Working for brands abroad changes what you invoice, how you are paid and what to write first.
What a foreign client changes
Four differences compared with a local client.
The type of document and the applicable regime, dealt with above.
The currency, which is almost never yours.
The payment term, often longer, and the route by which the money arrives.
And the level of demand on the description of the service, higher, because the accounts department receiving the invoice does not know you.
What the document must carry
Seven mentions, none optional.
Your full details and your tax identifier.
The client's full details, with their country and their local identifier.
A sequential document number.
The issue date and the period of the service.
A precise description of the service, including the rights granted, their duration and their territory.
The amount, the currency, and the applicable tax treatment.
And the payment terms, with the deadline, the complete bank details and the split of charges.
What you receive is not what you invoice
Four gaps between the amount issued and the amount received.
The charges of the sending bank, of the intermediary bank and of the receiving bank, which add up.
The margin applied to the conversion, often heavier than the announced fees.
Any withholdings made by the client under the rules of their own country, which must be documented and reclaimed with your administration.
And the delay between payment and the funds actually being available.
One pricing consequence: build those gaps into your price from the quote, and write on the document who pays the transfer charges. A complaint after receipt never succeeds.
The large client's circuit
Five steps an invoice follows in a large company.
The opening of a supplier account, which requires documents and sometimes takes two weeks.
An internal purchase order number, without which no invoice is processed.
Approval by the person who ordered.
The move to accounts, where only the document counts.
And payment, grouped on a fixed date, often once or twice a month.
One practical note: chase the accounts department, with the order number, not your creative contact. They have no power over that chain.
What to keep
Four items, for the legal period.
The invoices issued, in order.
The contracts or written exchanges describing the service and the rights.
The proof of receipt of funds, linking back to the invoice.
And the documents relating to any withholdings made abroad.
What is fixed before sending the first invoice
| Point | What you decide | Where to write it |
|---|---|---|
| The invoicing currency | The client's or your own | The quote |
| Who bears the transfer fees | The client, usually | The terms line |
| The exchange rate used | The one on the issue date | The invoice itself |
What costs more than expected
A badly routed international transfer, a conversion done twice, and a bank delay that shifts cash flow by a week. These three are anticipated, not recovered.
What is confirmed before committing
The filing regime applicable to services invoiced abroad, the currency obligations and the documents to keep. Those rules move and are confirmed with a local accountant.
When to see an accountant
Three moments.
Before the first export invoice, to validate the type of document and the required registration.
When a client asks for particular treatment, a withholding or a form.
And at every change of volume, because the applicable regime also depends on your level of activity.
One last marker: a foreign client does not judge your invoice on its beauty, they judge it on its ability to pass through an accounting system they do not control either. An invoice that passes first time is worth a lasting relationship.
