The electronic DeCA has been mandatory in Spain since 5 October 2026: the administrative control document for public road haulage of goods can no longer be on paper, cabotage included. The document already existed; only its form changes. This guide explains who is concerned, what the DeCA must contain, how to handle a multi-drop route or a change en route, and what a haulier risks at a roadside check.
The electronic DeCA at a glance
- Legal basis: transitional provision 8 of Spanish Law 9/2025 on sustainable mobility, which makes the document digital-only ten months after the law came into force (5 December 2025), that is on 5 October 2026.
- Transport concerned: domestic public road haulage of goods, meaning national transport and cabotage, whatever the country of registration.
- Excluded: international transport, even for its Spanish leg, own-account transport and the exemptions in the Orden FOM/2861/2012 (transport exempt from a transport authorisation, removals, vehicle breakdown recovery, consignments of a few parcels that one person can handle).
- Form: a PDF generated from the data, 5 MB at most, with a QR code that links to its web address (resolution of 5 June 2026).
- When: as soon as the data are known, and always before the service actually starts.
- At a check: the driver shows the DeCA with its QR code, or failing that the QR code alone.
- Signature: not required.
- Grace period: no penalty-free phase after 5 October, according to the ministry’s FAQ.
Who must issue a DeCA?
The DeCA covers domestic transport: national and cabotage. A Portuguese, Polish or French haulier that loads and delivers in Spain after an international transport must therefore have one for each cabotage operation. As a reminder, Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009 allows up to three cabotage operations within the seven days following the last unloading of the international transport. It then requires four days without cabotage with the same vehicle in the same country.
Two parties must draw up the document (art. 4 of the Orden FOM/2861/2012):
- the transportista efectivo (actual carrier): the holder of the authorisation under which the transport is actually carried out;
- the cargador contractual (contracting shipper): the party that contracts directly with the carrier, whether a shipper, freight forwarder, transport agency, logistics operator or another carrier.
When the work is subcontracted, the first carrier becomes the contracting shipper of the second, which is the actual carrier. The text does not say which of the two produces the PDF: they agree on it between themselves. However, both are liable if the document has not been drawn up; if it is not on board, the contracting shipper is exempt if it proves that it issued it (art. 7). For a foreign haulier: check before each departure that the DeCA exists and that the driver has received it.
What must the DeCA contain?
The content does not change with the switch to digital: it is the data listed in article 6 of the Orden FOM/2861/2012. Each party is responsible for the accuracy of its own data (art. 7).
| Data | Responsible party |
|---|---|
| Name or company name, NIF and address of the contracting shipper | Contracting shipper |
| Name or company name and NIF of the actual carrier | Contracting shipper |
| Place of origin and destination of the consignment | Contracting shipper |
| Nature and weight of the goods | Contracting shipper |
| Special movement permit, if there is one | Carrier |
| Date of transport | Carrier |
| Vehicle registration (tractor and semi-trailer for a combination); any change of vehicle en route | Carrier |
| Remarks or reservations requested by the parties | Whoever adds them |
The format is free (art. 5): the layout of a consignment note, a CMR or an ADR transport document can be reused, provided all these data appear on it and the contracting shipper and the actual carrier are identified separately. The ministry points out that using the CMR format for a domestic transport does not bring that transport under the CMR convention.
On the technical side, the resolution of 5 June 2026 sets out what is accepted:
| Accepted | Rejected |
|---|---|
| PDF generated from the data, 5 MB at most | Scan or photo of a paper document |
| QR code containing the document’s address, embedded in the PDF (and also available separately if needed) | Address that requires a username, a password or a click on a button |
| HTTPS address that lets officers download the PDF directly | Handwritten notes on a paper copy |
| Driver’s copy on a mobile phone or on paper, with the QR code | Copy without a QR code |
The link must work throughout the service and can be deactivated seven days after it ends. The contracting shipper and the carrier keep the PDF for at least one year. If one of them generated the file, it is enough for the other to be able to download it during that period. Nothing is sent to the ministry: the files stay on the server chosen by the company.
Multi-drop routes: a single electronic DeCA?
Yes, on one condition: the contracting shipper and the actual carrier must be the same for all consignments (resolution, point 6). Each consignment is then identified with its origin, its destination, and the nature and weight of its goods. Other data that differ from one consignment to the next, such as the date or the vehicle, are also given for each one. Above all, the order of the consignments in the DeCA does not impose any order of execution: the route can be resequenced without touching the document.
Two examples:
- One contracting shipper, six drops: a rigid truck leaves a hub in Getafe and delivers to six shops in the Madrid region for the same retailer. A single DeCA is enough, with six consignments.
- Two contracting shippers: a Portuguese haulier on cabotage loads in Zaragoza for a freight forwarder, then in Barcelona for a manufacturer. Two DeCAs are needed, one per contracting shipper.
Changing the DeCA en route: update or regenerate the PDF
If the data change during the service, the resolution provides two methods (point 5):
- Update the existing PDF: add the new data and the reason for the change, keeping the old data marked as no longer valid. The address and the QR code do not change.
- Generate a new PDF with all the data: new address, new QR code. The original is kept to record the change.
In both cases, the driver must receive the new version. Correcting a paper copy by hand does not count.
For planning, any replanning that changes a destination, adds a consignment or changes the vehicle must trigger an update of the DeCA and its dispatch to the driver.
At a roadside check: what the driver shows
Before departure, the driver receives a copy of the DeCA on their phone or on paper, always with the QR code. At a check, they show the DeCA with its QR code, or only the QR code: the officer downloads the document from its address (point 7).
Penalties are those of the Spanish Land Transport Act (LOTT, Law 16/1987):
- the absence of the control document, or of essential data, is a serious infringement (art. 141.17), punishable by a fine of €401 to €600 (art. 143.1 d). The same infringement covers a company that fails to ensure its drivers carry the mandatory documents. Failing to keep the document falls under the same infringement;
- the fine is reduced by 30% if it is paid within 30 days of notification of the proceedings; this payment amounts to accepting the facts (art. 146.3);
- for a company that cannot prove residence in Spain, the vehicle is immobilised until the fine is paid, its amount is deposited or a payment guarantee is provided (art. 146.4).
DeCA, eCMR and eFTI: not to be confused
- The DeCA is not a consignment note. It is an administrative document, used for enforcement. The consignment note, or the CMR in international transport, is a commercial document between the parties to the transport contract. The ministry makes the point: the electronic CMR (eCMR) is not mandatory for international transport.
- eFTI is another route. If the data are managed and presented according to the scheme of Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 on electronic freight transport information (eFTI), the PDF is not needed (point 9). According to the European Commission, Member State authorities will have to accept information from certified eFTI platforms from 9 July 2027. Unlike DeCA applications, these platforms must be certified.
Tools: how to generate a DeCA
No particular tool is required. Each company uses its own tool or a provider’s. It does not have to get it certified or send its files to the ministry (FAQ). The ministry also offers a free public tool: since early October 2026, SIMPLE, its platform developed with Puertos del Estado and ADIF, has a DeCA module that generates the PDFs with their QR code from the data entered for each shipment. Registration is online, without a digital certificate, with login details specific to the module, separate from those of SIMPLE.
Four criteria for choosing a tool:
- generate the PDF before departure, from the route data, without re-keying;
- group several consignments from the same contracting shipper in a single DeCA;
- amend a DeCA while keeping the history, or keeping the original;
- send each version to the driver’s phone, make each PDF downloadable over HTTPS throughout the service, then keep it for at least one year.
Frequently asked questions about the electronic DeCA
I run an international transport that crosses Spain: do I need a DeCA?
No. International transport uses the documents provided for by international conventions, such as the CMR.
I do cabotage in Spain: do I need a DeCA?
Yes, for each cabotage operation in public road haulage of goods.
Can the DeCA be on paper or scanned?
No. The DeCA is a PDF generated from the data, never a scan. The driver can keep a printed copy with the QR code.
Does a multi-drop route require several DeCAs?
No, if the contracting shipper and the actual carrier are the same for all consignments.
What if the route changes during the trip?
Update the PDF or generate a new one, then send it to the driver. Changing only the order of the drops requires nothing.
Does the eCMR replace the DeCA?
No. They are two different documents, and the ministry points out that the eCMR is not mandatory for international transport.
Does the DeCA have to be signed?
No. An electronic signature is still possible: it must then be at least an advanced signature, within the meaning of the European eIDAS regulation.
Is there a grace period?
No, according to the Spanish Ministry of Transport.
Planning routes with the electronic DeCA
The DeCA requires the data for each service to be ready before departure: contracting shipper, destinations, goods, vehicle. A route planned and approved in advance limits changes en route, and therefore the new versions to send to the driver. When a change cannot be avoided, the route data must reach the tool that generates the DeCA without re-keying: this is what our integrations are for. To see what a well-prepared route changes in kilometres and hours, read why optimise your routes. To follow DeCA news, read our news item on the mandatory electronic DeCA.
Information checked on 12 October 2026 against the BOE: Law 9/2025 (transitional provision 8), resolution of 5 June 2026, Orden FOM/2861/2012 (consolidated version), LOTT (art. 141, 143 and 146, consolidated version); on the Spanish Ministry of Transport’s DeCA page, FAQ and DeCA webinar presentation; on EUR-Lex (cabotage and eFTI) and on the European Commission’s eFTI page. This guide will be updated whenever the rules change. It is not a substitute for legal advice.