Penalty for not carrying a route sheet in Spain: what the current LOTT says

Not carrying the route sheet, carrying it without endorsement or carrying it without essential data falls under a serious infringement of the Spanish transport law. Article 141.17 of the LOTT (Spain's Land Transport Act) classes as serious the absence, lack of endorsement or lack of essential data in the control documentation that must be completed. Its fine, under article 143 of the consolidated text in force, runs from €401 to €600.

That is what the law says, nothing more. How a specific case is classified is decided by the body that processes the complaint, and that is what your adviser is for. What is in your hands is making sure the route sheet goes out complete, on time and in the right format.

What kind of infringement it is

It is a serious infringement, the one in point 17 of article 141 of Law 16/1987 on Land Transport (Ley de Ordenación de los Transportes Terrestres, LOTT). Its text begins (our translation from the Spanish): “The absence, lack of endorsement or lack of essential data in the control, statistical or accounting documentation that must be completed”.

The route sheet is control documentation: the law requires that, during services, the administrative control documents determined by regulation be carried on board, duly completed, and in passenger transport that document is the route sheet.

The same point 17 extends the infringement in two directions that affect the office. Companies commit it if they do not duly ensure that drivers have the compulsory documentation, on paper or in electronic format, at roadside checks. And so does concealing or failing to keep that documentation.

What fine it carries

Article 143 of the LOTT, in its current wording, says that infringements under point 17 of article 141, together with others in the same article, are punished with a fine of €401 to €600.

Within that range, the law grades the penalty according to the social impact of the act and its intentionality, the nature of the harm caused, the scale of the unlawful gain obtained, and repeat or habitual offending.

The law also provides a reduction for prompt payment: if the person concerned voluntarily decides to pay the penalty before the 30 days following notification of the penalty proceedings have passed, the amount initially proposed is reduced by 30%.

What situations the law covers

The text of point 17 covers several different situations, and it is worth reading them one by one because not all happen on the road:

• The absence of the control documentation: the coach travels without it.
• The lack of endorsement: the document exists, but has not been completed.
• The lack of essential data in the document.
• The company not duly ensuring that the driver has the documentation at roadside checks, on paper or in electronic format.
• Concealing or failing to keep the documentation, which is checked afterwards, at the company.

Point 17 does not list which data are “essential”. The prudent course is to leave none blank: those the route sheet requires are few and all are in the office.

There is one limit: this serious infringement is not found when the facts must be classed as a very serious infringement among those the text itself cites, including refusing or obstructing the action of the Road Transport Inspection Services. Which data the sheet requires is explained in the route sheet data.

What if I carry it on paper?

From 5 October 2026 the route sheet has to be digital. This is set by Law 9/2025 on Sustainable Mobility, which provided that it would necessarily be digital ten months after its entry into force.

The Spanish Ministry of Transport has settled the question of a grace period in its frequently asked questions: the rules provide for no additional phase, beyond 5 October, in which the digitalisation obligation is not penalised. How a paper sheet is specifically classed after that date is not stated in those words by the law; check with your adviser. What the electronic version has to meet is in the electronic route sheet.

How to avoid it from the office

Almost everything is decided before the coach leaves. A short list for the office:

• Ask for the customer's NIF when confirming the service, not the day before.
• Issue the sheet before the service actually starts, which is when the resolution requires it.
• Check that the driver has their copy with the QR code, on their phone or on paper.
• If the driver, coach or date changes, issue a new version and get it to them.
• Keep the files for at least a year; we detail it in how long to keep the route sheet.

What Bus Center does, and what it does not

Bus Center helps with the part that depends on the office. It does not let you issue a sheet half-complete: if a compulsory item is missing, it says which one and why it is required. A service that needs a route sheet does not move to “ready to depart” (listo para salir) until it has been issued. The driver sees it in their phone portal, and if the service changes after issue, the program warns you and a new version is issued.

What it does not do: it does not prevent a penalty or prove anyone's regulatory compliance, and the obligation is the carrier's. If the driver sets off without the phone and without the copy, the program cannot prevent it. You can see the summary in the route sheet section (in Spanish).

Sources consulted

Checked on 11 October 2026. We link to the original source so that you can consult the current text.

• Ley 16/1987, de 30 de julio, de Ordenación de los Transportes Terrestres (texto consolidado). BOE.
• Orden FOM/1230/2013, de 31 de mayo, por la que se establecen normas de control en relación con los transportes públicos de viajeros por carretera (texto consolidado). BOE.
• Preguntas frecuentes (FAQ) DeCA. Ministerio de Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible.
• Ley 9/2025, de 3 de diciembre, de Movilidad Sostenible (texto consolidado). BOE.
• Resolución de 5 de junio de 2026, de la Dirección General de Transporte por Carretera y Ferrocarril, por la que se establecen las características que deben reunir los sistemas y los documentos electrónicos de control administrativo exigidos en los transportes por carretera (texto consolidado). BOE.