Free Pro Forma Invoice Template for International Trade

A committed quotation issued before a sale is concluded, stating what will be supplied, at what price, on what terms, and for how long the offer stands. Buyers use it to obtain import permits, open letters of credit, secure internal approval and arrange advance payment. It is not a demand for payment and is not normally the document customs clears against.

It is generally treated as an offer rather than a concluded contract, so it does not by itself create an obligation to pay. But it is not without effect: acceptance of the offer on its stated terms can form a contract, and a pro forma without a validity period is an open-ended price commitment. Treat it as a document you intend to honour, because buyers and banks will.

Usually not. Customs requires a commercial invoice evidencing a concluded sale, because valuation is based on the price actually paid or payable. Some destinations accept a pro forma for specific procedures — temporary imports, samples, goods with no commercial value — but this is an exception rather than a rule. Confirm with the destination broker before shipping against one.

Largely one of formality and detail. A quotation may be a price list or an email; a pro forma is structured like an invoice, with line items, HS codes, Incoterms, weights and shipping details, so that a bank or licensing authority can act on it. Where a buyer needs a document for an institution rather than for itself, a pro forma is what they are asking for.

Long enough for the buyer to act and short enough that you can honour the price. Thirty days is a common default. Where your price depends on volatile inputs — raw materials, freight rates, exchange rates — either shorten the validity or state the condition explicitly, such as 'subject to freight rate valid at time of booking'.

Yes, wherever they are part of the price under the quoted Incoterm, and shown as separate lines. Buyers use the pro forma to calculate landed cost and to arrange their own insurance, and a bundled figure defeats both. It also keeps the pro forma consistent with the commercial invoice that will follow.

Yes, and it is one of its most common uses. Include your bank details, state the deposit percentage and what triggers the balance, and reference the pro forma number so the payment can be reconciled. Issue a commercial invoice when the goods ship — the pro forma is not the accounting document for the sale.

Issue a commercial invoice reflecting what actually shipped and reference the pro forma number. Differences are normal on open-account terms. Under a letter of credit they are not: any variance in quantity, description, price or shipment date that the credit does not accommodate needs a credit amendment agreed before shipment, or payment becomes discretionary.

Not universally, but sign it where the buyer, their bank or a licensing authority requires it — which is common for permit applications and credit openings. A signed pro forma also reads as a firmer commitment, which is usually what a buyer asking for one actually wants.

Yes. The buyer needs them to calculate duty and landed cost, and licensing authorities frequently require them on permit applications. Give the six-digit international heading at minimum. Providing them at the quotation stage also surfaces classification disagreements early, when they are cheap to resolve.

You can reuse the data, and you should — it is the same transaction. But issue a distinct document with its own number, labelled as a commercial invoice, reflecting what is actually shipping. Do not simply relabel the pro forma: the two documents have different legal characters and different audiences, and the buyer's accounts payable will be reconciling against the commercial invoice number.

Where a pro forma has been extracted into the workspace, its reviewed line items, parties and terms can be reused to prepare a commercial invoice draft, so descriptions, HS codes and values carry across rather than being retyped. The draft remains editable for the quantities and prices that actually shipped.

You can complete the browser form and download a generated PDF. Editable XLSX and DOCX starter files are also available for offline work.

The template form is designed to keep entries in the browser while you prepare the document. Review the finished file before sharing it with a carrier, customer, broker or authority.

No. A pro forma invoice is not the final demand for payment and may not satisfy customs entry requirements. Replace it with the final commercial invoice when the transaction is completed.