2026 DeCA guide
Digital DeCA in 2026: who it affects and how to prepare
The change is not about turning paper into an image. It requires digitally generated documents, available through a QR code and ready for inspection.
Spain's Sustainable Mobility Law 9/2025 states that the goods control document and passenger route sheet must become digital ten months after the law entered into force. The law entered into force on 5 December 2025, making 5 October 2026 the reference date, subject to any later regulatory amendment.
Key date
5 · 10 · 2026
This follows from the law's ten-month period; check for any changes before making legal decisions.
Who is affected by digital DeCA?
For public road freight transport, responsibility for formalising the document lies with the contractual consignor and the effective carrier. The contractual consignor may be a company that regularly contracts transport, an agency, freight forwarder, warehouse-distributor or another operator acting as intermediary.
Law 9/2025 also digitises the route sheet for certain public passenger services. Domestic transport and cabotage in Spain fall within the framework described by the resolution; international transport generally uses the documents required under the applicable conventions.
The obligation should not be assumed to apply equally to every logistics-related business. Exceptions and specific rules depend on the service, operation and contractual role of each party. Scope should be reviewed case by case against the rules and with the organisation's advisers.
Technical requirements that should not be left until the last minute
The Resolution of 5 June 2026 defines a digitally native document. Scanning paper is not enough. The system must transform structured data into a readable PDF no larger than 5 MB and record the creation time and, where applicable, the modification time.
Each PDF must include a QR code containing a unique URL. That URL must use HTTPS with TLS 1.2 or later and trigger a direct download of the document during the service. Requiring an officer to enter credentials, pass through a portal or click another button is not valid.
The document must be delivered to the driver before the service begins. It may be carried on a phone or as a printed copy, always with the QR code. The contractual consignor and effective carrier must be able to retain or download the documents for at least one year.
Native, readable and up to 5 MB
QR
Unique URL inside the document
HTTPS
TLS 1.2 or later
1 año
Minimum retention
Five common mistakes
- 1
Scanning a paper document and treating it as digitally native.
- 2
Making the QR code open a login portal or a page with another download button.
- 3
Leaving the only copy in an email or chat without a repository or audit trail.
- 4
Changing data without retaining history or delivering the update to the driver.
- 5
Assuming an electronic signature is always required. The resolution does not require it by default.
How to prepare the organisation before October
Useful preparation starts with the process, not the PDF. Identify where transport data lives today, who completes it, who approves departure and which channel delivers the documentation to the driver.
Then run complete pilot operations: generate the document, open the QR over a mobile network, verify direct download, change a field, deliver the updated version and retrieve the record from the archive.
- Map data available in the ERP, TMS, CRM and warehouse
- Assign owners for creation, review, delivery and amendment
- Test QR and download from a mobile device away from the office
- Validate archiving, search and version recovery
DeCA Cloud by Blurtek
Connect creation, delivery, traceability and archiving
DeCA Cloud is designed to fit the current operation and integrate with systems that already hold the data. Blurtek reviews the process, configures the workflow and prepares team testing before launch.
See DeCA CloudOfficial sources
This content is for information only and is based on official publications available on 23 July 2026. It does not replace legal advice or checking the current rules.