eFTI for shippers in Latvia: what changes before 9 July 2027

From 9 July 2027, competent authorities in every EU Member State must accept regulatory freight information made available electronically through a certified eFTI platform. For shippers in Latvia, this is not a deadline to abandon paper: the practical task is to distinguish authority access from CMR documents and decide whether to prepare an electronic process.

What changes before 9 July 2027

Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 applies from 21 August 2024 and covers road, rail, inland waterway and air transport. Its application date and the deadline for mandatory authority acceptance are different milestones. Keep those dates separate when discussing requirements with carriers or software suppliers.

The common data set in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/2024 and authority access procedures in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1942 entered into force on 9 January 2025. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2243 sets functional requirements for eFTI platforms.

According to the European Commission’s eFTI timeline, platforms can prepare from January 2026, and authorities may start accepting data from then. The Commission plans the remaining specifications by December 2026. Treat that as a planned milestone, rather than assuming every specification is already settled.

From 9 July 2027, acceptance becomes mandatory for competent authorities in every Member State when operators make the information available through a certified eFTI platform. That is the key change to plan around.

Electronic access is optional, but has specific requirements

Using eFTI is voluntary for businesses. Paper remains allowed, so a shipper does not have to replace its paper process simply because the authority acceptance deadline arrives.

If you choose the eFTI route for sharing regulatory freight information electronically, the requirements are more specific than sending a file. 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.

Each Member State builds an eFTI gate to route authority requests to platforms. The authority access procedures therefore concern how authorities reach the information, not just how your team stores it.

When assessing a proposed process, ask the supplier to demonstrate that access route. Separately, ask whoever will present the information during a check to demonstrate the human-readable view. These are more useful tests than asking only whether a shipment is “digital”.

Keep eFTI separate from CMR and 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 regulatory freight data.

For a logistics manager, this creates two separate questions. How will the consignment note be prepared and used? And, if the business chooses eFTI, how will the required information be made accessible to authorities? Do not treat an answer to the first question as an answer to the second.

Keep your document review separate from your platform assessment. For the consignment-note part of the workflow, use the guides on filling in a CMR in Latvia and what belongs on a CMR. Then review the proposed eFTI access process against its own requirements.

Latvia: the CMR and e-CMR background

The Saeima adopted the law on Latvia’s accession to the CMR Convention and its 1978 Protocol on 2 December 1993. The Convention has been in force for Latvia since 14 April 1994. A Latvian translation is published on likumi.lv.

Latvia ratified the Additional Protocol to the CMR concerning the electronic consignment note on 3 February 2010. The protocol was concluded in Geneva on 20 February 2008; the ratification is recorded in the UN treaty status record.

Use these references when reviewing your Latvian consignment-note process with colleagues or carriers. Keep the Convention and electronic consignment-note protocol clearly identified in your internal guidance, rather than grouping all electronic freight processes under one label.

A preparation checklist for the shipping team

Start with a process review, not an assumption that every shipment needs a new system. Work through the following points with the people responsible for bookings, documents and authority checks:

• Choose the intended route. Decide whether you want to retain paper or prepare to use eFTI for regulatory information.
• Separate the tasks. Record how you prepare the CMR or e-CMR, and separately how you intend to provide authority access.
• Check the platform proposal. Ask for evidence of certification and an explanation of machine-readable access and the UIL.
• Test the readable view. Ask the operator to demonstrate how the information would be displayed on their device on request.
• Review the timeline. Revisit supplier plans against the Commission’s planned specifications and the authority acceptance deadline.

The output should be a clear decision about your chosen process, with unanswered questions assigned for follow-up. Avoid treating an electronic booking, a printed CMR and certified authority access as interchangeable.

Where nocargo fits in your shipment process

nocargo handles the shipper’s workflow with carriers they already use. You add your carriers, and a price request goes by email to the address you enter. Carriers do not create an account: they answer through a private link or reply to the email, and nocargo reads that reply onto the order.

You can compare offers, book in one click, print the CMR and labels from the order, and track through to proof of delivery. See the booking and document features when reviewing that part of your process.

Assess those shipment-management functions separately from certified eFTI access. nocargo is software, not a freight exchange or broker, and takes no margin on freight. The pricing page sets out the available plans. Keep your software choice tied to the tasks you need it to perform, and your eFTI assessment tied to the authority-access requirements.

Frequently asked questions

Must Latvian shippers stop using paper on 9 July 2027?

No. Using eFTI is voluntary for businesses, and paper remains allowed. The deadline requires competent authorities in every Member State to accept regulatory freight information made available electronically through a certified eFTI platform.

Does an e-CMR count as eFTI?

They serve different purposes. An e-CMR is the electronic consignment note. eFTI is the channel through which authorities access regulatory freight data; it does not replace the CMR or e-CMR.

What must an electronic eFTI process provide?

It must use a certified eFTI platform, provide machine-readable information and a unique electronic identifying link (UIL), and allow the information to be shown in human-readable form on the operator’s device on request.

What can nocargo handle in the shipment workflow?

nocargo supports requesting prices from existing carriers, comparing offers, booking, printing CMRs and labels, and tracking through to proof of delivery. Those functions should be assessed separately from the requirements for certified eFTI access.