Free Vehicle Export Proforma Invoice Template & Generator
A vehicle export proforma prices one unit, identified by VIN, plus the whole path it takes to the ship: inland transport to the port, documentation handling, terminal and roll-on roll-off receiving, ocean freight for a named sailing, and marine insurance calculated on the CFR value. Mileage at inspection, the as-inspected condition, and the accessories included at no charge belong on it too, because the buyer pays before anyone sees the truck.
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| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Export vehicle | 1 | $28,500.00 | $28,500.00 |
| Inland transport to port | 1 | $850.00 | $850.00 |
| Export handling estimate | 1 | $625.00 | $625.00 |
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Use-case checklist
What to include in a vehicle export proforma invoice
The buyer is wiring five figures for a vehicle they will not stand next to for six weeks, and the seller is committing a sailing slot for a unit whose paperwork may not be clean. The VIN, the mileage recorded at inspection, and the as-inspected condition are the only things between you and a misrepresentation claim on arrival, because there is no walk-around at the far end. Title is the other failure mode: a lien not yet released, or an original still in the mail, stops a vehicle at the terminal no matter what has been paid. What a US export of a used vehicle requires in documents and in timing is for your licensed forwarder or customs broker to confirm before you book, not for a sales document to assume.
- seller, buyer, consignee, and proforma number
- vehicle, year, make, model, VIN, and mileage
- condition, price, currency, and included accessories
- inland transport, export handling, port, and Incoterm
- payment, title, validity, and proforma status
Example starting lines
| Description | Qty | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Export vehicle | 1 | $28,500 |
| Inland transport to port | 1 | $850 |
| Export handling estimate | 1 | $625 |
Complete it cleanly
List seller, buyer, consignee, vehicle and VIN, mileage, condition, currency, inland freight, export fees, port and Incoterm, payment, validity, title assumptions, and preliminary status.
How to make a vehicle export proforma invoice in 6 steps
Open the proforma invoice generator
Start from this page so the proforma invoice opens with fields and sample lines already set up for vehicle dealers, exporters, and international buyers. No account is needed to create or preview.
Enter both parties
Add your business name, address and contact details, then the customer name and address exactly as they should appear on the record.
Add the vehicle export lines
Replace each sample line with the real work or goods. Make sure the document shows seller, buyer, consignee, and proforma number, vehicle, year, make, model, VIN, and mileage, condition, price, currency, and included accessories.
Check the figures
Totals calculate as you type. Confirm quantities, rates, any tax line and the final total against your own records before you send anything.
Set the reference and dates
Give the proforma invoice a unique number and the correct date so it can be traced later and matched to related documents.
Review and download the PDF
List seller, buyer, consignee, vehicle and VIN, mileage, condition, currency, inland freight, export fees, port and Incoterm, payment, validity, title assumptions, and preliminary status. Preview is free; a PDF download costs $4.99, or is included with Unlimited.
Worked example
One used pickup, Houston to Tema, priced CIF before the wire
Meridian Auto Export LLC in Houston issues a proforma to Kofi Adjei Motors in Tema, Ghana on October 21, 2026, with the buyer's clearing agent named as consignee. The unit is inspected and photographed in Dallas; nothing moves until the deposit clears.
- 2019 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew 4x4, 68,420 miles at inspection, VIN 1FTEW1EP9KFA00000 (illustrative), sold as inspected
- $27,900.00
- Included at no charge: spray-in bed liner, factory tow package, hard tonneau cover, two keys
- $0.00
- Inland transport, Dallas TX to Port of Houston, open carrier
- $385.00
- Export documentation handling, arranged through the forwarder, including title presentation and filings as the forwarder directs
- $175.00
- Terminal handling and RoRo receiving, Port of Houston
- $240.00
- Ocean freight, RoRo Houston to Tema, one unit, sailing week of Nov 9, 2026
- $1,650.00
- CFR Tema subtotal, before insurance
- $30,350.00
- Marine cargo insurance, ICC (C), 110% of CFR ($33,385.00) at the underwriter's quoted 0.85%
- $283.77
- CIF Tema (Incoterms 2020), USD, proforma PF-MX-2026-0442, valid 7 days
- $30,633.77
- Payment: $5,000.00 wire to hold the unit and release it for inland transport, $25,633.77 balance before lading
- $30,633.77
Book the sailing once the original title is physically in hand and any lien is released, rather than the day the deposit clears; your forwarder will tell you what your route and timing actually require. A unit stopped at the terminal for paperwork still accrues storage, and the seven-day validity on the ocean rate expires while everyone waits on a lienholder.
When this document is the right choice
Use this proforma invoice to show an expected transaction before a final invoice exists. A proforma invoice is a preliminary commercial document, not a final tax invoice or proof that payment is due. Replace it with the final invoice when the transaction is confirmed.
Frequently asked questions
The buyer wants to pay the balance when the vehicle lands in Tema.
That is a credit decision, not a documentation one, and it is worth writing down either way. The example releases the unit for inland transport on a $5,000.00 deposit and takes the $25,633.77 before lading, which means Meridian is never shipping an unpaid truck. If you agree to payment on arrival, say what happens to the $30,633.77 if the buyer does not collect, who pays terminal storage in Tema, and who holds title in the meantime, and get that reviewed by your attorney.
Can my forwarder use this proforma for the export filing and the title presentation?
Ask the forwarder, and ask before you book the sailing rather than the week of it. What they normally need is the vehicle identified by VIN, the parties, the value and the destination, most of which is on this page, but the filing and the title presentation to CBP are theirs to prepare and the requirements are not something a sales document should assert. Expect to issue a final commercial invoice as well once the unit is delivered to the terminal.
How was the $283.77 insurance figure arrived at?
From the CFR value, not the vehicle price. The example adds the $27,900.00 unit to the $385.00 inland, $175.00 documentation, $240.00 terminal and $1,650.00 ocean lines, giving a $30,350.00 CFR figure, insures at 110% of it, which is $33,385.00, and applies the underwriter's quoted 0.85% rate. Show all three steps on the document, because a buyer who later claims will be reading the insured value off this page and comparing it to what the policy actually says.
The ocean rate changed between my quote and the booking. Which total does the buyer owe?
Whichever one the buyer accepted inside the validity window, which is why the example carries a seven-day validity rather than the thirty days you would put on a domestic quote. RoRo rates and bunker surcharges move on short notice. If the rate changes before the buyer commits, reissue under a new proforma number with the new freight line and rebuild the CFR subtotal, the insured value and the balance from it, rather than editing the freight and leaving the insurance calculated on the old figure.
The buyer says a pre-shipment inspection is required before the unit can be loaded. Is that right?
Not something a seller in Houston can settle, and a bad thing to find out at the terminal. Destination import rules, including inspection certificates, vehicle age limits and how a used unit is valued on arrival, are set at the far end and can change without exporters hearing about it. The buyer's clearing agent lives with them daily, so put the question to that agent and to your own forwarder at quote time. Once you have an answer, carry it on the document as a named condition with a cost and a responsible party, because certificates of this kind are usually issued at origin before loading, and a unit that sails without one is a problem you cannot fix from Houston.
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