Spain deep dive
The DeCA
Under Transitory Provision Eight of Spain's Sustainable Mobility Law (Ley de Movilidad Sostenible), Spain is transitioning from paper to digital administrative documents for the public carriage of goods and passengers.
Compliance window
Documents must be digitized no later than 10 months after the law enters into force
What's required
A Digital Administrative Control Document (DeCA) that is Digital, Accessible and Traceable
Effective date
05 October 2026
To be valid in Spain, a digital DeCA must be:
Prior domain registration
by the parties using eCMR / DeCA
pdf/a format
(under 4 MB in size)
QR-code
accessible
online
accessible
Carta e Porta vs Documento de Control Administrativo (DeCA) vs CMR / eCMR
How does it work for international transport?
For international legs crossing into Spain (e.g., Barcelona → Paris), an eCMR can legally replace and serve as the Spanish DeCA — provided it meets the strict technical requirements set out in the Resolución de 22 de mayo de 2023.
For purely domestic Spanish legs (e.g., Madrid → Barcelona) and local cabotage, a digital DeCA remains explicitly mandatory.
Important nuance: Even when a DeCA is required, the driver may also carry a CMR / eCMR for international transport. One digital solution that handles both avoids running parallel systems.
