How do I invoice a client in another country?

Use a normal invoice and add what a payer in another country needs: the currency code on every amount, your full legal name and address, the client's legal entity and tax number if they have one, your bank details in a form a foreign bank can use, and any tax note the cross-border rules require. Agree the currency and payment method in writing before the first invoice so nobody is surprised by fees or exchange rates.

Ask for a bank transfer. Put your IBAN and SWIFT/BIC, or your SWIFT/BIC and local account details, on the invoice so the client can pay by international wire. Another route is a multi-currency account that gives you local bank details in the client's country, so they make an ordinary domestic transfer and you convert later. Either way, say on the invoice who pays the bank charges.

An IBAN (International Bank Account Number) is a standard format for a bank account number of up to 34 characters: a two-letter country code, two check digits, and the local account number. Banks in the UK, the EU, and 80 or so other countries use it to route transfers across borders. If your bank gives you one, put it on every international invoice. You can check one with the IBAN validator.

A SWIFT code identifies your bank; an IBAN identifies your account at that bank. The SWIFT code (also called a BIC) is 8 or 11 characters and tells the payer's bank where to send the money. The IBAN tells your bank which account to credit. For a transfer into an IBAN country you normally give both. Countries without IBANs, such as the US, Australia, and India, use the SWIFT code plus local account details instead.

The one you both agree on before the work starts. Invoicing in your own currency puts the exchange-rate risk on the client; invoicing in theirs makes it easier for them to pay and puts the risk on you. Whichever you choose, write the currency code next to every amount. Some countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UAE, expect the tax amount shown in local currency too.

Often not, but it depends on where you and the client are and whether the client is a business. Inside the EU, services to a VAT-registered business in another member state are usually charged at 0% under the reverse charge, and the invoice must show both VAT numbers and a reverse-charge note. Exports of services from India and Canada are often zero-rated. Sales to consumers abroad follow different rules, so check with your accountant before you leave tax off.

Your account holder name exactly as the bank has it, your bank's name and address, your SWIFT/BIC code, and your IBAN or local account number with any routing code your country uses (a sort code in the UK, a BSB in Australia, an IFSC in India, a routing number in the US). Add the reference you want the payer to use, usually the invoice number, so the money can be matched when it lands.