Bill of Lading Spain (Carta de Porte)

A Bill of Lading Spain (Carta de Porte) is a formal transport document that serves simultaneously as the contract of carriage, a receipt of the goods delivered to the carrier, and evidence of the terms on which road freight transport is to be performed between the shipper (cargador), the carrier (transportista), and the consignee (destinatario). In Spain, the Carta de Porte is governed principally by Ley 15/2009, de 11 de noviembre, del Contrato de Transporte Terrestre de Mercancías (LCTTM), which consolidated and modernised the regulation of domestic road freight transport, replacing the earlier fragmented regime under the Ley 16/1987, de 30 de julio, de Ordenación de los Transportes Terrestres (LOTT) and the Reglamento de Ordenación de los Transportes Terrestres (ROTT — Real Decreto 1211/1990).

Article 10 of Ley 15/2009 establishes the specific mandatory contents of the carta de porte (the transport document) for domestic Spanish road freight. The LCTTM defines the rights and obligations of each party: the shipper's obligation to provide accurate goods information under Article 20 LCTTM, the carrier's obligation to deliver the goods within the agreed time under Articles 33 through 36 LCTTM, and the consignee's rights and obligations upon delivery under Articles 44 through 50 LCTTM.

For international road transport within Europe and to and from third countries, the applicable instrument is the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR Convention — Convención CMR, Ginebra 1956), ratified by Spain through Instrumento de Adhesión de 12 de septiembre de 1973. The CMR Convention establishes a uniform regime for the international carta de porte, including carrier liability limits of 8.33 SDR (Special Drawing Rights) per kilogram of gross weight of goods lost under Article 23 CMR. Spain also participates in the Interbus Agreement governing international occasional passenger transport.

The Comité Nacional del Transporte por Carretera (CNTC) and the Ministerio de Transportes, Movilidad y Agenda Urbana (MITMA) regulate the domestic road transport sector in Spain. Carriers must hold a valid licencia de transporte (transport licence) issued by MITMA or the relevant communidad autónoma transport authority, and must display the Número de Autorización de Transporte on all transport documents. The Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Vial (DGT — Dirección General de Tráfico) enforces road traffic and transport compliance.

The Ley de Ordenación de los Transportes Terrestres (Ley 16/1987 — LOTT) and its Reglamento (ROTT) continue to apply as framework legislation for transport authorisations, licensing, and administrative sanctions. The LOTT establishes the Spanish transport authorisation framework — licencias de transporte público de mercancías (LPTM) for public freight carriers and licencias de transporte privado (LPRIV) for companies transporting their own goods. The ROTT was substantially updated by Real Decreto 70/2019 to align with EU Regulation 1071/2009 on access to the occupation of road transport operator.

EU Regulation 1072/2009 on common rules for access to the international road haulage market and EU Regulation 1073/2009 on common rules for access to the international market for coach and bus services form the European regulatory framework for cross-border transport operations, establishing the conditions for cabotage (transporte de cabotaje) — the temporary carriage of goods within Spain by a carrier established in another EU Member State. Infringement of cabotage rules is sanctioned by MITMA under the LOTT.

The Real Decreto 97/2014, de 14 de febrero, regulates the transport of hazardous goods (mercancías peligrosas) by road under the ADR Agreement (Accord européen relatif au transport international des marchandises Dangereuses par Route), requiring specific documentation, labelling, and driver certification for ADR-classified substances.

A Carta de Porte Spain is needed whenever goods are transported by road under a contract of carriage — whether for domestic Spanish transport or for international road transport where Spain is the country of dispatch or destination.

The document is required for all domestic road freight transport operations, both public (transporte público — carrying goods for third parties for remuneration) and private (transporte privado — a company carrying its own goods). Article 10 of Ley 15/2009 makes the carta de porte the standard transport document for these operations, and transport inspectors from MITMA and autonomous community transport authorities may require it during roadside checks.

A Carta de Porte is needed for international road freight transport to or from Spain under the CMR Convention — all international road freight movements in Europe require a CMR consignment note (carta de porte CMR), which serves as evidence of the contract of carriage and is recognised by courts and customs authorities across all CMR signatory states.

The document is required when transporting goods across Spanish customs — for imports and exports outside the EU, the carta de porte accompanies the customs declaration (DUA — Documento Único Aduanero) submitted to the Agencia Estatal de Administración Tributaria (AEAT — Spanish customs authority) and provides evidence of the transport contract for customs valuation purposes under EU Regulation 952/2013 (Union Customs Code).

A Carta de Porte is needed when transporting perishable goods under the ATP Agreement (Agreement on the International Carriage of Perishable Foodstuffs — Acuerdo ATP, Geneva 1970), ratified by Spain, which requires specific temperature-controlled transport equipment and documentation certified by MITMA.

The document is required for all ADR hazardous goods transport operations under Real Decreto 97/2014 — the carta de porte must include the ADR goods declaration specifying the UN number, proper shipping name, hazard class, packing group, and emergency information as required by ADR Chapter 5.4.

A Carta de Porte is needed when the shipper or consignee wishes to insure the goods in transit — the transport document is required by Spanish cargo insurers (aseguradoras) to identify the goods, their value, the transport route, and the carrier's identity for the purposes of the insurance policy under Ley 50/1980 de Contrato de Seguro.

Under the Ley de Sociedades de Capital (LSC) RDL 1/2010, the Registro Mercantil maintains the register of Spanish companies. The Código de Comercio 1885 governs commercial obligations. The Agencia Estatal de Administración Tributaria (AEAT) administers Impuesto sobre Sociedades (IS) under Ley 27/2014. The Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC) enforces competition law. The Código Civil governs general contractual obligations under Article 1255.

A valid Carta de Porte Spain under Article 10 of Ley 15/2009 must contain the following mandatory elements to be legally effective as a transport document.

Date of Issue and Place: The date and place where the carta de porte is issued, which establishes the moment at which the carrier takes over the goods and the transport contract is formed.

Shipper Identification (Cargador): Full name or company name, NIF/CIF, and complete address of the party who is contracting the transport and delivering the goods to the carrier. The shipper's contact telephone number and email are recommended for operational purposes.

Carrier Identification (Transportista): Full name or company name, NIF/CIF, and address of the carrier. The carrier's transport licence number (Número de Autorización de Transporte — LPTM or LPRIV) issued by MITMA or the relevant autonomous community must be stated, as this is a mandatory field under the LOTT compliance framework.

Consignee Identification (Destinatario): Full name or company name and delivery address of the party to whom the goods are to be delivered. The consignee's contact details for delivery notification should be included.

Place and Date of Collection: The address where the carrier is to collect the goods (lugar de recogida) and the date and time window for collection. For time-sensitive deliveries, the precise collection window should be specified.

Place and Date of Delivery: The agreed delivery address (lugar de entrega) and the contracted delivery date or time window. Under Article 33 LCTTM, the carrier must deliver within the agreed time or, where no time is agreed, within a reasonable time. Late delivery gives rise to a claim for damages under Article 57 LCTTM.

Description of Goods: A precise description of the goods — commercial description (descripción comercial), number of packages (número de bultos), type of packaging (tipo de embalaje), gross weight (peso bruto) in kilograms, and volume (volumen) in cubic metres. For food products, the temperature regime and expiry date should be included. For ADR goods, the full ADR declaration must be included.

Declared Value: The commercial value of the goods (valor declarado de las mercancías) in euros — this is essential for calculating the carrier's maximum liability under Article 57 LCTTM (8.33 SDR per kilogram for domestic transport) and for insurance purposes. Without a declared value, recovery is limited to the statutory cap.

Freight and Payment Terms: The agreed freight rate (precio del porte) and payment terms — whether freight is prepaid (porte pagado) by the shipper or collect (porte a cobrar) by the consignee on delivery. Any surcharges for fuel, waiting time, or special handling should be itemised.

Special Instructions: Any specific instructions for handling, storage temperature, delivery notification, or customs clearance. For dangerous goods, the emergency contact number (número de teléfono de emergencias) required under ADR Chapter 5.4 must be included.

Signatures: The carta de porte must be signed by the shipper (or their representative) and countersigned by the carrier's driver upon collection, confirming the goods have been received in apparent good order and condition. The consignee signs upon delivery to confirm receipt.

Forms-legal.com provides this Carta de Porte Spain template as a starting point for Spanish freight operations. For international transport, the CMR consignment note format should be used. Carriers operating under ADR, ATP, or other special regimes should seek guidance from their transport operator association (ASTIC, FENADISMER, or CETM) to confirm compliance with sector-specific requirements.

Under the Ley de Sociedades de Capital (LSC) RDL 1/2010, the Registro Mercantil maintains the register of Spanish companies. The Código de Comercio 1885 governs commercial obligations. The Agencia Estatal de Administración Tributaria (AEAT) administers Impuesto sobre Sociedades (IS) under Ley 27/2014. The Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC) enforces competition law. The Código Civil governs general contractual obligations under Article 1255.