Legalisation of car lease statements for various countries

This article explains the legalisation process for a car lease statement, driver declaration, or car statement. Such a statement is required when driving a car owned by someone else in Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, or Belarus. Another term for the statement is authorisation or power of attorney.

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. This is a sample car authorisation for Morocco (in Dutch).
  • 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. 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’. Check the options and costs in advance.

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

If you have Moroccan, Turkish, Tunisian, Ukrainian, Russian, or Belarusian nationality and you borrow a car from an individual with the same nationality, the owner must make and sign a written power of attorney. You must have the power of attorney legalised by the embassy or consulate of the country you are travelling to. Legalisation by KVK or a court apostille is not possible in this case.

3. Car from a private individual with Dutch nationality

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

The private individual must make and sign a written power of attorney. You must have the power of attorney legalised by the municipality where the car owner lives. After this, a Dutch court must place an apostille on the power of attorney. The power of attorney is then valid in the country where you will be driving the car. Legalisation by KVK is not possible in this case.