What the DeCA is
The Documento de Control Administrativo, known as the DeCA or "albarán de transporte", goes with every public road freight service in Spain. It is governed by Order FOM/2861/2012 and lets inspectors check who contracts, who carries and what is carried.
Since 5 October 2026 the goods DeCA must be digital, under the eighth transitional provision of Law 9/2025 on Sustainable Mobility. The Resolution of 5 June 2026 sets out what that electronic document and the systems that create it must look like.
Who is involved
The contracting shipper (cargador contractual) hires the transport in its own name. The actual carrier (transportista efectivo) performs it with its vehicles. They may or may not be the same company, and the document must tell them apart clearly.
The DeCA is issued by the contracting shipper or, on its behalf, by the carrier. It is created before the service starts, and the driver must have a copy with the QR code, on a phone or on paper, before setting off.
Mandatory content
Article 6 of Order FOM/2861/2012 requires at least:
- Name, tax id (NIF) and address of the contracting shipper
- Name and tax id (NIF) of the actual carrier
- Place of origin and destination of the goods
- Nature and weight of the goods
Several services can share one DeCA if the contracting shipper and the actual carrier are the same. Other formats, such as a consignment note or ADR documents, are also valid if they include all this data and tell the shipper and carrier apart.
Requirements for the digital DeCA
The file
- A PDF of 5 MB at most
- Created natively in digital form: no scans or photos of paper
- Date and time of creation and of each change in the metadata
- A QR code inside the PDF with the document's URL
The link
- One unique URL per file, starting with https:// with TLS 1.2 or later
- Opening the URL downloads the PDF directly: no credentials, buttons or other steps
- It cannot expire before the service ends
- It may be switched off seven calendar days after the service ends
The system
- Creates the file before the service actually starts
- Records the date and time of creation and of each change
- Keeps the files in a repository they can be downloaded from during an inspection
- Any domain may be used, with no prior notice
Changes during the service
If something changes on the way, the Resolution allows two routes: change the existing PDF, adding the new data and the reason and marking the old data as no longer valid, keeping the same URL and QR; or create a new PDF with a new URL and QR and keep the original. Either way the driver must get the updated document.
Handwritten notes on a printed copy do not count: those two routes are the only valid ways to change a DeCA.
Retention
The contracting shipper and the actual carrier must keep each DeCA for at least a year. They may use the same repository or different ones: if one of them created the document, it is enough that the other can download it during that year.
What the Resolution of 5 June 2026 sets out
- It replaces the Resolution of 22 May 2023 of the Directorate-General for Land Transport.
- Contracting shipper and actual carrier must be able to keep or download the DeCA for at least a year.
- Links that ask inspectors for credentials or show download buttons are not allowed.
- The download may be switched off seven calendar days after the service ends.
- An advanced (or qualified) electronic signature is only needed when the DeCA has a contractual purpose.
- If the data is handled through eFTI (EU Regulation 2020/1056), the DeCA does not have to be presented this way.
How DeCA by Routyn complies
| Requirement | How we do it |
|---|---|
| Native PDF of 5 MB at most | We create the PDF directly and it uses a small part of that limit |
| QR code with the URL inside the PDF | Each DeCA carries its QR code, with a unique https URL |
| Direct download for inspectors | Scanning the QR code downloads the current PDF, with no account or buttons |
| Date and time of creation and changes | Kept in the PDF metadata and in the version history |
| Changes during the service | Same QR code and URL, with the reason and every version kept |
| A copy for the driver before setting off | By email, on WhatsApp or in Routyn Drive, always with the QR code |
| One-year retention for both parties | We keep every version for at least a year, and shipper and carrier request their archive copy by email |
| Switching off after the service | The public link is switched off seven calendar days after the DeCA is completed or cancelled |
What if I don't carry it?
Not having the control document, or carrying it incomplete, can be a transport offence. Fines depend on how serious it is, on repeat offences and on the rules in force, and can affect both the carrier and the shipper.
Official sources
- Order FOM/2861/2012, regulating the control document in public road freight transport
- Resolution of 5 June 2026 of the Directorate-General for Road and Rail Transport (BOE-A-2026-12784)
- Law 9/2025 of 3 December on Sustainable Mobility (BOE-A-2025-24545)
This summary is for guidance only and is not legal advice. For specific cases, read the BOE text or ask a specialist adviser.
Comply without paying per document
DeCA by Routyn creates every DeCA with these requirements, free and in under a minute.