A proforma invoice sets out the terms before the sale is final — for quotes, advance payments, import licenses and letters of credit. Fill in this free template online and download a professional PDF; the wording makes clear it's not a payment demand.
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It's a preliminary document that spells out what a sale would look like — the goods, prices, terms and validity period — before the final invoice is issued. Buyers use it to arrange payment or import approval; sellers use it to confirm a quote in writing.
No. A proforma is an estimate and commitment-in-principle, not a demand. It doesn't replace the commercial invoice and generally can't be used to claim payment or record the sale in accounting. That's why it should be clearly labeled — this template prints "Proforma Invoice" as the document title.
Once the buyer confirms, duplicate the proforma in InvoJar (open it and click Dup), change the title to "Invoice" wording and the number to your final sequence, adjust any quantities, and send. The saved draft keeps all your line items and terms intact.
A proforma invoice is the right document whenever prices or terms need to be agreed before the sale is final:
A quotation is a price offer, often loose on details. A proforma invoice is a quotation dressed as an invoice: it has invoice structure, line items, total and terms, and it's usually what triggers the buyer's purchase order. The final (commercial) invoice is the document of record after the sale — the one that requests payment and drives accounting on both sides.
The practical workflow: proforma → buyer confirms / issues PO → you duplicate it, relabel it as an invoice, assign your real invoice number → ship and send. Because the numbers rarely change between proforma and final, doing the proforma properly saves the argument later.
Three things make a proforma useful rather than decorative: a validity period ("this proforma is valid for 30 days"), the payment structure ("50% advance with order, balance before shipment"), and an explicit note that it is not a request for payment. The labeling matters — this template prints "Proforma Invoice" as the document title so no one, including a bank or an accountant, mistakes it for a demand.
A proforma for an export order with an advance payment typically reads:
With this single document the buyer can raise a PO, transfer the advance, and apply for import approval — and when they confirm, you duplicate it into a final invoice without retyping a thing.