Does the DeCA, mandatory since 5 October, apply to me?

Only if you carry goods for hire or reward: other companies' goods, and you charge for the transport. If you deliver your own goods with your own vehicles and staff, that's own-account transport (transporte privado complementario) and you don't need a DeCA. You do need documents on board showing the goods belong to your company or are part of its business. Haulage for hire has exemptions too, such as parcel delivery and vehicles up to 2 tonnes.

I carry goods for hire. When don't I need a DeCA?

Order FOM/2861/2012 exempts, among others, parcel services (a few packages one person can handle with only the vehicle's own equipment), house removals and any transport that needs no operator licence. That includes vehicles up to 2 tonnes maximum authorised mass, or 2.5 tonnes for alternative-fuel vans that don't gain payload (article 33 of the LOTT Regulation).

Is there a grace period or moratorium after 5 October?

No. The eighth transitional provision of Law 9/2025 set the date and the Ministry of Transport has confirmed there will be no penalty-free phase. Since 5 October 2026 a paper-only control document doesn't comply, and neither does a photo or a scan of the paper: the DeCA has to be born digital, with its QR code.

What is the fine for not carrying the DeCA?

Not having the document, or carrying it unfilled or without essential data, is a serious infraction (article 141.17 of the LOTT): €401 to €600. Falsifying the data is a very serious infraction (article 140.9): €4,001 to €6,000. Both the performing carrier and the contracting shipper are liable; the shipper is released if it proves it issued the document.

Do I have to register on a Ministry platform or certify my software?

No. The DeCA is not a Ministry application and no documents are uploaded to any official platform. Each company uses its own software or a provider's, and stores the PDFs in its own repository, on any domain and with no prior notification. Nor does the software need certifying: certification applies to eFTI platforms, which are a different thing.

Who has to generate the DeCA, the shipper or the carrier?

Both must formalise it and make sure it's on board: the contracting shipper and the performing carrier. The rules don't say who physically drafts it, so agree on it. If you subcontract, the last carrier in the chain is the performing carrier and whoever hires them becomes the contracting shipper.

What is the administrative control document?

It's the document required for road freight transport for hire (Order FOM/2861/2012). It includes the contracting shipper, the performing carrier, origin, destination, nature and weight of the goods, date and number plate. Since 5 October 2026 it's only valid in electronic format: that's the DeCA.

What do I need to comply with the mandate?

DeCA software, your own or a provider's, that generates each document as a PDF with a QR code. The QR links to a web address inspectors download it from directly, without logging in. The driver carries a copy with the QR, on a phone or printed, and each document is kept for at least a year. Signing it isn't mandatory; if you do sign, it must be an advanced or qualified electronic signature. The rules are set by the 5 June 2026 Resolution of Spain's Directorate-General for Road and Rail Transport.

Is the DeCA the same as the eCMR?

No. The DeCA is the control document for domestic transport, mandatory in electronic form since 5 October 2026. The eCMR is the electronic consignment note for international transport: valid in Spain since 2011 and voluntary. If you run international transport, you use the control documents of the conventions Spain has signed, not the DeCA.

Does Routal issue the control document (DeCA) or the eCMR?

The DeCA, yes. Routal generates the electronic control document for every shipment your own fleet delivers, from the route data: contracting shipper, performing carrier, origin, destination, nature and weight of the goods, date and number plate. It comes out as a PDF with a QR code and an address inspectors download it from without logging in, and it's kept for at least a year. Shipments you subcontract are documented by that carrier, and we don't issue the eCMR for international transport; its use is voluntary.

So what does Routal give me if I need a DeCA?

The DeCA for every shipment, generated from the route, plus proof of delivery for every stop: photo, signature, PIN or barcode, even without coverage. If you're stopped, the driver shows the QR. If a customer disputes a delivery, the proof is in that day's route.

DeCA · Electronic administrative control document

The DeCA is now mandatory: Spain's transport control document is electronic only.

Since 5 October 2026, domestic road freight in Spain runs without paper and inspectors can fine from day one. Here's who is affected, what inspectors ask for and how Routal issues the DeCA for every shipment.

Updated: 5 October 2026

In short

What is the DeCA and since when is it mandatory?

The DeCA is the administrative control document for road freight transport for hire (Order FOM/2861/2012) in electronic format: a PDF with a QR code that inspectors download on the spot. It is mandatory for domestic transport since 5 October 2026 (Law 9/2025 on Sustainable Mobility), with no grace period. It is not the eCMR: that is the consignment note for international transport, and it remains voluntary.

Official sources: Spanish Ministry of Transport (DeCA FAQ) · BOE

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What it is and who it binds

The DeCA, explained simply

The administrative control document isn't new: it has existed since Order FOM/2861/2012 and travels with every shipment carried for hire. What changes on 5 October 2026 is the format: paper is no longer valid and the document becomes an electronic file meeting the requirements of the 5 June 2026 Resolution.

What the DeCA is

One PDF per shipment with a QR code. The QR leads to a web address from which inspectors download the document without logging in. It is kept for at least a year and needs no signature.

Who it binds

Road freight transport for hire with origin and destination in Spain, cabotage included. Both the contracting shipper and the performing carrier are liable.

Who is exempt

Own-account transport (you deliver your own goods with your own vehicles and staff), parcel services, house removals and vehicles up to 2 tonnes maximum authorised mass.

Timeline

From paper to the DeCA: key dates

The control document has existed since 2012. What the timeline sets is the move to electronic.

December 2012
The administrative control document is born
Order FOM/2861/2012 regulates the document that travels with every shipment carried for hire, on paper.
December 2025
Law 9/2025 enters into force
The Sustainable Mobility Law sets that the control document goes digital ten months after the law takes effect. That is the whole adaptation period.
12 June 2026
The BOE publishes the DeCA technical requirements
The 5 June 2026 Resolution of the Directorate-General for Road and Rail Transport sets the format: a PDF with a QR code and a web address from which inspectors download the document without logging in. The repository can sit on any domain, with no prior notification.
5 October 2026
The DeCA is mandatory and paper is no longer valid
The control document for domestic road freight for hire is only valid in electronic format. There is no grace period: the Ministry has confirmed there will be no penalty-free phase.
9 July 2027
eFTI Regulation (EU)
EU authorities become obliged to accept transport information electronically. It doesn't change the DeCA, but it shows where the whole sector is heading.

Sources: Spanish Ministry of Transport: DeCA FAQ · BOE: Order FOM/2861/2012, Law 9/2025 on Sustainable Mobility and the 5 June 2026 Resolution · European Commission: Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 (eFTI).

How Routal helps

Issue the DeCA from the route and go paperless

Routal generates the control document for every shipment from the data the route already holds, and captures proof of every delivery. One system to plan, deliver, comply and prove.

Digital proof of delivery (ePOD)

Capture photos, digital signature, geolocated timestamps and PIN-secured handoffs. All evidence is attached to the delivery record.

A DeCA for every shipment, no extra steps

When the route is sent to the driver, every shipment leaves with its DeCA: a PDF with a QR code and a direct-download address for inspectors, kept for at least a year.

Real-time visibility

Dispatch and drivers see the same thing: status of every stop, ETAs and incidents, no phone calls needed.

Traceability and fewer disputes

Every milestone is captured with audit-ready evidence, reducing claims and speeding up issue resolution.

The DeCA is built from the shipper, carrier, origin, destination, goods, date and number plate already in the route. It covers deliveries with your own fleet: shipments you subcontract to another carrier are documented by that carrier. What Routal doesn't issue is the eCMR for international transport, which remains voluntary.

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App de conductor de Routal mostrando la ruta activa y las paradas

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International transport

Doing international transport? That's the eCMR

The electronic consignment note is a different document: valid in Spain since 2011 and voluntary. We explain it on its own page.

Go to the eCMR page

Frequently asked questions

Everything about the DeCA

The most common questions about Spain's electronic transport control document.

: Only if you carry goods for hire or reward: other companies' goods, and you charge for the transport. If you deliver your own goods with your own vehicles and staff, that's own-account transport (transporte privado complementario) and you don't need a DeCA. You do need documents on board showing the goods belong to your company or are part of its business. Haulage for hire has exemptions too, such as parcel delivery and vehicles up to 2 tonnes.

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