More and more freelancers in Africa work for clients in Europe and North America. The work travels easily. The invoice and the money often don't. Here is a practical checklist.
1. Invoice in the client's currency
Clients pay faster when the amount is in the currency they think in: EUR, GBP, USD or CAD. You avoid back-and-forth about exchange rates, and their accounts team doesn't have to convert anything.
- Agree on the currency before you start the work and put it in the quote.
- Say who pays transfer fees ("fees borne by the payer" or "OUR" for SWIFT transfers).
- If you also need the amount in local currency for your own books, write it in the note, not as the main total.
2. Put the right identifiers on it
An international client's accountant expects to see:
- your full name or business name, address and country;
- your tax or registration number (TIN, NINEA, IFU, KRA PIN, RC number…), if you have one;
- the client's company name, address and, for EU businesses, their VAT number;
- a unique invoice number, issue date, due date;
- a description of the service, quantities and unit price.
3. VAT: usually none, but say why
If you are a service provider based outside the EU and your client is an EU business, VAT is generally handled by the client under the reverse charge mechanism. Don't add VAT you are not registered for. Instead, add a short line such as "Services supplied from outside the EU — VAT to be accounted for by the recipient (reverse charge)." For UK clients, a similar line works. Rules vary, so check with a local accountant if your volumes are large.
4. Offer a payment rail that works on both ends
The best rail is the one your client can pay with in two clicks and that lands in an account you can withdraw from:
| Rail | Good for | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| Wise / Payoneer account details | EUR, GBP, USD local transfers | KYC, availability by country |
| PayPal | US and small clients | fees, withdrawal limits in some countries |
| Stripe / Paystack / Flutterwave payment link | card payments | needs a merchant account |
| SWIFT bank transfer (IBAN + SWIFT) | large invoices | intermediary fees |
| Mobile Money | diaspora and African clients | only if the client has a wallet |
Put two options on the invoice: one card/link option and one bank option.
5. Send it where the client already is
Email the invoice as a PDF and include a link they can open on their phone. For many clients, WhatsApp is faster than email for the reminder.
6. Follow up politely, on a schedule
Send a friendly reminder on the due date, a firmer one after 7 days and a final notice after 21 days. Keep each message short and include the link and the amount.
Bonova does all of the above for free and without sign-up: pick the client's currency, add your Wise, PayPal or Stripe link next to your Mobile Money number, and send the invoice by email or WhatsApp in seconds.