Contractual shippers
The party contracting the transport in its own name (manufacturer, distributor or freight forwarder subcontracting the haul). Their details open the document and they share the one-year retention duty.
DeCA: Spain's new mandatory e-transport document, explained
From 5 October 2026, Spain no longer accepts the paper control document for domestic road freight. Every shipment needs a DeCA: a digitally native PDF with a QR code that inspectors can download at the roadside. Here is what carriers, shippers and software integrators need to know.
No card required. No lock-in.
89daysuntil 5 October 2026
What is the DeCA?
DeCA stands for documento electrónico de control administrativo — Spain's electronic administrative control document for road freight. It is not a new document: its content has been defined since 2013 byOrder FOM/2861/2012. What changes is the format: Law 9/2025 on Sustainable Mobility(eighth transitional provision) makes the electronic format the only valid one from5 October 2026, and theResolution of 5 June 2026 sets the exact technical requirements.
In practice, a valid DeCA is adigitally native PDF with an embedded QR codepointing to a unique URL from which any roadside inspector can download the current version — no credentials, no login. The document must exist before the transport starts and be retained for at least one year.
It applies to haulage with origin and destination inside Spain. International journeys are governed by the CMR Convention instead — seewhat is the eCMR.
Who must comply
The obligation is shared: the party contracting the transport is on the hook too.
Effective carriers
The company physically performing the transport. Must appear with its tax ID and make sure the driver carries the current version on board — on a phone or printed, always with the QR.
European carriers with Spanish traffic
If you perform domestic Spanish legs, the DeCA applies to those legs. Mixed international and domestic operations typically need both eCMR and DeCA — one platform, one account, both documents.
What data goes in a DeCA
The eight items of art. 6 of Order FOM/2861/2012, in plain English.
| Art. 6 | Item | What it means | Required? |
|---|---|---|---|
| a) | Contractual shipper | Name or company name, tax ID (NIF) and address of the party contracting the transport. | Always |
| b) | Effective carrier | Name or company name and tax ID of the company physically performing the haul. | Always |
| c) | Origin and destination | Loading place and delivery place of the shipment. | Always |
| d) | Goods | Nature and weight of the cargo (or the applicable alternative measure). | Always |
| e) | Special circulation permit | Permit reference, when the vehicle requires one. | Only if applicable |
| f) | Transport date | Date on which the service is performed. | Always |
| g) | Vehicle plate | Tractor and trailer for articulated units. Vehicle changes must be recorded. | Always |
| h) | Remarks and reservations | Notes either party wants on record. | On request |
Our creation wizard validates these fields live, distinguishing blocking errors from warnings, so documents leave correct the first time — not at the roadside.
Technical requirements
What the Resolution of 5 June 2026 (BOE-A-2026-12784) demands of every document and every provider.
Digitally native PDF, 5 MB max
Generated digitally before the service starts. Scans and photos of a paper document are explicitly not accepted.
QR code embedded in the PDF
The QR points to the unique document URL and is what roadside inspectors scan.
Unique, direct-download URL
HTTPS, no login, no credentials, no intermediate buttons: the URL downloads the current PDF directly. It cannot expire before the service ends and may only be deactivated 7 calendar days after it does.
Creation and modification metadata
The PDF metadata must carry the date and time of creation and of every modification.
En-route changes are recorded
If the plate, the vehicle or any other detail changes mid-route, the rule allows two paths: annotate the change and its reason in the same PDF marking the previous data as no longer valid, or issue a new PDF with a new URL and QR while keeping the original. The driver must always carry the current version.
One-year retention minimum
Both the contractual shipper and the effective carrier must be able to access the document for a year. A shared repository qualifies: if one party generates it, it is enough that the other can download it.
Grouping shipments, with conditions
Several shipments can share one document only if they share the same contractual shipper and effective carrier, with each shipment individually identified.
No signature required
The DeCA does not require a signature. If the parties choose to sign, it must be an advanced or qualified electronic signature (eIDAS).
How roadside inspection works
Designed to be resolved in seconds, without the officer touching the driver's phone.
- 1
The officer asks for the document
Guardia Civil or transport inspectors request the control document for the shipment, as they did with paper.
- 2
The driver shows the QR
On the phone screen or a printed copy. The rule states it explicitly: showing just the QR is enough.
- 3
The officer scans and downloads
The QR opens the unique URL and downloads the current PDF directly on the officer’s own device. No login, no credentials.
- 4
The issuer is notified instantly
With our platform, every inspection download triggers a real-time notification. You know when and where your document was checked.
No mobile coverage? The driver can open and download the PDF before departure — the document travels with them. The QR stays readable on screen or on paper, and the download happens on the officer's device. Our inspection endpoint runs on dedicated infrastructure with failover: a QR that does not respond to an authority is not a technical incident, it is a fine waiting to happen.
Penalties and timeline
Fines under Spain's transport act (LOTT, arts. 140-143) start at 401 euros.
Missing, incomplete or non-presentable control documents are sanctionable offences with fines starting at €401; the most serious repeat cases can reach€18,000 under the LOTT penalty framework. From 5 October 2026, presenting a paper document counts as presenting none: only the electronic format with a QR is accepted.
The wider timeline matters for European operators: on 9 July 2027 the EU's eFTI Regulation (2020/1056) obliges all member-state authorities to accept transport information through certified eFTI platforms. Spain has notified the DeCA's legal basis (Order FOM/2861/2012, arts. 1 and 3.1) into the eFTI Annex I, Part B — meaning the DeCA dataset is already eFTI regulatory information. One dataset, one provider, two channels.More on eCMR and eFTI →
How to comply in 5 minutes
- 1
Create your account
Direct sign-up, no card. You start with 10 free documents to test with real shipments.
- 2
Fill in the document
The wizard asks for the art. 6 data with live validation. Templates and address books get repeat documents issued in under a minute — or push them from your TMS via the API.
- 3
Activate and send to the driver
Activation generates the PDF with its QR and unique URL. The driver receives a link by WhatsApp, email or SMS. Nothing to install.
- 4
Automatic custody and evidence
Every document is archived beyond the legal year with its full history: every change, by whom, when and what, hash-chained and verifiable.
Frequently asked questions
Does the DeCA affect international journeys into or out of Spain?
No. The DeCA covers public road haulage with both origin and destination in Spain. International carriage falls under the CMR Convention and can use the eCMR instead. If you run a mixed fleet (Spanish domestic legs plus international work), you will need both document types — our platform issues both from the same account.
Is the DeCA the same as the eCMR?
No. The DeCA is a Spanish administrative control document (business-to-authority); the eCMR is the contractual consignment note for international carriage under the CMR Convention. Different documents, different rules — see our eCMR guide for the full comparison.
Can our TMS or ERP issue DeCAs through an API?
Yes. Our REST API creates, activates and delivers documents, with webhooks (automatic retries and a dead-letter queue), idempotency keys and a sandbox. The full specification is shared with registered accounts on request.
What does a roadside check look like?
The driver shows the QR code — on a phone screen or on a printed copy. The officer scans it and downloads the current PDF directly from the unique URL, no login involved. Our platform notifies the issuer in real time whenever an inspection accesses the document.
What does it cost?
Public pricing, from €0.18 per document on the largest bundles, plus a flat monthly plan for owner-drivers. Every new account starts with 10 free documents, no card required.
Official sources
Everything on this page is backed by published legislation. Check it.
- Ministry of Transport — official DeCA page (Spanish)
- Order FOM/2861/2012 — content of the control document (consolidated text, BOE, Spanish)
- Resolution of 5 June 2026 — technical requirements of the DeCA (BOE-A-2026-12784, Spanish)
- Law 16/1987 (LOTT), arts. 140-143 — penalty framework (BOE, Spanish)
- Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 (eFTI) — EUR-Lex
89daysuntil 5 October 2026
5 October is coming either way. Be ready.
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