eFTI: what EU shippers need to know before 9 July 2027
The July 2027 deadline is an acceptance obligation for authorities, not a compulsory switch away from paper. Here is what shippers should check and prepare.
nocargo 6 min read
From 9 July 2027, competent authorities across the EU must accept regulatory freight information shared through a certified eFTI platform. Businesses do not have to abandon paper, and eFTI does not replace the CMR or e-CMR. For shippers, preparation starts with understanding the electronic route and organising the order data it will use.
What changes on 9 July 2027?
Regulation (EU) 2020/1056, known as eFTI, covers road, rail, inland waterway and air transport. It applies from 21 August 2024, but that is not the same as the date when authorities everywhere must accept information through the eFTI route.
The key date for that obligation is 9 July 2027. From then, competent authorities in every Member State must accept regulatory freight information that operators make available electronically through a certified eFTI platform. The European Commission’s eFTI overview sets out this timetable.
For a logistics manager, the important distinction is between an authority’s duty to accept electronic information and a business’s choice to use it. The deadline creates an acceptance obligation for authorities. It does not require every shipper to move away from paper on that date.
Paper stays allowed, but the electronic route has conditions
Using eFTI is voluntary for businesses. Paper remains allowed, so you do not need to treat July 2027 as a compulsory replacement date for your existing paper process.
If you choose to share regulatory freight information electronically under eFTI, however, there are specific requirements. The information must be available through a certified eFTI platform, in machine-readable form, with a unique electronic identifying link, or UIL. On request, it must also be available in human-readable form on the operator’s device on the spot.
This is why an electronic file and an eFTI process should not be treated as interchangeable. When assessing a proposed setup, ask how it meets each requirement rather than stopping at “the information is digital”. The requirements are set out in Regulation (EU) 2020/1056.
Separate your preparation into two decisions: whether to use eFTI, and how you would meet its requirements if you do. That keeps a voluntary business decision separate from the technical conditions attached to it.
eFTI is not another name for e-CMR
eFTI is not a document and does not replace the CMR or e-CMR. The e-CMR is the electronic consignment note; eFTI is the channel through which authorities read the data. Keeping that distinction clear helps when discussing requirements with carriers and platform providers.
For example, “Can we use an electronic consignment note?” and “How will an authority access our regulatory freight data?” are different questions. Do not assume that an answer to one settles the other. Ask separately about the consignment note and the certified eFTI route.
Start by reviewing the information you already keep for each shipment. nocargo holds the parties, addresses, packages, weight and CMR printout on one order. That order data is what an eFTI dataset is built from; keeping it together is a useful preparation step, not a claim of eFTI certification.
Use the guide to what belongs on a CMR when reviewing your order information. Keep the document question separate from the question of how an authority will access data.
The rollout dates to put on your planning sheet
The rollout has several stages. Avoid using the regulation’s application date, the start of preparation and the authority acceptance deadline as if they were the same milestone.
| Timing | What it means |
|---|---|
| 21 August 2024 | Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 applies. |
| 9 January 2025 | Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/2024 on the common data set and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1942 on authority access procedures entered into force. |
| From January 2026 | Platforms can prepare, and authorities may start accepting data. |
| By December 2026 | The Commission plans the remaining specifications. |
| 9 July 2027 | Competent authorities in every Member State must accept information made available through certified eFTI platforms. |
Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2243 sets functional requirements for eFTI platforms. When discussing readiness with a provider, ask what is available now and what is still planned. A planned specification or preparation activity should not be described as completed certification.
Your country: check the national rollout
Each Member State builds an eFTI gate that routes authority requests to platforms. That national gate is part of the access arrangement described in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1942.
The EU-wide acceptance deadline is the same, but acceptance before that deadline should be checked country by country. Authorities may start accepting data from January 2026; that does not mean you should assume every national route is already available.
For the countries relevant to your shipments, ask whether early acceptance is available and how the platform’s access process works with the national gate. Keep confirmed availability separate from future rollout plans. There is no need to assume a different legal deadline for each country.
Prepare the order data before choosing the electronic route
A practical starting point is a review of the shipment order. Check how your team records parties, addresses, packages and weight, and how it keeps the CMR printout with that information. Focus on the data you already manage before assessing a future eFTI setup.
nocargo’s role here is keeping those details together on one order. You can review the nocargo features against that task. Do not read order management functionality as evidence that nocargo is a certified eFTI platform.
Also separate carrier booking from regulatory data access. Your existing email-based carrier booking workflow is a different discussion from the certified channel used to share information with authorities. Ask providers to explain both clearly rather than bundling them under one “digital transport” label.
Before July 2027, aim to have a clear decision: continue with permitted paper processes, or use an eFTI route whose certification, UIL, machine-readable data and on-the-spot human-readable display you have checked. Prepare deliberately, without treating the authority deadline as a compulsory paper switch-off.
Frequently asked questions
Must businesses switch to eFTI on 9 July 2027?
No. Using eFTI is voluntary for businesses, and paper remains allowed. From 9 July 2027, competent authorities in every EU Member State must accept regulatory freight information made available electronically through a certified eFTI platform.
Does eFTI replace the CMR or e-CMR?
No. The e-CMR is an electronic consignment note. eFTI is the channel through which authorities read regulatory freight data; it is not a replacement document.
What is required when a business uses eFTI?
The information must be shared through a certified eFTI platform in machine-readable form, with a unique electronic identifying link (UIL). On request, it must also be available in human-readable form on the operator’s device on the spot.
Is nocargo a certified eFTI platform?
nocargo is not presented here as a certified eFTI platform. It keeps parties, addresses, packages, weight and the CMR printout together on one order. That order data is the starting point for building an eFTI dataset.