Proforma invoice generator
Create a proforma invoice PDF for quotes, deposits and customs — free, in your browser.
Runs 100% in your browserHow to create a proforma invoice
- Mark it proforma. Your details and the buyer’s details go at the top; the document is labelled "Proforma Invoice".
- List expected items. Add the goods or services with quantities and prices.
- Download and send. Generate the PDF for the buyer to arrange payment or customs.
What a proforma invoice is
A proforma invoice is a good-faith quotation dressed as an invoice: it lists the goods, quantities, prices and total exactly as the final bill will, but it is explicitly preliminary and not a demand for payment. The distinction matters for your books — a proforma is not a tax invoice, so you don't record it as a sale or as a receivable, and the buyer can't usually reclaim VAT against it. Mark the document clearly as "Proforma" so neither side mistakes it for the real thing.
When you'd send one
Reach for a proforma whenever a buyer needs a firm figure in writing before a real invoice can exist: to get an internal purchase order approved, to pay a deposit or advance, to open a letter of credit, or to arrange an import licence and customs pre-clearance on an international shipment. Customs and freight forwarders frequently ask for one to estimate duties before the goods move. Because it commits you to a price, give it a validity date the same way you would a quote.
Then issue the final invoice
Once the buyer commits and the sale completes, replace the proforma with a real invoice — or a commercial invoice for an export shipment — which is the document your accounts and the tax authority actually recognise. Keeping the proforma number and final invoice number distinct avoids confusion later. If you only need to agree a price rather than pre-bill, a plain quote is simpler.
Frequently asked questions
- A proforma invoice is a preliminary bill sent before goods or services are delivered. It states the expected items, quantities and prices so the buyer can arrange payment, financing or import paperwork. It is not a demand for payment and is not used for accounting until a final invoice is issued.
- A commercial (final) invoice records a completed sale and is booked into accounts. A proforma is a good-faith estimate of what the final invoice will say — useful for quotes, deposits and customs valuation.
- Yes. Proforma invoices are commonly used to declare the value of a shipment for customs before the final invoice exists. Confirm the exact fields your carrier or customs broker requires.
- No. The proforma is generated as a PDF entirely in your browser; nothing is sent to a server.