What is a Delivery Note (Albarán)? Complete Guide to Proof of Delivery Documents

A delivery note — known as an albarán in Spanish-speaking countries, bon de livraison in French, and Lieferschein in German — is a commercial document that accompanies a shipment and provides a detailed list of the goods being delivered. It serves as proof that the carrier delivered the specified items to the recipient at a particular time and location. Unlike an invoice, the delivery note does not state prices or payment terms; its primary function is to confirm the physical transfer of goods from seller to buyer.

Delivery notes typically include: sender and recipient information, delivery date and time, a detailed itemized list of products (with quantities, SKUs, and descriptions), package counts, any special handling instructions, and a signature block for the recipient to acknowledge receipt. In many logistics workflows, the signed delivery note — also called a POD (Proof of Delivery) — is the trigger for invoicing. Until the delivery note is signed and processed, the shipment cannot be considered complete, making accurate and timely delivery note processing essential for cash flow. Learn more about how [automated delivery note processing](/tutorials/delivery-note-ocr) works with AI-driven extraction.

While delivery notes, invoices, and packing lists often travel together in logistics, they serve distinct purposes. A packing list details what is inside each package or container — it focuses on how goods are packed for the carrier's and customs' benefit. An invoice is a commercial document requesting payment, listing prices, tax amounts, and payment terms. The delivery note (albarán) sits between these two: it confirms what was actually delivered versus what was ordered and packed.

The distinctions matter critically for dispute resolution. If goods arrive damaged, the delivery note is the document where the recipient records exceptions before signing. Once signed, the delivery note becomes legal evidence that goods were received in satisfactory condition. This is why many companies require the signed delivery note before approving invoice payment — the three-way matching process (purchase order vs. delivery note vs. invoice) is a cornerstone of accounts payable controls. Our [document comparison tutorial](/tutorials/document-comparison) explores how AI automates this matching process.

The term albarán is widely used in Spain and across Latin American countries, where it carries specific legal significance. Under Spanish commercial law (Código de Comercio), the albarán serves as proof of delivery and can be used as evidence in commercial disputes. In many Spanish logistics workflows, the albarán must include the CIF/NIF (tax identification numbers) of both sender and receiver, the delivery date, a detailed description of the goods, and the recipient's signature and DNI (national ID number) or company stamp.

Latin American variants of the albarán often include additional fields required by local customs and tax authorities. For example, Mexican CFDI-compliant delivery notes must reference the complemento de entrega (delivery supplement) for tax purposes. Processing albaranes from multiple countries requires OCR systems that understand these regional variations and can extract the correct fields for each jurisdiction. This is especially important for logistics companies operating cross-border within Latin America or between Europe and Latin America. For a deeper dive, read our [multi-country document processing guide](/tutorials/multi-country-document-processing).

Traditional delivery note processing involves receiving paper documents (often via fax, scanned email, or courier), manually typing item details into ERP systems, filing the physical copy, and matching it against purchase orders and invoices. This manual process is slow, error-prone, and creates bottlenecks — particularly for companies processing hundreds or thousands of deliveries daily. A single mis-keyed quantity can trigger incorrect inventory levels, delayed payments, or customer disputes.

OCR-powered digitization changes this dramatically. AI document processing platforms automatically extract every line item from delivery notes, including SKU codes, quantities, batch numbers, and signatures. The extracted data can be validated against the original purchase order in real-time, flagging discrepancies for immediate review. Once validated, the data feeds directly into inventory systems, accounts payable workflows, and customer portals. The signed proof-of-delivery image is automatically archived and linked to the shipment record for audit purposes. Most logistics companies see ROI within 3–6 months of implementing delivery note OCR. Start automating your delivery note processing today on our [app](/app).