A1 and CAP certificates: what they are, when they expire, and how not to fail a check

Short guide for Spanish carriers with drivers in the EU · Last reviewed: 2 July 2026

The A1 certificate: social security, not labour conditions

What exactly is it?

The A1 is the European certificate of applicable social security legislation, governed by Regulation (EC) 883/2004. It confirms that a worker performing duties in another Member State remains affiliated and contributing in Spain, and therefore does not need to contribute in the country where the service is provided.

Worth clarifying from the outset, because it's the most common confusion: the A1 is not the posting declaration (IMI). They are two parallel obligations with different legal bases: the IMI declaration (RTPD portal) derives from Directive 2020/1057 and concerns labour conditions; the A1 concerns social security. Filing one does not exempt you from the other.

Which A1 applies to an international driver?

Regulation 883/2004 provides for several scenarios, but for international transport the relevant one is almost always the one under article 13 (multi-state activity): people who normally work in two or more Member States. This is the natural case for a driver who covers France, Belgium and Germany within a month. The A1 under article 12 (posting to a single country for a set period) rarely fits the actual operations of an international truck.

In Spain it is issued by the Spanish Social Security General Treasury (Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social, TGSS) upon the company's request.

Does it have to be carried on board?

There is no regulatory obligation to carry the A1 in the cab. But the practical recommendation is emphatic: carry it (on paper or on your phone), because several countries request it at checks, and one of them penalizes its absence harshly:

• France: if the A1 (or proof that it has been requested) is not presented at a check, a penalty of approximately one monthly ceiling of French social security — around €3,900-4,000 — per worker applies, doubled for repeat offences. And here's what surprises everyone: the penalty falls on the French customer contracting the transport, not on the Spanish company (art. L114-15-1 of the French Code de la sécurité sociale; source: CLEISS). Direct commercial consequence: French shippers are increasingly requiring the A1 before contracting, and an expired A1 can cost you the customer even if you're never stopped on the road. You can see this and other country figures in the penalty calculator (Spanish-language tool).

What about non-EU drivers?

A driver from outside the EU with a Spanish work permit is governed by the same rules: Regulation (EU) 1231/2010 extends social security coordination (and therefore the A1) to third-country nationals legally residing in a Member State. Nationality changes nothing: same A1, same TGSS, same French penalty if it's missing.

The CAP: the qualification that expires every 5 years

What is it?

The CAP (Certificate of Professional Competence) is the mandatory professional qualification for drivers, established by Directive 2003/59/EC and its implementation in Spanish law. It takes the form of the driver qualification card and is mandatory for professionally driving vehicles requiring licence classes C (goods) and D (passengers).

Validity and renewal

The CAP card is valid for 5 years. To renew it, the driver must complete a 35-hour continuing training course at an authorized centre, after which the new card is issued.

The operational detail that catches fleets off guard: the course can't be improvised. The 35 hours have to fit into the training centre's schedule and the driver's operations, and places fill up fast during peak renewal season. If you remember the CAP two weeks before it expires, you'll very likely miss the deadline. Plan it months in advance.

Driving professionally with an expired CAP is subject to penalties under the LOTT (Spain's Land Transport Regulation Act). We don't publish a figure here because we don't have a verified one — and we'd rather publish nothing than publish a dubious number. What matters operationally is that a driver with an expired CAP cannot work until it's renewed.

Why do expiry dates slip through? (and what to do about it)

Because the deadlines aren't synchronized and nobody checks the table:

• The A1 under art. 13 is usually issued for periods of ~24 months (or for a specific operation), and each driver can have different dates.
• The CAP lasts 5 years, with the trap of the 35-hour course beforehand.
• Multiply it: N drivers × 2 certificates, each with its own date, plus staff joining and leaving. The usual result is a spreadsheet that was updated diligently for the first three months and hasn't been touched since. The expiry is discovered in the worst possible place: at a check, or when the French shipper asks for the A1 and it's expired.

This is exactly what MovingCert automates, and we'll tell you plainly:

• Document vault: each driver's A1 and CAP, scanned and with their expiry date logged, accessible from a phone during a check.
• Fleet dashboard: one glance tells you which drivers are green, amber or red.
• Sensible alerts: we warn about the A1 30 days before it expires, and the CAP 60 days before — precisely so there's time to find a place on the 35-hour course.
• Trip coverage: when planning a posting, we check whether the driver's certificates cover through to the end of the trip, not just the departure date.
• Assisted A1 application: we prepare the pre-filled request for submission on RED Online; your company files it (the procedure before the TGSS is the company's, and we won't tell you otherwise). We don't "process the A1 automatically" — nobody can, and be wary of anyone who promises that.

Frequently asked questions

Is the A1 certificate the same as the posting declaration (IMI)?

No. They are two separate, parallel obligations. The posting declaration (IMI) is submitted on the RTPD portal and derives from Directive 2020/1057 (labour conditions); the A1 is a social security certificate under Reg. 883/2004. One does not replace the other.

Do I need the A1 on a bilateral transport exempt from the IMI declaration?

Yes. The bilateral (or transit) exemption only affects the declaration on the RTPD portal. The A1 applies whenever the driver works in another Member State. Practical rule: RTPD exempt ≠ without A1.

Who pays the French fine if the driver doesn't carry the A1?

The French customer contracting the service: the penalty (~1 monthly ceiling of French social security, around €3,900-4,000 per worker, x2 for repeat offences) falls on them under art. L114-15-1 of the French Social Security Code (source: CLEISS). That's why French shippers demand it before signing.

How often is the CAP renewed?

Every 5 years, with a 35-hour continuing training course at an authorized centre. Book a place months in advance: no course, no new card, and without the card the driver can't work.

Can I drive while waiting for the TGSS to issue the A1?

The posting isn't prohibited while the A1 is being processed, but request it before departing and keep the proof. In France, the penalty does not apply if it's shown the A1 had been requested before the check and the certificate is provided within 2 months.

Official sources

• Regulation (EC) 883/2004 (coordination of social security systems) — EUR-Lex
• Regulation (EU) 1231/2010 (extension to third-country nationals) — EUR-Lex
• Directive 2003/59/EC (driver qualification — CAP) — EUR-Lex
• Art. L114-15-1 of the French Code de la sécurité sociale — Légifrance
• CLEISS (Centre des liaisons européennes et internationales de sécurité sociale)
• Spanish Social Security General Treasury (TGSS)

Notice. This guide is informational content produced by MovingCert and verified against the official sources linked above. It does not constitute legal or employment advice; for your specific case, consult a professional. Amounts and criteria may change; we publish only the figures we have been able to verify and deliberately omit those we could not. Last reviewed: 2 July 2026.