Comparison guide · DeCA (electronic transport control document)
DeCA: where to issue the electronic control document from.
Updated on · Binari Software Solutions
Short answer
From 5 October 2026, the control document for road haulage of goods in Spain has to be electronic: a PDF with a QR code that an inspector can download at the roadside, without credentials, generated before the lorry leaves. It can be issued from the WMS, from the ERP or from a separate application or portal. The most reliable option is to issue it where the transport data already is at the moment of departure: in most warehouses that is the WMS, which knows the manifest, the number plates, the loaded weights and the destinations.
Comparison
| Criterion | From the WMS | From the ERP | Separate application |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transport data | Already in the shipment manifest. | The commercial data, yes; number plates and loaded weights, often not. | Typed in or imported. |
| When it is issued | When dispatch is closed, before departure. | Depends on when the departure is recorded. | Whenever someone gets round to it. |
| Risk of error | Low: the same data as the load. | Medium: planned data, not what was loaded. | High: everything typed twice. |
| Change at the dock | None: the same screen. | One more step in the office. | Another tool and another user. |
| Changes during transport | Depends on the service it uses. | Depends on the service it uses. | Depends on the application. |
What DeCA is
The administrative control document has accompanied every road haulage of goods since 2013 (Order FOM/2861/2012). What is new is the format: Law 9/2025 requires it to be electronic from 5 October 2026, and the Resolution of 5 June 2026 sets out how the file, the QR code and the download must work. It applies to domestic transport of goods; the international CMR is a different document.
Who has to issue it
The contractual shipper and the actual carrier (transportista efectivo). If your warehouse contracts the transport, the obligation is yours and cannot be left to “the lorry will sort it out”.
What data it contains
Name, tax ID (NIF) and address of the contractual shipper; name and tax ID of the carrier; origin and destination; nature and weight of the goods; special authorisation if there is one; date of transport; vehicle number plates (both if it is articulated), and remarks. Almost all of it comes from the shipment.
What the regulation requires of the file
That it exists before the lorry leaves, generated from data and with the creation date embedded; a QR code with a unique address per document; direct download over HTTPS, without credentials; a link available until the end of the transport; retention for at least one year, and if it is corrected, the original must be kept. It does not have to be signed.
If something changes en route
If the vehicle changes during transport, the change must be recorded in the document (art. 6 g of Order FOM/2861/2012), and a handwritten note on the printed copy is not valid (Resolution of 5 June 2026, section seven). Ask any supplier how changes are recorded without changing the QR code.
What suits you
- From the WMS if…
- your shipments leave from a warehouse with a WMS: that is where the manifest, the number plates and the weights are at the moment of loading.
- From the ERP if…
- you do not have a WMS and the ERP records the departure with the vehicle and carrier details.
- With a separate application if…
- you have few transports a month and can live with typing in the data for each one.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the electronic DeCA mandatory?
- Yes, from 5 October 2026, for the control document for domestic road haulage of goods.
- Does it have to be signed?
- No. The regulation says so explicitly.
- Does it replace the CMR?
- No. It is the domestic control document; the international CMR is a different document.
- Do I have to register anywhere?
- No. The regulation does not require anything to be reported to the authorities.
- How long does it have to be kept?
- At least one year, and if it is corrected, the original must be kept too.
Sources: Order FOM/2861/2012 (BOE-A-2013-154) · Resolution of 5 June 2026 (BOE-A-2026-12784)