Portuguese road transport operators carrying out cabotage operations in Spain will need to start using an Electronic Administrative Control Document (DeCA) from October 5. The new requirement results from Law 9/2025, of December 3, known as the Sustainable Mobility Law, published in the Spanish Official State Gazette, which stipulates that the administrative control document regulated by Order FOM/2861/2012 must become digital ten months after its entry into force. The obligation applies to public road transport of goods whose origin and destination are in Spanish territory, explicitly including cabotage operations.
The formalization of the document is the responsibility of the actual carrier and the contractual shipper, who must ensure that the driver receives the DeCA before the service begins. The document must be generated directly in digital format, in a PDF file with a maximum size of 5 MB, including a QR code associated with a unique electronic address. A scan or photograph of a document originally created on paper will not be considered valid. During an inspection, the driver may present the DeCA with the corresponding QR code or just the QR code itself, and may also carry a printed copy provided it contains the QR code. The files must remain available during transport and be kept for at least one year.
The Spanish authorities have also published the technical characteristics of the system through Resolution of June 5, 2026, from the Directorate-General for Road and Rail Transport. This resolution excludes international transports that only travel through part of Spanish territory from the obligation, as well as operations such as household moves, transport of accident or breakdown vehicles, and certain small parcel services.
To clarify the operation of the new system for Portuguese operators, the Directorate-General for Road and Rail Transport of Spain, in collaboration with the Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes (IMT), will promote an information session in webinar format on September 16, between 11:00 AM and 12:30 PM, Portugal time. Participation is free but requires prior registration, allowing companies to adapt their procedures before the obligation comes into force.
