Cross-border · template 06 of 12
Proforma invoice template
A commercial document issued before the sale: the same shape as an invoice, but it doesn't demand payment and it isn't a tax invoice. Customs agents, procurement teams and banks ask for one when they need the details in advance.
Free, no sign-up, nothing stored. It opens filled in so you can see the shape.
When to use it
Use it when a buyer needs commercial terms before committing — to raise a purchase order, to open a letter of credit, to clear goods, or to get a payment approved internally.
It must say what it is. A proforma that reads exactly like a tax invoice can be booked as one by mistake, creating a tax position neither side intended. This template marks it on the face and repeats it in the notes.
Field by field
How long the quoted prices hold. Without it, a proforma issued in a volatile currency becomes an argument three months later.
One line stating the document's status. It is the difference between a quote and a tax point.
What happens next: lead time, what triggers the real invoice, and any deposit required to start.
Questions people ask
What's the difference between a proforma and a quote?
A quote is an offer; a proforma is the transaction written up as though it had happened, so the buyer can process it. In practice proformas carry more detail — line items, totals, delivery and payment terms.
Can a client pay a proforma?
Often they do, and that's fine — but issue a real invoice once they have. The proforma isn't the document either of you should be filing.
What this is, and what it isn't
This creates an invoice document — the kind you send a client and attach to a payment. It is not a fiscalised e-invoice. Many countries now require invoices to be registered with the tax authority through an approved system, which returns an official number and QR code. We don't do that. If your business is in scope where you are, this document is still yours to send — but the official filing happens elsewhere. We'd rather tell you than let you find out.
We don't validate tax IDs or registration numbers, and nothing here is tax advice. Rates and labels are yours to set; we don't maintain rate tables for every country and won't pretend to.