Edition and archive note. Updated reconstruction of a historical DGSA address. The joint ministerial statement bears signatures dated 25 and 26 November 2024. Source review: 24 October 2026. The statement and the applicable legislation must be read together; this page is not an individual certificate validation.
Joint ministerial statement: read the original
The Ministries of Transport and Industry issued a joint statement on ADR approval and ATP conformity certificates carried on board (PDF, four pages). Its scope is those operations for which the certificate is required.
Copies, verification and ADR renewal
Under the statement, ADR approval may be issued on paper or electronically. An electronic copy must display metadata establishing its status; a printed copy of an electronic original must identify itself as a copy and provide CSV and QR verification.
From 1 March 2025, renewing an electronically issued ADR certificate requires a new certificate, on paper or electronically: handwritten extension on its printed copy is no longer permitted. The earlier transition ran through 28 February 2025; qualifying extensions remain valid until their stated expiry. An originally paper-issued certificate is a different case.
The statement also requires access to the electronic original for verification when requested. A photograph, scan or QR image alone should not be presumed to establish all the required conditions.
ATP: electronic issuance and the conformity plate
Article 9.5 of Royal Decree 237/2000 requires electronic issuance, an advanced electronic signature based on a recognised certificate and a verification code. This should not be confused with a requirement to discard every valid older paper certificate.
Article 7 provides for the certificate or an issuer-authenticated photocopy and recognises a compliant ATP conformity plate as an alternative to carrying the certificate. Check the actual vehicle, validity and applicable certificate model.
Checks at the loading site
Article 36 of Royal Decree 97/2014 addresses the driver's presentation, at the loader's request, of the required vehicle approval and driver-training documents. These are separate documents.
DGSA review checklist: identify the vehicle and issuing body; establish whether the original was paper or electronic; verify the latest renewal and expiry; check the copy's required features; and test access to the issuer's original document. Record discrepancies before accepting the document. This checklist is practical advice, not an additional legal certificate category.
Discuss your operation with DGSA
Send us the information relevant to your proposed shipment or training needs. Our review will distinguish the source publication from the rules applicable to your operation.