How to invoice international clients as a developer

Sending a clean invoice in the right currency, with the right payment details, is the difference between getting paid in five days and getting paid in five weeks. Most freelance developers underinvest here and pay the price in cash flow. ## What the invoice must contain - Your legal name, registered business address, and (if applicable) tax ID - The client's legal name and address - A unique sequential invoice number - Date of issue and payment due date - Itemised line items with description, quantity, unit price and total - Currency clearly marked on every monetary value - Tax breakdown (VAT line for EU intra-EU, none for non-EU clients) - Payment instructions including IBAN, SWIFT, or US ACH routing as relevant ## Which currency to bill in Bill in the currency your client transacts in. A US client wants a USD invoice with US routing details; a German client wants EUR with IBAN. This eliminates FX friction on their side and shortens payment time. ## Local routing details matter If you have a multi-currency account with local routing details (Wise, Revolut Business, Mercury), put those on the invoice. US ACH details for US clients land cleared funds in two to three business days. SWIFT details take five to ten business days and incur fees on both ends. ## Payment terms Net 14 is the default for developer work. Net 30 is acceptable for established enterprise clients with reliable AP. Net 7 is fair for small clients and short engagements. Always state the terms; "due upon receipt" is not enforceable in most jurisdictions. ## Tools A simple invoicing tool (Indy in France, Holvi in Germany, Wave Free in the US, Stripe Invoicing for online payment) saves a lot of manual reconciliation. Avoid hand-rolled PDFs once you cross 10 invoices per month. ## Follow-up cadence Send a polite reminder 3 days after due date, a firmer one at 14 days, and escalate to direct call or registered letter at 30 days. Most late payments resolve at the first reminder.