Proforma Invoice for Export: Format, Contents and Sample Fields

A proforma invoice is a quotation in the form of an invoice. You send it before the goods are made or shipped, so the buyer can confirm the order, arrange payment or open a letter of credit, and in many countries apply for an import licence. It is not a tax invoice and is not used to claim payment.

What to include

Parties

• Your company name, address, IEC, GSTIN and contact person
• The buyer's name and address, and the consignee if different
• Notify party if the buyer wants one on the bill of lading

Reference

• Proforma number and date
• Buyer's enquiry or purchase order reference
• Validity date — prices for raw materials and freight move, so say how long the offer stands

Goods

• Description detailed enough to match the commercial invoice and the LC later
• HS code for each line
• Quantity and unit, unit price, line total, currency
• Packing (cartons, pallets) and approximate net and gross weight
• Country of origin

Terms

• Incoterm with a named place, e.g. "FOB Mundra, Incoterms 2020"
• Port of loading, port of discharge and final destination
• Shipment time, e.g. "within 30 days of advance payment"
• Payment terms — advance, LC at sight, documents against payment, etc.
• Your bank details, including SWIFT code, for the remittance

Proforma vs commercial invoice

	Proforma invoice	Commercial invoice
When	Before production or shipment	At shipment
Purpose	Quotation, LC or import licence	Claim payment, customs clearance
Binding?	An offer until accepted	Final record of the sale
Quantities	As agreed	As actually shipped

Tips

• If the buyer will open an LC, they will copy your description into it. Write the description exactly as you will on the commercial invoice.
• Quote freight and insurance as separate lines on CFR or CIF offers.
• Keep a status on each proforma — sent, accepted, rejected, expired — so you know what is live.

How Eximly helps

Eximly makes the proforma from your product list with HS codes, prices and Incoterms filled in, tracks whether it is sent, accepted or expired, and turns an accepted proforma into the export order — so the commercial invoice, packing list and certificate of origin carry exactly the same details. Start your free trial.