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Export Stage 3: Issue the proforma invoice

Export guide · Stage 3 of 10 · The Paper Trail

Export Stage 3: issue the proforma invoice, and get it right first time

Five stations between the buyer's acceptance and a proforma that carries your description, code and terms through every later paper. Clear each hurdle, earn each badge, and finish as a Paper Master. Prefer reading? Use the plain guide button.

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Paper Cadet

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Tap a station to open it. Clear each hurdle to earn its badge and unlock the next.

Station 1 of 5

Know what the proforma invoice does for you

Station 1 of 5 · Badge: Clear Brief

Know what the proforma invoice does for you

Your proforma is the written offer the buyer pays and clears against.

What you do

  1. It is not the commercial invoice
  2. It fixes goods, price and terms
  3. The buyer's bank may need it
  4. Later papers must match it

Keep these ready

  • Accepted quotation
  • Buyer's purchase order
  • Proforma invoice

Watch out

  • A proforma that differs from the quotation.
  • Missing IEC or wrong buyer name.
  • Bank details that do not match the bank's records.

Pro tip

Keep a proforma template with your details filled in. Each new order takes minutes.

Full details for this station

The proforma invoice is the buyer's reference for payment, for import licences and for their bank. Get it right once.

How to do it

  1. Issue the proforma after the buyer accepts your quotation.
  2. Make it agree with the quotation line by line.
  3. The buyer may use it to open a letter of credit, to get an import licence and to arrange payment.
  4. Keep a copy. The commercial invoice you issue at shipment must agree with it.

Documents to keep ready

  • Accepted quotation
  • Buyer's purchase order
  • Proforma invoice

What the documents must show

Proforma invoice
Marked "Proforma". Seller and buyer with addresses, your IEC, description, HS code code, quantity, unit price, currency, total, Incoterms term and place, payment terms, bank details, origin and port of shipment.

Time and cost

  • Preparing: an hour.
  • Corrections: a day each round.

Where people get stuck

  • A proforma that differs from the quotation.
  • Missing IEC or wrong buyer name.
  • Bank details that do not match the bank's records.
Station 2 of 5

Describe the goods and name the HS code

Station 2 of 5 · Badge: Code Cracker

Describe the goods and name the HS code

The words and the code on the proforma carry into every later paper.

What you do

  1. Exact description
  2. 8-digit HS code
  3. Specification
  4. Origin

Keep these ready

  • Specification or catalogue
  • Your HS code working

Watch out

  • A description that differs between proforma and invoice.
  • A code copied from earlier goods.
  • Vague words that invite a query.

Pro tip

Keep a master description for each product and paste it into every document.

Full details for this station

What you write on the proforma ends up on the invoice, the packing list and the Shipping Bill. Write it once.

How to do it

  1. Describe the goods: what they are, the material, the use and the model.
  2. State the 8-digit HS code code, checked against the Indian tariff.
  3. State quantity, unit and weight.
  4. State the country of origin.
  5. Use the same words on every document.

Documents to keep ready

  • Specification or catalogue
  • Your HS code working

What the documents must show

Goods description
Plain words: what it is, the material, the use and the model. For example "Cotton bedsheet, 200 thread count, double size". Avoid "spares" or "parts" alone.

Time and cost

  • Writing: an hour.
  • Checking the code: an hour to a day.

Where people get stuck

  • A description that differs between proforma and invoice.
  • A code copied from earlier goods.
  • Vague words that invite a query.
Station 3 of 5

State the price, the term and the payment

Station 3 of 5 · Badge: Fair Deal

State the price, the term and the payment

Price, currency, Incoterm and payment terms, exactly as agreed.

What you do

  1. Unit price and total
  2. Currency
  3. Incoterm and place
  4. Payment terms and bank details

Keep these ready

  • Accepted quotation
  • Bank details letter from your bank

Watch out

  • A different price from the accepted quotation.
  • Bank details with a typing error.
  • Incoterm missing the named place.

Pro tip

Ask your bank to confirm your details in writing, and send that letter with the first proforma.

Full details for this station

The buyer pays what you write. Get the numbers and the terms exactly right.

How to do it

  1. State unit price, quantity and total, as accepted.
  2. State the currency.
  3. State the Incoterms term and the named place.
  4. State payment terms: advance, letter of credit or open account, with timing.
  5. State your bank details: name and address, account number, SWIFT code and the AD code. They must agree with the bank's records.

Documents to keep ready

  • Accepted quotation
  • Bank details letter from your bank

What the documents must show

Bank details
Beneficiary name (your legal name), bank name and address, account number, SWIFT code. All must match your bank's records.

Time and cost

  • Checking: an hour.
  • Bank confirmation, if needed: a day.

Where people get stuck

  • A different price from the accepted quotation.
  • Bank details with a typing error.
  • Incoterm missing the named place.
Station 4 of 5

Prepare for a letter of credit, if one is used

Station 4 of 5 · Badge: Credit Reader

Prepare for a letter of credit, if one is used

If the buyer opens a letter of credit, your documents must match it exactly.

What you do

  1. Read the credit on receipt
  2. Check every condition
  3. Ask for amendments early
  4. Keep to the dates

Keep these ready

  • Letter of credit
  • Proforma invoice
  • List of required documents

Watch out

  • A shipment date that is too early or too late for your production.
  • A document you cannot produce.
  • A description that differs by one word from the invoice.

Pro tip

Do not start production until you have read the credit and are sure you can meet it.

Full details for this station

A bank pays a letter of credit only against documents that meet its terms. A small mismatch can stop the payment.

How to do it

  1. Read the letter of credit the day it arrives, line by line.
  2. Check the goods description, amount, shipment date, expiry date, ports and Incoterm against your proforma.
  3. Check the documents it asks for. Make sure you can produce each one in the form required.
  4. If anything does not match, ask the buyer to amend the credit before you ship.
  5. Keep to the shipment date and the presentation period.

Documents to keep ready

  • Letter of credit
  • Proforma invoice
  • List of required documents

What the documents must show

Document checklist
A table with each document the credit asks for, the number of originals and copies, who issues it and the date it must be ready.

Time and cost

  • Reading: an hour.
  • Amendment: days.

Where people get stuck

  • A shipment date that is too early or too late for your production.
  • A document you cannot produce.
  • A description that differs by one word from the invoice.
Station 5 of 5

Send the proforma and get it confirmed

Station 5 of 5 · Badge: Deal Sealed

Send the proforma and get it confirmed

Send it, get the buyer's written confirmation, and file it.

What you do

  1. Send the proforma
  2. Buyer confirms in writing
  3. File with the order
  4. Next: the payment

Keep these ready

  • Final proforma invoice
  • Buyer's confirmation
  • Order file

Watch out

  • A proforma changed after confirmation.
  • No written confirmation.

Pro tip

Save the proforma as a PDF with the date in the file name.

Full details for this station

When the proforma is right, send it and get the buyer to confirm. Everything that follows is built on it.

How to do it

  1. Send the proforma with your quotation number and date.
  2. Ask the buyer to confirm in writing.
  3. Keep the confirmed proforma with the quotation, order and cost sheet.
  4. Move to Stage 4: receive the money.

Documents to keep ready

  • Final proforma invoice
  • Buyer's confirmation
  • Order file

What the documents must show

Confirmation
A short email from the buyer quoting the proforma number and date and confirming the details.

Time and cost

  • Same day.

Where people get stuck

  • A proforma changed after confirmation.
  • No written confirmation.

Run complete

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Words used on this page

AD code: Authorised Dealer code of your bank branch, registered with Customs at the port. Export proceeds are tracked against it.
HS code: Harmonised System code. An international product code. India uses 8 digits for duty and for Customs filings.
IEC: Importer Exporter Code. A 10-character code issued by DGFT. You need it to import or export goods as a business.
Incoterms: Trade terms of the International Chamber of Commerce (Incoterms 2020). They say who pays for transport and insurance, and who bears risk, at each point.

Questions people ask

Is a proforma invoice the same as the commercial invoice?

No. The proforma is a preview before shipment. The commercial invoice is issued at shipment and is the document Customs uses. They should agree.

Can I ask for payment against a proforma?

Yes, many exporters do, especially for advance payment.

Do I need a proforma for Customs?

Customs uses the commercial invoice. The proforma helps the buyer and the bank, and keeps your papers consistent.

Is this legal advice?

No. It is practical guidance. Rules change, so confirm the position on the date of your order.

Want us to check your proforma before you send it?

Send us the draft. We will check the description, the code and the terms. It is just a call and a message away.

Message us on WhatsAppCall +91 98230 14118

Office (backup): +91 93733 11838

← Stage 2: Give the quotationStage 4: Receive the money →

Last checked: 12 November 2026. Based on the Customs Act, 1962 (CBIC), the Foreign Trade Policy 2023 (DGFT) and the foreign exchange rules of the Reserve Bank of India. Rules and notifications change, so confirm the position on the date of your order.

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