How to write a proforma invoice buyers and banks accept
Short answer
A proforma invoice is your quote set out as an invoice. The buyer uses it to pay a deposit, open a letter of credit or apply for an import licence. It must state both parties, the goods, unit prices and totals, the Incoterms rule and place, payment terms, shipping date and an expiry date, exactly as agreed. Give each version a number, and say clearly which one replaces which.
After a buyer says yes, the next document is usually the proforma invoice, often shortened to PI. It turns a quote into something the buyer can act on: their finance team pays your deposit against it, their bank opens a letter of credit from it, and in some countries they need it to get an import licence or permission to buy foreign currency. Mistakes in a PI get copied into all of those.
What it is, and what it isn't
The U.S. International Trade Administration describes a pro forma invoice as a quote in an invoice format, used as a negotiating tool between seller and buyer. Buyers may need it to apply for an import licence, to open a letter of credit, or to arrange a transfer of hard currency.
| Proforma invoice | Commercial invoice | |
|---|---|---|
| When | Before production or shipment | At shipment |
| Purpose | A firm offer; basis for deposit, letter of credit, import licence | A legal document between exporter and buyer; used by customs to assess duties and taxes |
| Quantities and weights | As ordered or estimated | As actually shipped |
| Required for customs? | Usually not | Yes, for export and import clearance |
So a PI doesn't replace the commercial invoice. trade.gov notes a pro forma may not be a required shipping document at all; what customs needs at shipment is the commercial invoice.
The fields it needs
trade.gov's list of what a pro forma should contain is the basis of this table; we've added the lines that save the most arguments later.
| Field | Write it like this |
|---|---|
| Title, number and date | "PROFORMA INVOICE No. PI-2027-014 rev. 1, 3 Feb 2027" |
| Seller | Full legal name and address, as on your bank account and export documents |
| Buyer | Full legal name and address, and the buyer's PO or reference number |
| Goods | Description in the buyer's words, model numbers, specifications that matter. HS code if you know it (it must appear on the commercial invoice anyway) |
| Quantity, unit price, total | Each line with currency and unit: "2,000 pcs × USD 4.80/pc = USD 9,600.00" |
| Packing, weights, dimensions | Cartons, units per carton, approximate gross weight and volume |
| Trade term | Rule, precise place and version: "FCA [terminal], [city] Incoterms 2020". See which rule to quote |
| Payment terms | Method, percentage, amount, trigger, deadline. See payment terms compared |
| Shipping date | "Shipment within 30 days after receipt of deposit" or a date; say what the count starts from |
| Validity | An expiry date for the offer: "Valid until 17 Feb 2027" |
| Bank details | Beneficiary name exactly as on the account, bank name and address, account or IBAN, SWIFT/BIC. Plus your fixed warning line (below) |
| Other terms | Tolerances, sample approval reference (see sample requests), inspection, warranty, as agreed |
Use the buyer's names, dates with the month in words, and the currency on every amount; see plain English for non-native buyers.
Your bank details, and the line under them
A PI is the document a fraudster most wants to copy and edit, because it carries your bank details. Add one fixed line under them, and say it again in the email:
Our bank details will not change by email. If you receive a message asking you to pay a different account, do not pay. Call [name] on [phone] first.
Send the PI as a PDF rather than an editable file, and keep your own copy of every version you send. The full picture is in bank detail change fraud.
If the buyer will open a letter of credit
The buyer's bank will copy your PI into the credit. Help it come out right:
- Keep the goods description short. A long technical description copied into a credit has to be repeated exactly on your commercial invoice.
- State the documents you can provide, such as which certificate of origin, and who issues inspection certificates.
- Give a realistic latest shipment date and allow time after it for presenting documents.
- If quantities can vary, write "about" before them.
When the credit arrives, compare it line by line with the PI: see letter of credit: what to check before you ship.
Revisions without confusion
Prices, quantities and dates change before an order settles. Two versions of a PI with the same number are how deposits get paid against the wrong amount.
- Give each revision its own number: "PI-2027-014 rev. 2".
- Write on the new one: "This proforma invoice replaces PI-2027-014 rev. 1 dated 3 Feb 2027."
- Say in the email what changed, in one line per change.
- If the buyer has already paid a deposit, show it: "Less deposit received 10 Feb 2027: USD 2,880.00. Balance due: USD 6,720.00."
- Never change bank details in a revision. If you genuinely change accounts, follow your own rule: tell the buyer by phone first.
If a revision is a price increase or a later date, see how to tell a buyer about a delay or a price increase.
How RelaySolo helps with this
RelaySolo drafts quotes from your own price list, with every number showing which file it came from. Keep your PI template and standard terms in your files, and past quotes are saved on each buyer's client page, so the PI can match the quote line for line and you can see what you offered before you revise it. Nothing goes out until you confirm. Client records stay on your own computer (where your data lives).
The Mac app is free to try for 30 days for your first company. Create an account on relaysolo.com to download it.
Sources
- U.S. International Trade Administration, Pro forma invoice, Commercial invoice and Common export documents.
Read next
- Sample requests; all of Samples, orders and documents.
- Getting paid; Quoting and trade terms.
- Fake inquiries and phishing, in Fraud and safety.
- Working weeks and holidays, in Working across markets. How we check sources: about this handbook.
Before the PI comes the quote email itself: relaysolo.com has how to write a quotation email.
More in Samples, orders and documents
- 03 · Samples, orders and documentsSample requests: free or paid, shipping, and sign-offDeciding free or paid, shipping samples through customs with a real value, and turning the sample into the standard for the bulk order.
- 03 · Samples, orders and documentsTelling a buyer about a delay or a price increaseWhen to say it, the four things the email must contain, and templates for a late shipment, a price increase and a confirmed order.