Guides
DeCA guides
Clear answers to the most common questions about Spain's administrative control document: what it is, when it's mandatory, how to issue one and what a real DeCA looks like.
What is the DeCA (Spain's administrative control document)
The DeCA is the document that goes with every public road freight transport in Spain. Here is what it is, what it contains, who issues it and what changes with the electronic DeCA.
Read the guide →The electronic DeCA is mandatory from 5 October 2026
Since 5 October 2026 the road freight DeCA in Spain has to be electronic. Here is what the Resolution of 5 June 2026 requires of the PDF, the QR code and the link, and what you need to do to comply.
Read the guide →How to issue a DeCA, step by step
What data you need, how each field is filled in and how you issue the electronic DeCA with its QR code before the truck leaves. Free, and in under a minute.
Read the guide →DeCA template in PDF, with a real example
This is what a real electronic DeCA looks like, created with DeCA by Routyn using fictional data. Download it, see what each part contains and issue yours for free in under a minute.
Read the guide →Who issues the DeCA, the shipper or the carrier
The DeCA is issued by the contractual shipper or by the carrier on its behalf, but both answer for it. Here is who is who, what happens with agencies and subcontractors, and which data each party answers for.
Read the guide →The fine for not carrying the DeCA, and how to avoid it
Not carrying the DeCA, or carrying one without its essential data, is a serious transport infringement. Here is how much the fine is, who is liable in each case and how to avoid it.
Read the guide →DeCA and the CMR consignment note, how they differ
The DeCA is the control document for transports within Spain, and the CMR consignment note is the one for international transports. Here is when each one is used and when a CMR can serve as a DeCA.
Read the guide →The DeCA on your phone, what the driver carries and what inspectors do
The driver can carry the DeCA on a phone or printed, always with its QR code. Here is how it reaches the driver, what happens at a check and what to do when there's no signal.
Read the guide →Transports exempt from the DeCA
Not every goods transport needs a DeCA. Here are the cases Orden FOM/2861/2012 leaves out, and the ones people often get wrong.
Read the guide →How long to keep the DeCA
The contractual shipper and the actual carrier must keep each DeCA for at least a year, available to inspectors. Here is how to do it with the electronic DeCA, even if you didn't issue it.
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Issue your DeCA for free
DeCA by Routyn creates the digital DeCA with its QR code in under a minute, from the web, WhatsApp or your TMS. No per-document fees.