Legalisation of car lease statements for various countries

In Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus, you may only drive another person's car with written permission from the owner. The ANWB provides information about vehicle documents needed in other countries. Search for the term voertuigdocumenten (‘vehicle documents’) followed by the country name. This information is in Dutch.

The car owner must state in the power of attorney that you are allowed to drive their car in the specified countries. The owner then signs the document. If you are based in the Netherlands, the power of attorney is only valid if the signature is legalised by the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce KVK.

You can only have a power of attorney legalised by KVK if the car is leased, rented, or borrowed from a car lease company, car rental company, or employer in the Netherlands.

Apply for digital legalisation at KVK

Applying for legalisation at KVK can only be done digitally. You cannot visit KVK in person for this. The process for legalising a power of attorney varies depending on whether the car is owned by a company or an individual. Below are explanations for 3 different situations:

1. Company car

The car is leased, rented, or borrowed from a car leasing company, car rental company, or your employer in the Netherlands. Getting a power of attorney legalised can be done in 5 ways. It depends on who owns the car. 

• If your employer leases the car, they should contact the lease company, which will request the legalisation from KVK.
• If your employer rents the car, they should contact the rental company, which will request the legalisation from KVK.
• If your employer owns the car, they should contact the consulate or embassy of the country where the car will be used. The power of attorney should be printed with the company letterhead and signed by an authorised person. You can download an example of a power of attorney from the ANWB website. Scroll down to the paragraph headed Toestemming and click on the link machtiging. 
• If you rent the car yourself, ask the rental company to arrange the legalisation with KVK.
• If you lease the car yourself, ask the lease company to arrange the legalisation with KVK.

The car owner must request the legalisation digitally from KVK. As the user of the car, you do not do this yourself. A visa service or customs broker can handle this digital request. Contact details can be found online by searching for ‘consular legalisation’, ‘embassy legalisation’, or ‘customs brokers’. Ask in advance what they will do for you and how much it will cost. 

Apostille by the court

After legalisation by KVK, the car authorisation must be stamped or stickered by a Dutch court. This is called an apostille (in Dutch). The power of attorney is then valid in the country where you will be driving the car.

2. Car from an individual with the same nationality

You have Moroccan, Turkish, Tunisian, Ukrainian, Russian, or Belarusian nationality and you borrow a car from a private individual with the same nationality.

Take the following steps:

1. The private individual draws up a written power of attorney and signs it.
2. Have the power of attorney legalised by the embassy or consulate of the country you are travelling to.

The power of attorney is then valid in the country you are travelling to by car. Legalisation by KVK or an apostille from the court is not possible in this case.

3. Car from a private individual with Dutch nationality

You are borrowing a car from a private individual with Dutch nationality. The private individual is the owner of the car.

Take the following steps:

1. The private individual draws up a written power of attorney and signs it.
2. Have the power of attorney legalised by the municipality where the owner of the car lives.
3. Finally, a court in the Netherlands must affix an apostille to the power of attorney.

The power of attorney is then valid in the country where you are taking the car. Legalisation by KVK is not possible in this case.