Almere for newcomers: registration districts, commuting

With around 111,000 inhabitants, Almere Stad is the largest district, with the centre around the Citadel, shopping streets and Almere Centrum station. Almere Haven on the Gooimeer is the oldest part of the city; the first homes there were completed in 1976. Almere Buiten in the north-east is the second-largest district, with around 58,000 inhabitants.

If you are looking for a new build, look at Almere Poort with the Almeerderstrand on the IJmeer. Almere Hout includes the Oosterwold development area, where residents design their own plots and space is planned for 15,000 homes; Pampus is still at the planning stage.

Many people in Almere work in healthcare, for example at the Flevoziekenhuis, the largest hospital in the province of Flevoland, in education – Windesheim University of Applied Sciences has a campus in Almere as well as in Zwolle – and in retail and logistics along the A6 and A27. Because Almere was created as an overspill town for Amsterdam and the Gooi, many residents commute to that region.

Quality of life benefits from plenty of greenery, water and cycle paths, as well as the legacy of the Floriade 2022, whose site is to become a residential district after the exhibition. The population is young: 28 per cent of residents are under 20, compared with 24 per cent nationally – families shape many districts.

• Small moves: 1-room flat from €339
• Medium moves: 2-room flat from €589, 3-room flat from €889
• Large moves: 4-room flat from €1,309
• Very large moves: house/villa with an individual quote
• Long distances: long-distance moves from €3.90/km

Let us discuss your case in a free survey.

The distance is charged from €3.90/km, while the volume determines the basic time required. The floor and lift affect the carrying time, and a parking restriction zone the loading time. A shared load is also possible and can reduce costs.

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We are based in Berlin (Stromstraße 21) and travel to the Netherlands; Almere is around 647 km away. The route is described in the guide to moving to Almere. Further destinations are shown in the locations overview and under long-distance moves.

According to the Gemeente Almere, anyone moving from Germany to Almere must notify the municipality within five working days. The Rijksoverheid adds that anyone staying longer than four months must register as a resident in the Basisregistratie Personen (BRP, the personal records database). You will automatically receive your citizen service number (BSN).

The municipality requires you to appear in person at the Stadhuis (Stadhuisplein 1). You book the appointment online or by phone on 14 036. If several people are moving, all of them should come to the appointment. Bring the following documents:

• a valid ID document, for example a passport
• proof of your residential address: purchase or tenancy agreement; if renting from a private landlord, also the owner's ID; if subletting, the declaration of consent from the main occupant
• for people born abroad, the original extract of the birth certificate with legalisation or an apostille; it must not be laminated
• other certificates such as a marriage or divorce certificate, the children's birth certificates or a declaration of marital status

If you are not from the EU or EEA and are not Swiss, you also need proof of lawful residence issued by the IND. For the move itself, you will find our guidance in the Almere moving guide; for the route from Germany, the article on the long-distance move to Almere will help.

Almere was founded in 1975 and has officially been a municipality since 1984. According to the Gemeente, the city is divided into six districts: Buiten, Haven, Hout, Pampus, Poort and Stad. Pampus is still under development. How it compares with the capital is explained in the article Living in Amsterdam.

For bulky waste (grofvuil): all residents can take it to a recycling platform (Recyclingperron), where some products are accepted. According to the municipality, collection is free and is booked online, currently with a wait of about three weeks. Only put the items out from 8 pm the evening before; they must be ready by 7.30 am on the agreed day. Bundles may weigh no more than 25 kilos and be no longer than 1.5 metres, with a maximum of 1.5 cubic metres in total. Construction and demolition waste, glass and residual waste are not collected.

For parking, the municipality refers to paid zones, the blue zone and permit zones, as well as applications via the E-Loket. The page says nothing about a permit for a removal van. So ask on 14 036 before the date is fixed. You can read more about preparing in the checklist for emigrating to the Netherlands.