- New digital freight documentation rules are now in force in Spain, affecting UK companies operating there.
- Non-compliance with DeCA requirements could result in penalties and shared liability.
- Rhenus explains what businesses need to know and why this signals a wider shift towards digital freight documentation across Europe.
Rhenus Logistics is issuing a reminder to British companies active in Spain about the impact recent changes in Spanish custom law will have on their operations.
The Documento electrónico de Control Administrativo (DeCA) became mandatory on 5th October, marking a shift from paper-based to digital control documentation for exporters. The move affects all domestic road freight moving in and out of Spain.
DeCA is the digital form of the Documento de Control Administrativo (DCA). A DeCA is required for cabotage transport on Spanish roads, with the exceptions of activities such as last-mile parcel delivery and small shipments that can be handled by one person. The change requires British firms using trucks registered in the UK to hold DeCAs to transport goods across Spain, in order to comply with Spanish regulation. The change affects all businesses operating in Spain. Those which are responsible for their own transport also need to ensure they understand the changes.
DeCAs must be generated as digital PDFs, linked to a unique URL and be accessible through a QR code. DCAs and DeCAs detail the operators involved in the transport as well as the specifics of the journey itself.
Failure to generate a DCA in time may result in penalties and shared liability between contractual shipper and operative carrier.
The move to e-documents comes as part of the wider digitisation of documents across Europe to move businesses over to electronic consignment notes (eCMRs). From July 2027, all EU authorities are required to accept electronic freight transport information.
Markus Sandbrink, CIO, The Rhenus Group said: “The regulation has already come into effect, so firms need to ensure compliance as soon as possible. For UK companies operating in Spain, readiness means making sure administrative teams and drivers understand the new documentation requirements and that the right transport information is available when it is needed.
But this is about more than replacing paper documents with digital ones. Digital documentation makes inconsistencies in data and processes much more visible, particularly when information moves between different systems and partners.
“Businesses therefore need clear responsibilities for how information is generated, updated and shared. As more freight documentation becomes digital across Europe, interoperability and process alignment will become increasingly important to keeping goods moving smoothly.”
DCAs may be issued by the contractual shipper, the logistics provider or the operating carrier. Responsibility is shared between all parties involved, and the contractual shipper or operative carrier may both be held liable if the document does not exist, if it is not created in time or for incomplete or inaccurate information.
Rhenus is working with the Open Logistics Foundation, a nonprofit, collectively beneficial foundation. The Foundation is working to develop open-source solutions to logistics and supply chain challenges together with its members with regard to eCMR, the digital version of the traditional paper CMR consignment note used for international and domestic road freight transport.
For more information, or to discuss what DeCA means for your supply chain, contact The Rhenus Group or visit https://www.rhenus.group/dca/.
