Invoicing in euros is rarely just a currency switch. If your client is a business in another EU country, the VAT treatment, the bank details, and even the way you write the numbers all change. Getting these right means the invoice is paid without a back-and-forth with the client's finance team.
Decide how VAT applies before you set a rate
The common case for a freelancer selling services to a business elsewhere in the EU is the reverse charge: you invoice with no VAT, and the client accounts for it in their own country. To use it, the invoice must carry both your VAT identification number and the client's, plus a short statement that the reverse charge applies. A reference to Article 196 of the VAT Directive is standard and reassures the client's accountant.
Other situations follow different rules. Selling to a client in your own country means charging your domestic rate. Selling digital services to private consumers brings in the customer's local rate and the One Stop Shop scheme. Goods, as opposed to services, have their own regime. Because the outcomes diverge so sharply, treat the VAT line as a decision to make deliberately rather than a field to fill in — and take advice on your specific case.
Put SEPA-ready bank details on the invoice
Euro payments between banks in the Single Euro Payments Area move by SEPA transfer, and the client needs two things from you: your IBAN and your BIC. Print both clearly, along with the account holder name exactly as the bank has it. If you also accept a card or a payment-link service, list that as a second option, but expect EU business clients to default to a bank transfer.
For payments from outside the SEPA zone, add the bank's full name and address so an international wire can be routed, and state who covers the transfer fees.
Format the amounts the way your client does
The eurozone never standardised number formatting. A German client reads
1.234,56 €; an Irish client reads €1,234.56. Neither is wrong, but mixing
them inside one invoice looks careless. Choose the convention your client uses,
apply it to every figure on the document, and show the three-letter code EUR
once near the total so there is no doubt about the currency.
Set payment terms that match local norms
Net 30 is a widespread default for euro B2B invoices, though many small studios use net 14. Whatever you choose, state it as a date, not just a number of days, and name any late-payment interest you will apply. Under EU late-payment rules, businesses are generally entitled to statutory interest on overdue commercial invoices, and referencing that on the invoice tends to speed up payment.
Round once, and keep the invoice on file
Calculate line totals at full precision and round only the final figure, so the sum the client sees matches what their accounts payable system recalculates. Show the net amount, any VAT, and the gross total as separate lines even when VAT is zero — a blank tax section reads as an omission to a reviewer.
Most EU countries require you to keep issued invoices for several years, often between six and ten. Store the euro invoice as the PDF you actually sent, not a regenerated copy, and keep a note of the exchange rate you used if your books are in another currency. If you later need to cancel or correct a euro invoice, issue a credit note that references the original number rather than editing and resending the same document.
A euro invoice checklist
- Your name or company, address, and VAT ID
- The client's legal name, address, and VAT ID
- A unique sequential invoice number
- Issue date and a due date written out in full
- Line items priced in euros, formatted consistently
- The correct VAT treatment: a rate and amount, or a reverse-charge note with both VAT numbers
- IBAN, BIC, and account holder name
- Payment terms and any statutory late-payment interest
Enter your details above, set the VAT line to match your situation, and download the PDF. A free NeatDue account lets you save separate payment details per currency, so your euro and non-euro invoices each show the right bank account.