Proforma Invoice: When You Need One and How to Write It
Before goods move, buyers often need a document to open an LC, apply for an import license, or get internal approval. That document is the proforma.
What makes it 'proforma'
It has everything the final commercial invoice has — parties, goods, values, terms — but it's issued before shipment and labeled PROFORMA. It commits your price and terms without being a demand for payment.
When buyers ask for one
Letters of credit (banks match the LC to the proforma), import permits in restricted markets, prepayment invoicing, and customs pre-clearance programs. Treat it as binding — the commercial invoice must match it closely.
From proforma to commercial
Keep line items identical, update quantities if the shipment changed, relabel, and date it at shipment. Our generator keeps your lines when you switch types, so the two documents can't drift apart.
Convert your invoice now
Free — upload a PDF or image and download a clean spreadsheet.
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