Need to quote a client before they commit? Fill in your business and client details below and download a clean proforma invoice PDF in seconds. It is free, unlimited and watermark-free — and it is built on your own device, so your prices and client details are never uploaded anywhere. A proforma invoice looks like an invoice but asks for no payment yet: it is a firm quote the buyer can approve, forward to customs, or use to arrange payment.
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Quick answer: A proforma invoice is a preliminary bill: it quotes the price, items and terms of a sale before the sale is final, but it is not a demand for payment and it does not create a tax liability. Importers use it for customs declarations, buyers use it to get internal approval or arrange a bank transfer, and sellers use it to confirm an order before shipping. A proforma invoice is not a VAT invoice — under Council Directive 2006/112/EC (the EU VAT Directive), a real VAT invoice must meet specific content rules, including a sequential number; a proforma deliberately sits outside that category, which is why it must be clearly labelled “Proforma”.
Use a proforma when the buyer needs a document before committing: a quote that looks official enough for a finance department, a customs value declaration for an export shipment, or a deposit request where the final invoice follows later. Do not use it as a substitute for a real invoice once payment is due — at that point issue the proper invoice with our invoice generator. If the order changes, issue a fresh proforma rather than quietly editing the old one, and keep the numbering sequence clean. Our quotation maker covers looser estimates; a proforma is the firmer, invoice-shaped step after that.
These three get mixed up constantly. A quotation is an estimate: it says what something would cost, often with options and caveats. A proforma invoice is firmer: it mirrors a real invoice line by line, with a number, a validity date and payment terms, but it is still not a payment demand. A commercial (tax) invoice is the real bill: it records a completed sale, creates the accounting entry, and — where VAT applies — must meet the VAT Directive's content rules. Sending a proforma when you mean a real invoice delays payment; sending a real invoice when you mean a quote creates a tax record for a sale that may never happen.
The practical rule: proforma first for approval, customs or prepayment arrangements; real invoice the moment the sale is agreed and payment is due. Label the document “PROFORMA INVOICE” in large type — this tool does that automatically — so no finance department mistakes it for a bill.
Proformas contain your pricing, margins and client list — exactly the data you least want on someone else's server. Server-based generators receive all of it and store it under their retention policy. This tool assembles the PDF with JavaScript on your own device — open the Network tab and verify it yourself: no upload happens. That is the same privacy promise behind our safety guide, which explains the upload-vs-browser difference in plain terms.
The honest trade-off: because nothing is stored for you, the form clears if you refresh — so download the PDF before leaving the page, and file it with your quotes. That is the entire cost of keeping client pricing data off the internet. This tool is not tax advice — for cross-border VAT questions, ask your accountant.
To quote a firm price before a sale is final — for buyer approval, customs declarations on exports, prepayment arrangements, or deposit requests. It looks like an invoice but is not a payment demand.
No. It does not create a debt or a tax liability. Only a commercial (tax) invoice does that. That is why a proforma must be clearly labelled as one.
Yes — customs authorities commonly accept proforma invoices to declare the value of goods shipped before payment, for example samples or goods sent ahead of a commercial invoice.
It can show tax for illustration, but it is not a VAT invoice and should not be used to claim VAT. The real VAT invoice follows once the sale is final.
30 days is the usual default. State the validity date on the document so a client cannot accept an old price months later after your costs have risen.
Yes — unlimited proformas, every field, PDF download, forever. No trial, no watermark, no account, no payment details. It runs entirely in your browser, so there is nothing to meter.
Only in this browser tab while you type. The PDF is assembled on your own device — your prices and client details are never uploaded to any server.