What is a proforma invoice — and when do you send one?

A proforma invoice is a committed offer to supply: it shows exactly what will be shipped, at what price and on what terms, before the sale is completed. It is not a demand for payment against a completed supply, so it does not create a tax liability. Businesses send one when a buyer needs a document to raise a purchase order, to release an advance payment, to open a letter of credit, or to clear goods through customs.

• To collect an advance payment before production or despatch
• So the buyer can raise a purchase order internally
• For a letter of credit or bank remittance
• For customs, import licensing and freight documentation

Proforma invoice vs tax invoice vs quotation

A quotation is an offer to sell at a price and can still be negotiated. A proforma invoice is the agreed deal written up in invoice form, issued before supply, and used for advance payment and documentation. A tax invoice is issued on or after supply, is the document your customer claims input tax against, and is what goes into your tax returns. The same order often moves through all three, which is why this generator prints the correct title, dates and wording for each.

Download the proforma invoice as a PDF

Click Save & print and choose 'Save as PDF' as the destination. You get an A4 PDF with 12 mm margins that you can email to the buyer, attach to a letter of credit application or hand to your freight forwarder. Only the document prints — no website navigation, buttons or watermark.

A proforma invoice creator you can shape to your business

Change the document title, rename the tax components for your country, choose the document colour, add your signature image and write your own terms about advance payment, validity and bank charges. Your draft is kept, so the next proforma for a repeat buyer starts from the last one instead of a blank page.