Which documents fall under eFTI?
eFTI covers the legally required freight information that travels with a shipment: the consignment note, dangerous-goods data (ADR), waste-shipment documents and permits. Authorities must accept these electronically from 9 July 2027.
Short answer: eFTI covers the legally required freight information that accompanies a shipment: the consignment note, dangerous-goods data (ADR), waste-shipment documents and the relevant permits. eFTI is governed by Regulation (EU) 2020/1056.
Which information is covered
eFTI concerns the information that businesses must be able to show authorities during transport under EU freight legislation. In practice this means:
- the consignment note and related shipment data;
- data on the carriage of dangerous goods (ADR);
- documents for waste shipments;
- the relevant transport permits.
The Regulation elaborates these categories through a common data set, established in implementing acts. That tells everyone which data fields belong in an eFTI exchange.
What the acceptance duty means
The core of eFTI is an obligation on government, not on business. Where a company chooses to provide this statutory freight information electronically, competent authorities must accept those data from 9 July 2027. The condition is that the exchange runs through a certified platform and a certified service provider. A loose PDF or email falls outside the acceptance duty.
What it means for you
Working on paper remains permitted. eFTI does not force digitisation, but it opens the door to it: anyone who supplies the right documents as structured data via a certified platform can no longer be asked for a paper original. For operators facing many border checks or inspections, that saves time across the whole chain.
Read the main file: eFTI: electronic freight information. Or take the Transport & Logistics scan.
Sources
- https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2020/1056/oj
Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 (eFTI); authority acceptance duty from 9 July 2027.
Read next
eFTI and dangerous goods (ADR): what changes?
Under eFTI (Regulation (EU) 2020/1056), ADR freight information is also covered. From 9 July 2027, authorities must accept it electronically via certified platforms. Paper remains allowed. What this means for transporting dangerous goods.
eFTI vs eCMR: what is the difference?
In short: the eCMR is one digital document (the electronic consignment note); eFTI is the broader EU framework for all statutory freight information that authorities must accept electronically. They complement each other. What that distinction means for your digitisation plan.
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