Spain’s digital DeCA from 5 October 2026: a shipper’s preparation checklist

A truck entering Spain is not automatically subject to the new digital DeCA obligation. For a buyer moving pallets, part loads or full truckloads, the first question is which operation has actually been ordered: an international shipment or a Spanish domestic service? Getting that distinction right prevents teams requesting the wrong document while overlooking a separate distribution leg.

What changes on 5 October 2026

Spain’s Law 9/2025, transitional provision eight, requires the digital format ten months after the law takes effect. Published on 4 December 2025 and effective the following day, it produces a deadline of 5 October 2026. As of 1 October, that deadline is still ahead. The resolution dated 5 June 2026, published on 12 June, specifies the system and document requirements.

Its introduction covers domestic transport, including cabotage, and distinguishes international transport passing partly through Spain. Article 2 of Order FOM/2861/2012 also provides exemptions, including certain transport not requiring authorisation, removals, specialist vehicle recovery and qualifying small-parcel services. A small pallet shipment is not automatically an exempt parcel service.

Two journeys require different checks

Illustrative example, not an actual shipment: a French manufacturer sends pallets from Lyon to Barcelona, then separately orders Barcelona–Madrid transport. Examine each operation individually. Neither the customer’s nationality nor the presence of a foreign truck settles the document requirement.

Creating a document does not automatically authorise the second journey. Documentary compliance and the right to perform cabotage remain separate questions. Identify who ordered each movement before deciding that one file covers the whole commercial arrangement.

A scanned PDF is not enough

The June 2026 resolution requires a PDF generated natively from structured data, no larger than 5 MB, containing a QR code leading to the document. Photographing a paper consignment note and saving the image as a PDF does not meet that definition.

Access must allow direct PDF download over HTTPS without an account login or intermediate download button. The document must be generated before the service actually begins. The driver may carry an electronic or printed copy containing the QR code: digital does not mean every paper copy is prohibited. However, handwritten changes on that copy do not update the DeCA itself.

The checklist to share before loading

Use this as an operational preparation checklist, not as a substitute for the complete statutory data requirements.

1. Classify the journey: confirm addresses, separate operations and the domestic or international nature of each movement.
2. Identify the parties: record who contracts directly with the actual carrier and who performs the transport, rather than copying only the consignee’s details.
3. Settle the data: provide goods description, weight, date and locations; have the vehicle details confirmed before departure.
4. Assign document creation: agree who generates the file and checks its content instead of assuming the driver will complete everything at the loading bay.
5. Test access: open the QR code on another device, confirm that the correct PDF downloads, and give the driver the copy.
6. Plan corrections: identify who updates changed vehicle or shipment data and how the correct version reaches the driver during the operation.

DeCA, CMR and proof of delivery serve different purposes

DeCA serves administrative control. It does not by itself prove that the consignee received the goods, and this reform does not make electronic CMR mandatory for every international journey. The resolution permits other document formats to serve as DeCA only when they meet the required data and technical characteristics. A document labelled “CMR” is therefore not automatically sufficient.

The contractual shipper and actual carrier must retain the files for at least one year under the resolution. Agree archive access when setting up the process. A link that works during transport and durable document retention address different needs, so check both rather than treating a successful QR scan as the end of the task.

The resolution also provides an eFTI compliance route in section nine; the PDF checklist above describes the ordinary document route, not every permitted solution.

Prepare a usable transport enquiry

When requesting a road freight quote from Remo&Co, provide addresses, dates, pallet count, packed dimensions, weight and handling restrictions. Flag any separate Spanish domestic service alongside the international movement. The team can then examine the request and the document responsibilities to clarify with those involved. Avoid placing confidential shipment documents on a public link merely to obtain a price.

Prepare the shipment file and distinguish supporting documents:

• How to Prepare a Road Freight Shipment File
• CMR vs POD: What Proof of Delivery Really Means
• Cabotage Rules Explained Without Legal Jargon

Request a road freight quote

Sources checked on 1 October 2026. Recheck the rules at implementation on 5 October and before any later publication.