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Germany

Germany only ratified the e-CMR Protocol in 2022, but has been a full party since. Lanes from or to Germany no longer need a paper consignment note. Do watch the posting and cabotage rules: Germany is a transit country, and a run that merely passes through can still require an IMI declaration.

e-CMR status

Section titled “e-CMR status”

Party to the 2008 Additional Protocol since 2022-01-05. An electronic consignment note is legally valid here.

What the rule register returns

Section titled “What the rule register returns”

Every rule below comes back from GET /v1/requirements as soon as it applies to your lane. required is what an enforcement officer may fine you for, recommended avoids a discussion at the roadside, and info explains the background without asking for anything.

Level Rule Source
For information Germany has been a party to the e-CMR Protocol since 5 January 2022; an electronic consignment note is legally valid there. 1
Recommended Germany: the electronic form only replaces a statutory written form when the declaration carries a qualified electronic signature (Section 126a BGB). Where the consignment note has to do the work of a written document, pick trust level qes. 2

EU-wide rules

Section titled “EU-wide rules”

These rules hang on what you carry and how, not on one country. They apply on every lane where their condition holds, so read them alongside the country page.

Level Rule Source
Required Dangerous goods: carry a transport document that states the UN number, the proper shipping name, the hazard class and the packing group for every substance (ADR 5.4.1, made binding by Directive 2008/68/EC). (eFTI EU5a) 3
Required Cabotage: the driver must carry evidence of the incoming international carriage and of every cabotage operation already performed (Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009, Article 8(3)). (eFTI EU3) 4
Required Combined transport: the transport document must name the loading and unloading stations or ports of the non-road leg and be stamped by the rail or port authority once that leg is completed (Directive 92/106/EEC, Article 3). (eFTI EU2) 5
Required Waste shipment: notify the shipment up front through DIWASS. Since 21 May 2026 the notification and consent procedure of Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 runs digitally. 6
For information Posting: on cabotage and cross-trade operations the driver counts as posted. File a posting declaration through the IMI public interface beforehand. Bilateral operations from or to the country of establishment are exempt (Directive (EU) 2020/1057, Article 1). 7
Recommended Not every country on this lane is a party to the 2008 e-CMR Protocol. Carry a paper CMR consignment note, so a roadside check can always be shown one. 1
For information eFTI: from 9 July 2027 enforcement authorities must accept freight information offered through a certified eFTI platform. Using eFTI stays voluntary for operators. 8
Recommended Signature: the e-CMR Protocol (Article 3) asks for a reliable electronic signature — uniquely linked to the signatory, capable of identifying them, under their control and with any change detectable. Those are exactly the criteria of an advanced signature (eIDAS, Article 26). Consider trust level ades on this lane. 9
For information eFTI platform: business users have to sign in with an eIDAS-compliant electronic ID at minimum assurance level advanced — explicitly not QES — with two-factor authentication. This concerns access to the platform, not the signature on this consignment note. 10

eFTI

Section titled “eFTI”

No separate German start date; 9 July 2027 applies here too. Germany is however one of the member states experimenting early with national eFTI gates, so expect enforcement to ask for it sooner than strictly required.

Ask for this programmatically with GET /v1/requirements?origin=DE&destination=NL. The response carries the same rules, the same levels and the same sources.

Sources

Section titled “Sources”

Checked on the date shown; every rule points at its source.

  1. UN Treaty Collection — Additional Protocol to the CMR concerning the Electronic Consignment Note (2008), status of ratifications — verified_at: 2026-09-14
  2. German Civil Code (BGB) Section 126a — electronic form requires a qualified electronic signature — verified_at: 2026-09-16
  3. Directive 2008/68/EC on the inland transport of dangerous goods, Annex I section I.1 (ADR Annexes A and B) — verified_at: 2026-09-14
  4. Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009, Article 8(3) — evidence of the incoming international carriage and of each cabotage operation — verified_at: 2026-09-14
  5. Council Directive 92/106/EEC on combined transport, Article 3 (transport document) — verified_at: 2026-09-14
  6. European Commission — Waste Shipment Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 and the DIWASS platform, live since 21 May 2026 — verified_at: 2026-09-14
  7. Directive (EU) 2020/1057, Article 1 — posting of drivers, bilateral exemption and the IMI posting declaration — verified_at: 2026-09-14
  8. European Commission — eFTI Regulation (EU) 2020/1056: authorities accept eFTI from 9 July 2027 — verified_at: 2026-09-14
  9. Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 (eIDAS), Article 26 — requirements for advanced electronic signatures — verified_at: 2026-09-16
  10. Lia Potec (DG MOVE), Requirements for the eFTI platforms — rules of the game, Berlin 21 October 2025, slide 7 — verified_at: 2026-09-16

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