Proforma invoice template UAE: what to include

Banks and overseas buyers check a proforma line by line against the final commercial documents, so precision now saves amendments later.

• Title "Proforma Invoice", never "Tax Invoice"
• Seller legal name, address, trade licence number and TRN if registered
• Buyer name, address and country
• Proforma number and date, plus a validity date for the prices
• Goods description, HS code where relevant, quantity, unit price and currency
• Incoterm and named place, for example FOB Jebel Ali
• Expected VAT treatment, for example zero-rated export, stated as an estimate
• Payment terms: advance, letter of credit or open account
• Bank details for any advance payment

A proforma promises; a tax invoice records a supply. Because a proforma is not a tax invoice, your customer cannot use it to recover input VAT, and you should not post it as a sale. When the goods ship or the service is done, issue a proper tax invoice that refers back to the proforma number.

Watch advance payments. Under the UAE date-of-supply rules, receiving payment before delivery can bring the VAT point forward to the date the money arrives. If a buyer pays a deposit against a proforma, ask your accountant whether a tax invoice is due for that amount now.

A Deira electronics re-exporter quotes a buyer in Nairobi.

• Title: Proforma Invoice PF-2026-221, dated 12 October 2026, valid until 11 November 2026
• Seller: Creekside Electronics Trading LLC, Deira, Dubai, TRN 100XXXXXXXXX004
• Buyer: an electronics wholesaler in Nairobi, Kenya
• Line: 400 power banks, 20,000 mAh, at USD 9.50, USD 3,800.00
• Line: 250 USB-C chargers, 65 W, at USD 7.20, USD 1,800.00
• Terms: FOB Jebel Ali, 30% advance by bank transfer, balance against shipping documents
• Note: export expected to be zero-rated for UAE VAT, subject to export evidence

In HelloBooks you raise a quote and send it as a proforma, using the same customer and item records as your tax invoices. Nothing posts to the ledger. When the buyer confirms, the AI agent converts it into a tax invoice with the same lines, adds the exchange rate and AED VAT figures, and asks you to approve it.

If an advance arrives first, the agent matches the bank receipt to the proforma and flags it so your accountant can decide on the VAT point. Need a proforma layout with HS codes, Incoterms and bank details in fixed places? Ask for that customisation at hello@hellobooks.ai.