Invoice and billing document template
Proforma invoice template
A proforma invoice with the same automatic VAT and total calculation as the invoice, delivery terms, and a validity date, clearly marked as not a VAT invoice. Copy the field reference, download the Excel workbook, or send a personalized proforma to every buyer on your list at once.
Country requirements are in the table below.
E-invoicing notice
A spreadsheet or PDF invoice generated here is not a structured e-invoice. Germany, Italy, Poland, France, and Spain each require, or are actively phasing in, a specific electronic format (like XRechnung, FatturaPA, KSeF, Factur-X, or Verifactu) delivered through a government platform or accredited network, not an emailed spreadsheet or PDF. Check whether your country's mandate already applies to your business before relying on this template for a sale that has to be reported that way.
A proforma invoice is a preliminary bill sent before the final invoice: the expected line items, prices, and delivery terms a buyer can use to arrange a deposit, an import declaration, or a letter of credit, without creating a formal VAT liability the way a real invoice does. Exporters and international sellers use it most often, since customs and banks frequently ask for one before goods move.
A seller quoting the same kind of export order to several buyers ends up repeating the same proforma with different totals and delivery terms. Upload this workbook as an Excel template to MailMergic, upload a spreadsheet with one row per buyer, and generate one personalized, correctly totaled proforma per row.
What is inside the Excel download
More than a plain spreadsheet an AI chat can improvise: a complete, formula-driven workbook built for billing and shipping teams who use it for real.
- The same five-line VAT, net, and gross formula layer as the invoice, so an estimated total is calculated, not typed in by hand.
- Delivery terms and a validity date up front, the two details a bank or customs office usually asks for alongside the price.
- An explicit line stating this is a proforma invoice, not a VAT invoice, so it is never filed or reclaimed as though it were the final bill.
- Native @token merge fields already wired for sending a proforma to a whole list of buyers.
Field reference
Copy the plain field list below, or download the formatted Excel workbook with the formulas and layout built in.
PROFORMA INVOICE - FIELD REFERENCE Spreadsheet columns, not letter prose: every @token below is bound to a cell in the workbook, listed in the order it reads down the page. Your own business details (name, address, VAT ID, bank details) are typed directly into the template and are not @tokens, so they are not listed here. DOCUMENT DETAILS @proforma_number PI-2026-0058 @document_date August 12, 2026 @valid_until September 11, 2026 @delivery_terms DAP Bristol, Incoterms 2020 @currency EUR BILL TO @buyer_name Norwood Design Studio @buyer_address 14 Ashfield Lane, Bristol BS1 4TR, United Kingdom @buyer_vat_id GB741852963 LINE ITEMS (Description / Qty / Unit price; VAT, Net, and Gross calculate automatically) @item1_desc Ceramic mugs (350ml) @item1_qty 4 @item1_price 96.00 @item2_desc Printed tote bags @item2_qty 2 @item2_price 210.00 @item3_desc Gift box packaging @item3_qty 6 @item3_price 14.00 @item4_desc Custom sleeve printing @item4_qty 6 @item4_price 9.50 @item5_desc Air freight surcharge @item5_qty 1 @item5_price 65.00 PAYMENT @payment_terms 30 days net @notes Thank you for your business.
Merge fields: one spreadsheet column each
Filled per document row in a bulk run, straight from your billing spreadsheet.
@proforma_numberPI-2026-0058@document_dateAugust 12, 2026@valid_untilSeptember 11, 2026@delivery_termsDAP Bristol, Incoterms 2020@currencyEUR@buyer_nameNorwood Design Studio@buyer_address14 Ashfield Lane, Bristol BS1 4TR, United Kingdom@buyer_vat_idGB741852963@item1_descCeramic mugs (350ml)@item1_qty4@item1_price96.00@item2_descPrinted tote bags@item2_qty2@item2_price210.00@item3_descGift box packaging@item3_qty6@item3_price14.00@item4_descCustom sleeve printing@item4_qty6@item4_price9.50@item5_descAir freight surcharge@item5_qty1@item5_price65.00@payment_terms30 days net@notesThank you for your business.Invoice content requirements by country
A proforma is not the VAT invoice, but the real invoice that eventually replaces it is. What that invoice must show, country by country, so you know what to prepare once the sale is confirmed. Coverage spans the EU's major economies plus the UK, Switzerland, and the US.
| Country | What the invoice must show |
|---|---|
| Germany (DE) | Supplier and recipient full name and address; supplier tax number or VAT ID; issue date; a unique sequential invoice number; quantity and type of goods or scope of the service; date of supply (or of advance payment); net amount broken down by tax rate plus any agreed discount; the applicable VAT rate and tax amount, or the exemption relied on |
| Austria (AT) | Supplier and recipient name and address; quantity and description of goods or type and scope of the service; date of delivery or the period covered; net remuneration and applicable tax rate, or the exemption relied on; tax amount; issue date; sequential invoice number; supplier VAT ID; recipient VAT ID too once the invoice exceeds EUR 10,000 |
| Switzerland (CH) | Only required on request. Must identify supplier, recipient and service type, and as a rule show: supplier name and place plus a note that it is VAT registered with its registration number; recipient name and place; date or period of supply if different from the invoice date; nature and scope of the service; the consideration; and the applicable tax rate and tax amount. No sequential numbering requirement |
| United Kingdom (UK) | A unique sequential number; the tax point (time of supply); date of issue; supplier name, address and VAT registration number; customer name and address; a description of the goods or services with, per line, the quantity, VAT rate and amount payable excluding VAT; unit price; any cash discount rate; total payable excluding VAT; and total VAT chargeable in sterling |
| Ireland (IE) | Date of issue; a unique sequential invoice number; supplier full name, address and VAT number; customer full name and address, plus VAT number for reverse charge or intra-Community supplies; quantity and nature of goods or extent of services; date of supply; VAT-exclusive unit price; discounts; taxable amount broken down by VAT rate; the rate or rates applied; total VAT payable |
| France (FR) | Full name, address and SIREN of both parties; seller VAT number, and buyer VAT number for reverse charge or intra-EU supplies; invoice date; a unique sequential number; delivery address if different; per line the quantity, description, unit price and VAT rate; date of supply if different from the invoice date; discounts; total VAT broken down by rate; exemption references; self-billing and special-regime notations |
| Italy (IT) | Issue date; a sequential number; supplier name, address and VAT number; buyer name, address and tax ID; nature, quality and quantity of the goods or services; date of delivery or performance if different from the invoice date; the consideration and taxable base; VAT rate, amount and taxable base; vehicle data for intra-EU new means of transport; a self-billing notation where the customer issues the invoice |
| Spain (ES) | Sequential number and series; issue date; full name and NIF of both issuer and recipient; complete addresses; description of the goods or services; unit price and discounts; applicable VAT rate or rates; VAT amount stated separately; date of the operation if different from the issue date; exemption reference; special-regime notations |
| Netherlands (NL) | Issuance date; a sequential invoice number; VAT ID of the supplier and, where relevant, the customer; full name and address of both parties; quantity and description of the goods or services; date of supply if different from the invoice date; taxable amount per VAT rate; the applicable VAT rate or rates; VAT amount payable; notations for reverse charge, exemptions and margin schemes |
| Belgium (BE) | Date and sequential number; supplier and customer name, address and VAT number; date of the chargeable event or of payment; description and quantity of the goods or services; taxable amount and unit price excluding VAT; applicable VAT rate or rates and total VAT amount; either an exemption reference or a reverse-charge or self-billing notation; special-regime notations |
| Poland (PL) | Issue date; sequential number; supplier and buyer names and addresses; supplier and buyer NIP; date of supply if different from the issue date; description and quantity; net unit price; discounts; net value per rate; applicable VAT rate; VAT amount; gross total |
| Sweden (SE) | Issue date; sequential invoice number; seller VAT number, and buyer VAT number for reverse charge; full seller and buyer name and address; quantity and description of the goods or services; delivery date; taxable amount per rate with unit price and discounts; applicable VAT rate; VAT amount payable; conditional notations for self-billing, reverse charge, margin schemes and new means of transport |
| Denmark (DK) | Issue date; sequential number; seller CVR or SE number; seller and buyer name and address; quantity and type of goods or scope of the service; delivery date if different from the invoice date; taxable amount; unit price excluding VAT; discounts; applicable VAT rate; VAT amount stated separately |
| United States (US) | No VAT and no federal statute governs invoice content. Federal recordkeeping rules (26 U.S.C. 6001) require retaining adequate records to substantiate income and deductions but say nothing about invoice format. What a valid invoice must show is instead set by each state sales tax regime where one exists, plus ordinary commercial practice |
Last reviewed August 2026. Spotted a change for one of these countries? Tell us at support@mailmergic.com.
These templates and country tables are general information, not legal advice, and not tax advice. VAT and invoicing rules vary by country and change often, and several of the countries in the table are actively phasing in new e-invoicing mandates. Confirm the current requirements for your jurisdiction, or consult a tax advisor or accountant, before relying on them for a real invoice.
Before you send this proforma
- 1.Confirm the delivery terms (Incoterms) match what was actually agreed with the buyer.
- 2.Set a validity date that still holds if currency or material costs move before the final order.
- 3.Keep the not-a-VAT-invoice line intact so a bank or customs office does not treat it as the real tax document.
- 4.Reissue the proforma, rather than editing it after the fact, once the real invoice or terms are agreed.
- 5.Check the country requirements table below for what the eventual VAT invoice will need to show once the sale is confirmed.
When to use this template
Export and international sales
Give a buyer, their bank, or customs the estimated value and terms they need before goods ship.
Deposit and letter-of-credit requests
Send a proforma a buyer's bank can use to open a letter of credit or release a deposit.
Recurring export quotes
Generate a personalized proforma for every buyer on a distribution list from one spreadsheet.
Generate it for your whole list at once
One document, one spreadsheet, one personalized, correctly totaled copy per row. That is what MailMergic is for.
Upload the workbook template
Use the Excel download as-is, or edit it first. The @token merge fields and formulas are already in place.
Upload your billing spreadsheet
One row per document: buyer, line items, dates, whatever it needs. Excel, CSV, and Google Sheets all work.
Generate and deliver
One personalized, correctly totaled document per row. Download them all as PDFs, or email each customer with delivery and open tracking.
Proforma invoice FAQ
Is a proforma invoice a real invoice?
Why do buyers ask for a proforma invoice?
Does a proforma invoice need a VAT breakdown?
Can I send a proforma to multiple buyers at once?
Other invoice and billing templates
Invoice
A five-line invoice that calculates VAT, subtotal, and the total due automatically as you fill in each row.
Receipt
Confirms an amount received against an invoice, with the payment method and date.
Quotation
A priced offer with a validity date and lead time, clearly marked as not a tax invoice.
Purchase order
Confirms what you are buying, from whom, and where it should be delivered, with the total calculated for you.
Statement of account
An opening balance plus five transactions with the running balance calculated for you, ending in a closing balance to check against your records.
Credit note
Reduces a specific invoice by a stated amount and reason, calculated with the same VAT and total formula as the invoice it corrects.
Commercial invoice
The customs declaration fields an export shipment needs (HS code, incoterms, country of origin, weight), with the declared value calculated for you.
Packing list
What is inside a shipment and how it was packed, carrier and tracking included, with no prices or amounts.
Delivery note
What was delivered and a signature confirming it arrived in good condition, with no prices or amounts.
All invoice and billing templates
Browse the full set of free invoice and billing templates.
These templates and country tables are general information, not legal advice, and not tax advice. VAT and invoicing rules vary by country and change often, and several of the countries in the table are actively phasing in new e-invoicing mandates. Confirm the current requirements for your jurisdiction, or consult a tax advisor or accountant, before relying on them for a real invoice.