Digital DeCA in Spain from 5 October: what changes for road freight

WEDNESDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER 2026

From 5 October 2026 the control document for road freight in Spain becomes digital only. It covers domestic transport and cabotage, not international journeys.

Spain's digital DeCA becomes mandatory from 5 October 2026: from that date the administrative control document that accompanies road freight transport must be electronic, and the paper version will no longer be valid at inspections. It covers transport with origin and destination in Spain, including cabotage, not international journeys that cross the country.

What the DeCA is

The Documento de Control Administrativo accompanies every public road freight transport within Spain and is used to prove, during an inspection, the essential data of the operation: who ordered the transport, who carries it out, the vehicle, the goods, the origin and the destination. It is provided for by ministerial order FOM/2861/2012.

The move to digital format comes from Ley 9/2025 on sustainable mobility, of 3 December 2025, and its technical details were set by a resolution of the Directorate General for Road and Rail Transport of 5 June 2026, supplemented by order TRM/282/2026 on the liability regime.

The digital DeCA requirements in Spain

• Start of the obligation: 5 October 2026, for road freight transport within Spain.
• Format: born-digital PDF file, up to 5 MB, with creation date and time recorded before the service begins.
• Mandatory QR code, linked to a unique web address from which the document can be downloaded without credentials.
• Retention: at least one year, by both the party ordering and the party carrying out the transport.
• Full application of the EU eFTI regulation on electronic freight transport information: 9 July 2027.

A scanned paper form is not valid: the document must be created in digital format. The driver must receive a copy, on paper or electronic, with a readable QR code, and the linked address must remain accessible for seven days after the service.

Who is covered, and who is not

The obligation is shared between the contractual shipper, that is whoever orders the transport, and the actual carrier. The former is responsible for the data on the goods and on the places of origin and destination, the latter for the vehicle and driver details and for handling the document during the journey.

Transport with origin and destination in Spain and cabotage operations, meaning domestic transport carried out by foreign hauliers, are included. International transport that only partly crosses Spanish territory is excluded: for these journeys the CMR consignment note provided for by international conventions still applies.

What it means for companies selling or distributing in Spain

For an Italian company selling in Spain with delivery at destination, the journey from Italy is international and remains covered by the CMR. The DeCA comes into play in the following steps: when goods are stored in a Spanish warehouse and then distributed, or when an Italian haulier carries out domestic transport as cabotage.

Three useful checks before 5 October. Ask your logistics partner in Spain whether its system already issues the digital DeCA with a QR code. If you are the contractual shipper of domestic Spanish transport, decide who fills in your part of the data and where the file is stored for one year. And, if you work with Italian hauliers doing cabotage, make sure they use a compliant system: the sources consulted mention administrative penalties without stating the amounts, but the paper document will no longer be accepted.

A preview of the European eFTI

The digital DeCA anticipates a European trend. EU Regulation 2020/1056 on electronic freight transport information, known as eFTI, will apply in full from 9 July 2027: from then on, Member State authorities will have to accept data shared by operators through certified platforms, for road, rail, inland waterways and air.

For companies organising transport in several countries, the Spanish case points the way: documents that are born digital and checked with a code, instead of on paper.

With La Merce, a delivery distributed in Spain from a local warehouse after 5 October 2026 leaves with the digital DeCA already issued by the logistics partner, because the paper form will no longer be valid at inspections.

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