Proforma vs commercial invoice

What is the difference between Commercial and Proforma invoices?

Handelsfaktura/Commercial invoice

Are you going to charge for the goods you are sending? If so, you should use a commercial invoice. The invoice should declare the value of the goods, the type of goods, who is the seller and who is the buyer so that customs know what is going in and out of the country and how much customs duty and VAT is due.

Pro forma invoice

If you are not going to charge for your goods, use a pro forma invoice. It should be completed in the same way as the commercial invoice, but often you don't have to pay customs duties and VAT when you are not selling the goods. Please note that customs does not accept invoices with a value of 0 SEK, regardless of whether you are selling the goods or not.

Below are some common reasons to use a proforma instead of a commercial invoice:

• You are sending a gift
• Product samples
• Advertising
• Returning goods
• Replacing goods

If you are returning or replacing goods, you must inform customs of the customs ID under which the original shipment was cleared. If you do not have a customs ID, you can contact us at tull@sendify.se and we will help you find it.

Keep in mind that some countries do not allow duty-free goods even if they are gifts, samples or similar. To be on the safe side, check with the customs authorities in the country you are sending to.

When you send through Sendify, it is always on Incoterm DAP, which means that the recipient must pay customs and VAT as well as customs clearance costs on the shipment.

You can create your own customs invoices or use our templates found in the service.