How to invoice in English as a Dutch freelancer
Updated on 3 August 2026 · 5 min read
A foreign client expects an invoice they can read: "vervaldatum" and "btw verlegd" mean nothing to a British or German customer. But an English invoice is more than translated text: dates and numbers need to switch notation too, or your client will read 01-08-2026 as January 8 and € 1.500 as one and a half euros. Here is what changes, and what does not.
The Dutch requirements still apply
The reassuring part first: the Dutch tax authority (Belastingdienst) has no extra requirements for invoices in another language. The same mandatory elements as on a Dutch invoice are enough: your business details with CoC and VAT number, a sequential invoice number, the date, a description, and the VAT amount or a note that VAT has been reverse charged.
Translating the standard terms
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| Factuur | Invoice |
| Factuurnummer | Invoice number |
| Vervaldatum | Due date |
| t.n.v. | in the name of |
| KvK-nummer | CoC number (Chamber of Commerce) |
| Btw verlegd | VAT reverse charged |
| Subtotaal excl. btw | Subtotal excl. VAT |
| Totaal incl. btw | Total incl. VAT |
Dates and amounts: where it goes wrong
The real pitfall is not the words but the notation. Write the month as a word (1 Aug 2026), because 01-08-2026 reads as January 8 to many international clients. And switch the decimal separator: the Dutch € 1.500,50 becomes € 1,500.50 in English notation.
VAT for business clients abroad
Selling to a business in another EU country usually means reverse charging VAT: you invoice without VAT and add "VAT reverse charged" plus your client's VAT number. See the guide on reverse charging VAT for foreign clients.
How Finq handles it
In Finq you set the invoice language once, per client. From then on everything is English automatically: the PDF, the online payment page, the message you send along, and the date and number notation. No Finq account yet? The free invoice tool has the same language option.