Invoicing a client in another country adds a handful of decisions that domestic invoices never raise: which currency, which bank identifiers, who pays the transfer fees, how to write dates and amounts so they are not misread, and how tax works when the two of you are under different rules. None of them is difficult once decided; all of them cause delays when left to the client to guess.
This guide takes each decision in turn and shows how to reflect it on the invoice, using Simple Invoice's formatting engine where it helps. The tax section explains the questions to ask; it is not advice, and it deliberately quotes no rates.
Choose the currency — and say it once, clearly
Agree the currency in the proposal. Invoicing in your own currency means the client bears the exchange risk and fees; invoicing in theirs means you do, but it removes a reason for them to hesitate. Many freelancers price in the client's currency for large or recurring clients and in their own for one-offs. Whatever you choose, the invoice must name it unambiguously: $ alone could be five different currencies, so show the ISO code — USD, CAD, AUD — at least once, ideally beside the total.
Simple Invoice formats every amount from an ISO code. You can display the symbol, the narrow symbol, the code or the currency name, and place the symbol before or after the amount with or without a space, so 1 234,56 €, €1,234.56 and EUR 1,234.56 are all one setting away.
Format numbers and dates for the reader
1,234.56 is one thousand in one country and a little over one in another. 12/09/2026 is September in most of Europe and December in the United States. Format for the client, not for yourself.
Set the locale on the invoice to the client's — Simple Invoice offers grouping and decimal separators per locale, with overrides for a comma, period, space or apostrophe when a client's house style differs — and choose an unambiguous date pattern such as d MMMM yyyy (12 September 2026) or the ISO form yyyy-MM-dd. Dates render in the client's language too if you pick one of the twenty-five bundled locales.
Bank details that work across borders
Domestic account numbers are often useless to a foreign bank. Give the identifiers international transfers need, exactly as your bank prints them.
- IBAN — the international account number, where your country uses one.
- BIC/SWIFT — identifies your bank; required for most cross-border transfers.
- Account holder name and address — must match the bank's record; some receiving banks reject mismatches.
- Bank name and address — still requested by some payers' systems.
- Routing details for the destination country — for example a US account will need an ABA routing number for domestic-format payments; ask your bank which to publish.
- Alternative rails — if you hold a multi-currency account or accept a payment service, list it as an option and say which currencies it takes.
Fees and exchange rates
International transfers can lose money at three points: the sender's bank fee, intermediary bank fees deducted from the amount in transit, and the exchange rate applied by whoever converts. State in your terms who bears fees — a common clause is that the payer selects the option under which the full invoiced amount reaches the beneficiary — and consider a multi-currency account that receives the client's currency locally, which avoids intermediaries entirely.
Do not print an exchange rate unless your tax authority requires a home-currency equivalent; rates move between issue and payment. If one must be shown, state its source and date.
Language and labels
An invoice in the client's language is processed faster and, in some countries, expected. You do not need a separate tool: in Simple Invoice every printed label — Invoice, Issue date, Bill To, Description, Qty, Rate, Subtotal, Balance due — is editable per template, so you can save a German or Spanish variant of your layout once and reuse it. Keep the line-item descriptions themselves in the language agreed in the contract.
The tax questions to ask before the first invoice
Cross-border tax treatment depends on where each party is established, whether the client is a business or a consumer, what you are supplying and whether you are registered. In many systems, business-to-business services across borders are taxed where the customer is, which can mean you charge no tax and the client accounts for it themselves under a reverse-charge mechanism — and the invoice must then say so and usually show both parties' tax numbers. Other combinations require you to register in the client's country. Tax basics for invoices explains the vocabulary; the sources below are the official starting points.
Ask an accountant these questions once, write down the answers per client type, and encode them in your invoice defaults and templates.
- Is the client a business or a consumer, and can I verify their tax registration number?
- Where is the supply treated as taking place for this kind of service or goods?
- Do I charge tax, charge nothing with a reverse-charge note, or need to register abroad?
- What exact wording and which identifiers must appear on the invoice in that case?
- Do I need a home-currency equivalent of the tax amount for my own return?
International invoice checklist
Before sending an invoice abroad, check these in addition to the usual items.
- Currency agreed and shown by ISO code
- Amounts and dates formatted for the client's locale
- IBAN, BIC/SWIFT, account holder name and bank name present
- Fee clause in the terms; multi-currency option offered if you have one
- Tax treatment confirmed and the required wording and tax numbers included
- Labels in the client's language if agreed
- Due date as a calendar date with extra days for transfer time
Questions
Should I invoice in my currency or the client's?
Either is valid; what matters is agreeing it before the work. The client's currency removes friction for them and shifts exchange risk to you; yours does the reverse. For recurring clients, many freelancers choose the client's currency and receive it into a multi-currency account.
Do I add VAT or sales tax for a foreign client?
It depends on where you and the client are, whether the client is a business, and what you supply. Business-to-business services are often taxed where the customer is, with a reverse-charge note on the invoice instead of a tax line — but the rules differ and change. Confirm with an accountant; this guide gives no rates or rulings.
Who pays the transfer fees?
Whoever your terms say. A common arrangement is that the payer chooses the transfer option under which the full invoiced amount reaches you. Put the clause in your default terms so it appears on every invoice.