Is DIWASS mandatory in 2026?

Yes for notification documents and movement documents in relevant waste shipments involving an EU Member State from 21 May 2026. Annex VII is subject to a Commission transitional approach through 31 December 2026.

DIWASS · Operator Guide

DIWASS Complete Guide for EU Waste Operators 2026/2027

Q: When does Annex VII become fully digital?

The Commission states that from 21 May through 31 December 2026 Annex VII documents should continue to be handled as before, primarily on paper. Operators should therefore prepare for electronic exchange from 1 January 2027.

Q: Who needs to be registered in DIWASS?

The Commission states that all operators involved in a waste shipment where an EU Member State is dispatch, destination or transit need to be registered so they can be selected in DIWASS documents.

DIWASS is now part of day-to-day compliance for cross-border waste shipments involving the EU. The difficult part is not simply knowing that the system exists: operators need to understand which workflows are already digital, how Annex VII is transitioning, who must be registered, and which access method applies in their Member State.

Last verified: 22 September 2026 · Independent operational guide

The short version

Since 21 May 2026, DIWASS must be used for notification documents and movement documents under consented notifications where an EU Member State is involved as dispatch, destination or transit. Annex VII can be exchanged in DIWASS, but the European Commission has introduced a transitional approach: from 21 May through 31 December 2026, Annex VII documents should continue to be handled as before, primarily on paper. Operators should use this period to prepare their Annex VII process for 2027.

What is DIWASS?

The Digital Waste Shipment System (DIWASS) is the European Commission's central system for the electronic submission and exchange of information and documents related to shipments of waste under Regulation (EU) 2024/1157.

It has two roles. First, it provides a Commission-hosted graphical interface that authorities and economic operators can use directly. Second, it acts as a central hub through which national or regional systems and corporate or commercial software can exchange information with the EU system.

This distinction matters operationally. DIWASS is not necessarily one identical website workflow for every business in Europe. The relevant competent authority may require operators in its territory to use the Commission GUI, a local interconnected system, or another route depending on the procedure. Commercial software can also be used, subject to the applicable interconnection route.

The DIWASS dates operators need to know

21 April 2026DIWASS opened for registration of economic operators.

21 May 2026DIWASS became mandatory for notification and movement-document workflows covered by the new rules.

21 May–31 Dec 2026Commission transition period for Annex VII: continue handling it as before, primarily on paper.

1 January 2027Operators should be ready for the post-transition electronic Annex VII workflow.

Important Annex VII nuance. The Waste Shipment Regulation itself requires Annex VII information to be made electronically available under Article 18 and Article 27. However, the Commission's current operational guidance recognises implementation challenges and applies a transition through 31 December 2026. That is why statements such as “all Annex VII became fully digital on 21 May 2026” are too simplistic.

What changed for prior notification and consent shipments?

For shipments subject to the prior written notification and consent procedure (PIC), DIWASS is already operationally central. From 21 May 2026, notification documents must be submitted and handled through the digital framework when an EU Member State is a country of dispatch, destination or transit. Movement documents under notifications that have received all required consents must also be generated through DIWASS.

In practice, that means operators should no longer treat DIWASS as a future project. If your business acts as notifier, carrier, consignee, waste producer or receiving facility in notified shipments, your organisation should already know who operates the system, how users are authorised, and which internal data source feeds each required field.

DIWASS also links the workflow stages

The Commission explains that DIWASS links notification and movement documents. For example, a movement document cannot be generated until the notification is in a consented state, and certain information is carried from the consented notification into the movement document. This reduces some re-entry, but it also makes upstream data quality more important.

What is happening with Annex VII?

Article 18 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 governs shipments subject to the general information requirements, commonly associated with the Annex VII document. The Regulation requires the relevant undertakings to complete Annex VII and make the information electronically available in accordance with Article 27.

Operationally, however, the Commission has stated that implementation challenges around interconnections justify a transitional approach. During 21 May to 31 December 2026, Annex VII documents should continue to be handled in the same manner as before, primarily in paper format.

That transition should not be interpreted as a reason to wait until December. Businesses with regular Annex VII flows should use the remaining 2026 period to map their process, register counterparties, confirm their access method, test software where relevant and define who is responsible for each data contribution.

Article 18 also changes the operational discipline around Annex VII

The new Regulation is more explicit about timing and completion. Among other requirements, the person arranging the shipment must complete Annex VII information to the extent possible no later than two working days before shipment starts, while certain information such as actual quantity, carrier(s) and container identification can be completed by the start of shipment. The receiving recovery facility also has confirmation and recovery-certificate obligations within the time limits established in Article 18.

Who must register in DIWASS?

The Commission states that all economic operators involved in a waste shipment where an EU Member State is dispatch, destination or transit must be registered in DIWASS. Depending on the shipment, this can include:

the notifier;
the waste producer;
the person arranging the shipment;
the carrier or carriers;
the consignee; and
the waste receiving facility.

This is not just an administrative preference. DIWASS does not allow an operator to be typed manually into a notification or Annex VII document. Operators are selected from registered entities. If a required counterparty is missing, the document may not be completable until registration is resolved.

Need the operational process? Read our step-by-step DIWASS registration guide →

Registration is not an authorisation.

The Commission explicitly notes that DIWASS registration is a technical step that makes an operator selectable. It does not prove that the operator is legally authorised to perform a particular waste-management or shipment activity. That assessment remains separate.

How do companies access DIWASS?

There are two broad access routes:

Commission GUI: users access DIWASS through the Commission website.
Interconnected systems/software: a national/local system, corporate software or commercial software exchanges information via API.

The competent authority for the operator's territory determines which access method applies to the relevant procedures. Importantly, the choice can differ between notification/PIC, Annex VII and pre-consent workflows.

Situation	What to verify
Your authority uses the Commission GUI	Confirm user registration, operator registration, representation rights and internal user responsibilities.
Your authority requires a local system	Use the authority's process and confirm whether external software connects to the local system or directly to DIWASS.
You want commercial software	Verify procedure coverage, countries, API route, Annex VII readiness, audit trail, signatures, support and outage handling.
You want your own integration	The Commission says the operator must first be registered in DIWASS and have an authorised user representing it before requesting API connection details.

What should each operational team care about?

Notifier / compliance team

Focus on registration, notification completeness, competent-authority interactions, attachments, consent status and the relationship between notifications and movement documents.

Carrier / logistics team

Confirm that the carrier is correctly registered and selectable, understand when access becomes available, and define who will update or confirm transport-related information. Operational substitutions need to remain consistent with the consented workflow.

Consignee and receiving facility

Make sure facility and site information are registered correctly, users know how to record receipt/treatment actions, and responsibilities for confirmations and recovery certificates are assigned internally.

IT / systems team

If you integrate software, treat the Commission's API documentation as a changing technical dependency. The Commission notes that the technical documentation is updated and recommends checking specifications regularly. Build monitoring, version awareness and a fallback operating procedure into the project.

A practical DIWASS readiness checklist

A company does not need a major software project to improve readiness. Start with the workflow:

Classify your flows: which shipments use PIC and which use Article 18 / Annex VII?
Map countries and authorities: determine which competent authorities apply to your most frequent routes.
Confirm access method: GUI, local system or interconnected software for each procedure.
Register your own entities and sites: do not wait until a shipment is blocked.
Audit counterparties: identify carriers, consignees and facilities that may not yet be selectable.
Assign named users and backups: avoid a single point of operational failure.
Document data ownership: decide which team is responsible for each data field and supporting document.
Test representative shipments: use your common countries, waste streams and operational exceptions.
Prepare Annex VII for 2027: map signatures, handoffs, updates and transport availability now.
Create an outage/fallback procedure: determine what your team will do when an interconnected system is unavailable.

Do you need DIWASS software?

Not necessarily. The Commission's GUI may be sufficient for organisations with low volumes and simple processes. The business case for external software increases when an operator has high shipment volume, multiple legal entities or sites, several users, repeated counterparties, many Member States, existing ERP/TMS data, or a strong need to reduce duplicate entry.

A useful evaluation should therefore start with process cost rather than features. Measure the number of shipments, manual touches, corrections, repeated fields and exceptions. Then compare those costs with the subscription and implementation cost of external software.

Comparing vendors? See our independent DIWASS software comparison →

Questions to ask a software provider

Which DIWASS procedures are live today?
Which Member States and local-system routes are supported?
How will Annex VII be handled after the 2026 transition?
How are carrier changes, contributions and confirmations managed?
Can data be imported from our ERP/TMS?
What audit trail and permissions are retained?
What happens if DIWASS, the local authority system or the vendor platform is unavailable?
What implementation and support work is required from our team?

Frequently asked questions

Is DIWASS mandatory now?

Yes for the notification and movement-document workflows described above from 21 May 2026. Annex VII is currently subject to the Commission's transition through 31 December 2026.

Does every company use the same DIWASS interface?

No. Depending on the competent authority and procedure, an operator may use the Commission GUI, a local interconnected system or software connected through the relevant API route.

Is DIWASS registration enough to prove a company is authorised?

No. The Commission states that registration is a technical identification step. Legal authorisations, permits and registrations remain separate requirements.

Does DIWASS verify that all entered information is legally correct?

No. The Commission states that DIWASS performs some validations, but it does not generally verify the correctness of information entered by users. Authorities remain responsible for regulatory assessment.

Does the Commission charge to use DIWASS?

The Commission currently states that using DIWASS itself does not entail a Commission fee. Commercial software or other services may of course have their own pricing.

Turn this guide into an operational check

Use the free DIWASS 2026/2027 Practical Checklist to review registration, access, Annex VII readiness and shipment controls with your team.

Get the practical checklist

Official sources

This guide is based primarily on current European Commission and EUR-Lex material. Always verify your specific shipment against the applicable competent authority.

Scope: EU Reg Brief is an independent information resource and does not provide legal advice. Waste-shipment obligations depend on the waste, route, procedure, parties and competent authorities involved.