Proforma Invoice Template

A proforma invoice looks like an invoice but is not one: it creates no claim for payment. It documents the value of the goods – above all for customs when shipping to countries outside the EU. With this free bilingual template you create proforma invoices for samples, gifts, or returns in minutes.

When do I need a proforma invoice?

Whenever goods leave for a non-EU country without a sale behind them: product samples, gifts, spare parts under warranty, return and repair shipments, or trade-fair equipment. The destination country's customs still needs a value to assess import duties – and that is exactly what the proforma invoice provides.

Which details are mandatory?

So the shipment does not get stuck at customs, these details belong on the document – the template has a dedicated field for each:

• Exporter and importer with full addresses
• Precise description of the goods – not "parts", but "2 aluminium mounts for camera tripods"
• Quantity, unit and total value with currency – a realistic value, never 0!
• Country of origin
• HS/customs tariff number per line item
• Incoterm (e.g. DAP or DDP)
• Reason for export (e.g. "commercial sample, free of charge")
• The note "value for customs purposes only"

How does it differ from a commercial invoice?

The commercial invoice establishes a claim for payment and is mandatory for commercial sales to non-EU countries – the proforma invoice is only permissible when there is no sale. Declaring sold goods with a proforma invoice risks queries and delays at customs. For postal shipments, the customs declaration CN22/CN23 is additionally attached to the outside of the item.

And if no customs are involved at all?

You only need the template for non-EU shipments. Within Germany and the EU there is no customs border – there, a transport can be booked directly online with Maxmove, with an instant price and no customs paperwork at all.

Frequently asked questions

Proforma or commercial invoice – which applies when? Commercial invoice for every commercial sale; proforma invoice only for free-of-charge shipments without a sale (samples, gifts, warranty, returns). Both must state the real value of the goods.

May I declare a value of €0? No. Customs rejects zero-value shipments or sets the value itself – which delays clearance. State a realistic value even for gifts and samples, for instance the replacement value.

How do I find the customs tariff number? Via the German customs' electronic tariff (EZT-Online) or the EU's TARIC database. The first six digits form the globally harmonised HS code – which is usually sufficient on a proforma invoice.

In which language should I issue it? English is recommended internationally, since the document is read by customs in the destination country. That is why this template is laid out bilingually in German and English.