eFTI regulation: electronic freight information from 9 July 2027

eFTI regulation: start date and legal basis

The eFTI regulation is Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 on electronic freight transport information. The EU adopted it on 15 July 2020. From 9 July 2027, authorities in every EU country must accept legally required freight information that a company shows through a certified eFTI platform. The European Commission calls this the date when the regulation applies in full.

The date comes from Article 5(1). Authorities must accept eFTI data 30 months after the first implementing and delegated acts entered into force. The Official Journal published the first three acts on 20 December 2024. They entered into force on the twentieth day after publication, 9 January 2025. Thirty months after that day is 9 July 2027.

Article 18(2) makes the regulation apply from 21 August 2024, but the duty for authorities starts later. Since January 2026, platforms can prepare for operations. The EU rules for certifying eFTI platforms and service providers are not adopted yet. The Commission plans to adopt them by December 2026.

Information and transport modes in scope

eFTI covers freight information that EU or national law requires a company to show to an authority. The European Commission names four transport modes: road, rail, inland waterways and air. eFTI adds no new information duties. The company shows the same data as today, in electronic form, from a certified platform.

Article 2 and Annex I of the regulation list the EU rules in scope. The regulation also covers national rules, and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/2025 lists them country by country. For Lithuania, the list includes the Road Transport Code and the Inland Waterway Transport Code.

• The transport document for each consignment under EEC Council Regulation No 11, with the consignor, the goods, their weight, the place of acceptance and the place of delivery.
• Proof of each cabotage operation under Article 8(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009.
• Documents for combined transport under Article 3 of Directive 92/106/EEC.
• Information for waste shipments under Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006.
• The dangerous goods transport document under chapter 5.4 of ADR, RID and ADN.
• Security information for air cargo under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1998.

e-CMR and eFTI compared

An e-CMR is the CMR consignment note in electronic form. The sender, the carrier and the consignee use it as the record of the transport contract and of the delivery. eFTI is an EU rule about authorities. It makes them accept legally required freight information from a certified platform. The two can work together, and neither replaces the other.

The e-CMR comes from the Additional Protocol to the CMR Convention, concluded in Geneva on 20 February 2008. The protocol entered into force on 5 June 2011. It works between countries that joined the protocol, also outside the EU. Our CMR guide lists which countries on our routes ratified it.

Traficom, the Finnish transport agency, says a company can use a CMR or an e-CMR, eFTI, or both together. A CMR can be made from eFTI data, and eFTI data from a CMR. Traficom also says EU authorities may accept an e-CMR today when the driver shows it on a device during a check.

eFTI checks at the roadside

At an eFTI check, the driver or the company gives the officer a unique link to the data. The link can be a QR code on a phone or tablet, or printed on paper. The officer’s system asks the eFTI platform for the data through an eFTI Gate. The platform sends only the data that the officer requests.

The regulation adds three rules. The data must come from a certified eFTI platform, and from a certified service provider where the company uses one. On request, the company shows the information in human-readable form, on the screen of its own device. Information from a certified platform carries a certification mark.

The company keeps control of its data. Under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2243, the platform must let the company receive a notification about each request from an authority. Under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1942, eFTI Gates pass the requests and the answers. They store no freight data, only technical data such as identifiers and logs.

Paper CMR and VAT proof

For a shipper, the paper CMR stays valid before and after 9 July 2027. Traficom notes that international road transport still needs a CMR consignment note, on paper or as an e-CMR. eFTI stays voluntary. RNJ Transport sends you a copy of the signed CMR after delivery. Ask your contact person at RNJ Transport which documents your load needs.

Keep the signed CMR. Article 45a of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 282/2011, added by Regulation (EU) 2018/1912, lists a signed CMR document or note as evidence of transport for a VAT-free supply to another EU country. Our guide on customs inside the EU explains the rule of two documents. Check with your tax office which proof it accepts.

Checklist: questions about electronic freight documents

Use these questions when you talk to a forwarder or a carrier about electronic documents. The answers show what changes for your loads and what stays on paper.