When you need the Proforma invoice

To ship a package abroad with Express Courier, it may be necessary to also fill out a Proforma Invoice.

The Proforma Invoice is a declaration that replaces the Commercial Invoice when the package shipped with international express courier is addressed outside the European Union and the transported goods are not intended for sale.

Commercial Invoice

  • Has a sequential number
  • The transported goods are intended for sale

Proforma Invoice

  • May not have a sequential number
  • The transported goods are NOT intended for sale (samples, gifts, repairs, etc.)

In the following paragraphs, we will explore in which cases the Proforma Invoice (or the Commercial Invoice is mandatory.

Also visit the Additional Forms: Proforma Invoice to find instructions for filling it out and to download a Proforma Invoice template.

Shipments within the European Union

Shipments of goods in free circulation between EU member countries do not require export documents for customs clearance, so in all cases of online shipping to EU countries, the PROFORMA Invoice is not mandatory.

The current EU member countries are:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France (including Monaco), Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal (including Azores and Madeira), Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Hungary.

If the goods are NOT in free circulation within the EU, a COMMERCIAL OR PROFORMA INVOICE is required.

Goods not in free circulation include:

Goods coming directly from the Åland Islands, San Marino, Andorra, Channel Islands, Canary Islands, Mount Athos (also known as Agion Oros), from the French overseas departments of Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion, the United Kingdom (including the Isle of Man).

Goods shipped to insular and overseas territories of EU member countries: Faroe Islands, Greenland, Saint Pierre, Miquelon, Mayotte, Buesingen (CAP 78263, 78266), Helgoland (27498), Campione d'Italia, Lake Lugano, Livigno, Vatican City, Ceuta, Melilla.

Shipments outside the European Union

All shipments directed outside the European Union require an EXPORT DOCUMENT FOR CUSTOMS CLEARANCE.

Shipping a package outside of Europe means having to pass through two customs.

The first, outgoing, is the ITALIAN customs.

The second, incoming, will be the customs of the destination country.

Every country in the world has its own regulations, so each individual customs office will have its own procedures.

To send a package out of our country and into another, it is always mandatory to declare to customs:

  • What we are exporting
  • Why we are exporting it
  • To whom the shipment is addressed
  • What value this goods has

All this information must be included on an INVOICE, which can be either a COMMERCIAL type if I am making a sale, or PROFORMA if I am shipping for any other reason (SAMPLE, GIFT, REPAIR, ETC.).

What is declared on the invoice must be TRUE and accurate. Customs must identify the customs code based on our description.

An inaccurate description can lead to the shipment being blocked at one of the two transit customs.