Antonella De Lazzari · CEO and co-founder
Updated November 11, 2026
The short answer
A pro forma invoice is a commercial document that previews what the invoice will look like: products, quantities, prices, taxes, payment terms and payment details. It is not a tax document, which is why it states that it is not valid as an invoice. It lets the customer approve the purchase, arrange an advance payment or start an import procedure.
Pro forma invoice template
The template is in Spanish and comes filled in with made-up sample data. In the spreadsheet, fill in the yellow cells: amounts are calculated for you. The sample VAT rate is 21% and amounts are in Argentine pesos (ARS). Your company fills in the payment details.
What a pro forma invoice includes
- The words «pro forma» and the notice
- It has to be obvious at a glance that it is not an invoice.
- Number and date
- With its own numbering, separate from invoices.
- Seller and customer
- Legal name, tax ID and address of both parties.
- Products
- Code, description, quantity and unit.
- Unit price, taxes and total
- With the same detail the invoice will have.
- Validity
- Until when price and availability hold.
- Payment terms and payment details
- Advance, balance, currency and the account receiving the payment.
- Delivery time and place
- Counted from which moment: approval, advance or full payment.
- Terms of the deal
- In foreign trade, the Incoterm, the origin of the goods and the means of transport.
How it differs from other documents
- Quote
- It proposes price and terms. It can be informal and go through several versions.
- Pro forma invoice
- It previews the invoice with all its details. It is issued once the deal is under way.
- Invoice
- The tax document. It records the sale and enables collection.
When it is used
- Advance payment
- The customer needs a document to transfer funds before the invoice exists.
- Internal approval at the customer
- Purchasing or finance ask for a paper showing total, taxes and payment terms to authorize the spend.
- Foreign trade
- The importer uses it to arrange permits, payments abroad or insurance before shipment.
- Financing
- A bank or leasing company asks for it to assess the deal.
Where it gets hard
- The invoice differs from the pro forma
- The exchange rate moved, freight was added or another price was entered. The customer paid against the pro forma and now there is a difference to explain.
- It expired and nobody said so
- The customer pays against a month-old pro forma and the price has changed.
- It is rebuilt by hand from the quote
- The same products and prices are copied from the quote into a Word file. Every copy is a chance to change a number.
- Several versions circulate
- The customer has three pro formas in their inbox and pays against the wrong one.
What it looks like when the pro forma starts from the agreed quote
The pro forma repeats what was already negotiated. In Patio the quote with that customer's price, payment terms and validity stays in the deal, along with its earlier versions.
Whoever prepares the pro forma starts from the accepted version, and the order reaches your management system with that same data so the invoice matches.