# EU electronic freight transport information (eFTI)

> What the EU eFTI Regulation requires, from when authorities must accept electronic freight information, and what it means for operators.

- Web page: https://www.alesanalytics.com/docs/efti-electronic-freight-information
- Markdown: https://www.alesanalytics.com/docs/efti-electronic-freight-information.md
- Last updated: 2026-11-08
- Publisher: Ales Analytics

Industry guide. Electronic freight documents accepted from 9 July 2027. Published 2026-11-08. Last reviewed 2026-11-08. Reviewed by Ales Analytics engineering.

## Who it applies to

Operators moving goods within the European Union, including carriers, freight forwarders, logistics service providers and shippers, and the national authorities that inspect freight. Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 on electronic freight transport information (eFTI) covers road, rail, inland waterway and air transport.

## What it requires, in plain terms

- **Authorities must accept electronic information.** When an operator shares regulatory freight information electronically through a certified eFTI platform, member state authorities must accept it instead of paper.
- **Operators may choose.** The regulation obliges authorities to accept electronic information; it does not oblige operators to stop using paper. In practice, electronic exchange becomes the easier route.
- **Certified platforms and service providers.** Information is shared through eFTI platforms and service providers certified against common functional requirements set by implementing acts.
- **A common data set.** The information is structured according to a common eFTI data set, so the same data can be read by authorities in any member state.

## Key dates

As of November 2026:

| What                                                                 | When                 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------- |
| Regulation adopted                                                   | July 2020            |
| Implementing and delegated acts on platforms, data and certification | Adopted 2024 to 2025 |
| Platforms and service providers can prepare for operation            | From January 2026    |
| Regulation applies in full; authorities must accept eFTI data        | 9 July 2027          |

## What it means for your systems

- Freight data held as scanned CMRs, delivery notes and emails has to become structured data before it can be shared electronically.
- The same structured records that feed eFTI also feed invoicing, proof-of-delivery matching and shipment tracking.
- Operators will connect to one or more certified eFTI platforms, so the TMS or ERP needs a clean way to publish the data set.

## Official sources

- [European Commission: eFTI Regulation](https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-themes/logistics-and-multimodal-transport/efti-regulation_en)
- [European Commission: towards paperless freight transport (January 2025)](https://transport.ec.europa.eu/news-events/news/towards-paperless-freight-transport-eu-takes-step-forward-efti-regulation-implementation-2025-01-09_en)
- [Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1942 (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2024/1942/oj/eng)

## How this connects to our work

[Document intelligence](https://www.alesanalytics.com/capabilities/document-intelligence) reads bills of lading, delivery notes and customs paperwork into structured records in the TMS or ERP, which is the data an eFTI platform needs. See also [Logistics and distribution](https://www.alesanalytics.com/industries/logistics-and-distribution).

## Contact

solutions@alesanalytics.com, or https://www.alesanalytics.com/contact.

- Every page as Markdown: https://www.alesanalytics.com/llms.txt