What is a certified eFTI platform and do I need one?
Adopted 2026-06-14 · ≈ 1 min read · 
edited by Dirk Baaijen
eFTI data must be exchanged via certified platforms and service providers. If you want to benefit from the authorities' acceptance duty, you submit electronic freight information through such a platform. What certification means and how to choose.
The eFTI Regulation works with a certification scheme: electronic freight information covered by the acceptance duty must be exchanged via certified eFTI platforms and certified service providers.
What "certified" means
An eFTI platform is software that processes, stores and shares statutory freight information according to the common EU data set and the technical requirements. An independent body assesses (certifies) whether the platform meets those requirements — only then does the exchange fall under the authorities' acceptance duty. The delegated and implementing acts define the data set and the certification framework.
Do you need one?
- **Do you want to submit electronically with the certainty that authorities
accept it?** Then yes: that runs via a certified platform/service provider.
- Staying on paper for now? Then no — but you miss the efficiency and fall
behind as the market shifts.
What to look for when choosing
- Certification — is (or will) the platform be officially certified?
- Data-set coverage — does it support the formalities you need?
- Integrations — does it connect to your TMS and to eCMR?
- Future-proofing — does the supplier move with the implementing acts
towards 9 July 2027?
Read the main file: eFTI: electronic freight information becomes the norm. Or take the Transport & Logistics scan.
Sources
- https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2020/1056/oj
Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 (eFTI): data exchange runs via certified eFTI platforms and service providers.
Read next
eFTI and dangerous goods (ADR): what changes?
Under eFTI (Regulation (EU) 2020/1056), ADR freight information is also covered. From 9 July 2027, authorities must accept it electronically via certified platforms. Paper remains allowed. What this means for transporting dangerous goods.
Is eFTI mandatory for me as a carrier?
eFTI does not force you to go digital, but it requires authorities to accept electronic freight information from 9 July 2027. Paper is still allowed, but digital-first becomes the norm. What that means in practice for carriers, forwarders and shippers.
What is the common eFTI data set?
The common eFTI data set is the EU-standardised collection of data fields for statutory freight information, detailed through implementing acts. It lets authorities accept electronic freight data uniformly from 9 July 2027.