appointment this exact week. The wait times at other border towns are often very long as well.” The family was also very satisfied with the service provided by the staff in Aalten. “We had an appointment on Monday to apply for our passports. Due to Storm Austen, we were delayed by a day and were no longer able to get passport photos taken in the Netherlands in time. On Monday morning, we found out that the photographer in Aalten was closed. A municipal employee then arranged for us to still be able to go there, so our entire trip wasn’t for nothing. Truly fantastic! And of course, it’s extra nice that I’m now the 10,000th person!”

Dutch people from all over the world

Most applicants who come to Aalten to apply for a passport or ID card live in Germany (48%) and Belgium (21%). But Dutch nationals living in countries such as France, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, and even Japan, Tasmania, and Nepal—to name just a few—also find their way to Aalten.

Mayor Anton Stapelkamp is pleased with this development: “The fact that we’re already issuing our 10,000th travel document is a wonderful milestone. We hear that people appreciate our services and value the fact that they can see us quickly thanks to the short wait times. And their visits are also good for Aalten. Most visitors combine their appointment with a stay in the area and a visit to local shops or restaurants. Our local businesses benefit from this.”

Working Visit to the National Identity Data Service

On Wednesday, October 28, Désirée Geerts, Director of Identity Documents at the National Agency for Identity Data (RvIG) of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, paid a working visit to Aalten together with a policy advisor. They learned about Aalten’s approach as a “ grensgemeente.” The presentation of the 10,000th travel document was a special moment during this visit.