Uitleg
eFTI 2027 in Belgium and the Netherlands
From 9 July 2027, the authorities in Belgium and the Netherlands must accept digital freight information if you supply it through a certified eFTI platform. The Benelux trial with the digital consignment note runs until then, and eFTI replaces it after that. Paper is still allowed; digital may no longer be refused.
Written by the LaneDesk team · Last reviewed on 21 September 2026
From 9 July 2027, the authorities in Belgium and the Netherlands must accept digital freight information if you supply it through a certified eFTI platform. The Benelux trial with the digital consignment note runs until then, and eFTI replaces it after that.
This page sets out what applies in both countries today, what changes, and what you can already do now. The general explanation of eFTI is on a separate page.
What applies in the Benelux today?
Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg are ahead. Since a Benelux decision from 2017, you may drive with a digital consignment note (e-CMR) within the Benelux. It is a trial: it only applies to transport within the three countries, and only with approved software.
The trial has been extended until mid-2027. After that the European eFTI rule takes over, so there is no gap.
| Netherlands | Belgium | |
|---|---|---|
| Digital consignment note within the Benelux | Yes, within the trial since 2017 | Yes, since 1 March 2018 |
| Also for domestic transport | Yes, within the trial | Yes, within the Benelux framework |
| Who approves the software | NIWO | FOD Mobiliteit en Vervoer (Belgian Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport) |
| Who inspects | Among others, the Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport (ILT) | Among others, the FOD's roadside inspectors and the police |
| New software suppliers | Applications are handled in order | None for now, while waiting for eFTI |
What changes on 9 July 2027?
From that day, Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 applies in full. An inspector in Belgium or the Netherlands must then accept freight information you supply digitally through a certified eFTI platform. He may no longer ask for a paper version.
The duty lies with the government, not with you. You may keep working on paper. But if you work digitally, from then on you have the same right across the whole EU, not only within the Benelux.
What does that mean for a carrier or forwarder?
If you already work with e-CMR within the Benelux: your software supplier has to become an eFTI platform or connect to one. Ask them now how they plan to do that.
If you still work on paper: you do not have to do anything on 9 July 2027. But your customers will ask for it, and it counts more and more often in tenders.
- Ask your TMS or e-CMR supplier whether they will become an eFTI platform, and when.
- Check which shipment details are already properly in your system today, and which are only in an email or PDF.
- Start with the orders. What comes in wrong or half complete also ends up wrong or half complete on a digital consignment note.
Why does it start with the orders?
A digital consignment note is only as good as the data that goes into it. Sender, receiver, addresses, weight, description of the load: it all comes from the shipper's order. If that order comes in as an email with a PDF that someone retypes, the error is already there before a consignment note exists.
LaneDesk reads those orders, checks them and puts them into your TMS or WMS. That way the data is right in your system from the start. LaneDesk is not an eFTI platform itself and does not create a consignment note. But it does make sure that what you later send to such a platform is correct.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I already drive with a digital consignment note in Belgium?
- Yes, since 1 March 2018, for transport within the Benelux and with software approved by the FOD Mobiliteit en Vervoer. For now, no new suppliers are being approved, while waiting for eFTI.
- Can I already drive with a digital consignment note in the Netherlands?
- Yes, within the Benelux trial, also for domestic transport. The software has to be approved by NIWO.
- What happens to the Benelux trial after July 2027?
- The trial has been extended until mid-2027. After that the European eFTI rule applies, so digital working can carry on without a break.
- Do I have to work digitally on 9 July 2027?
- No. The government has to accept digital information, but you may keep working on paper. It is a right, not a duty.
- Is LaneDesk an eFTI platform?
- No. LaneDesk puts incoming orders into your TMS or WMS correctly and completely. That is the base an eFTI platform later builds on.
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