The ecommerce market, including cross-border ecommerce, is becoming more active as internet use expands and business becomes increasingly globalized. As a result, in place of transactions among only domestic companies, many Japanese businesses are now experiencing an increase in business-to-business (B2B) transactions with companies outside of Japan, as well as business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions with customers from overseas.

Both B2B and B2C transactions are united by the need for invoicing. For transactions with overseas businesses or customers, it’s important to issue invoices that are in English rather than in Japanese. However, many Japanese businesses feel nervous about handling supporting documents such as invoices in English.

For Japanese businesses that want to acquire more overseas customers and further expand operations, it’s helpful to be able to create documents, such as invoices and receipts, in English. This article explains the basic information needed to create invoices in English, including key points of knowledge for international transactions, the English terms and phrases for required invoice items, and examples of how to write emails that accompany invoices.

What’s in this article?

• The nuances of the word ‘invoice’ in English
  
• Key points when creating invoices in English
  
• English phrasing for the required items on an invoice
  
• How to write an email with an attached invoice
  
• How Stripe Invoicing can help
  

The nuances of the word ‘invoice’ in English

The billing document we commonly see in both business and private life is called an “invoice” in English.

However, when the English word invoice is written in katakana, it can sometimes carry a more specific meaning compared to the original Japanese version of the word. For example, qualified invoices issued under the current Invoice System can be referred to as the katakana version of invoice. This type of invoice is an important document closely tied to input tax credits (also called purchase tax credits) for consumption tax incurred in the course of B2B transactions, and therefore has more detailed required items than those for general invoices.

Note that the English term invoice refers to a document intended to present detailed transaction information about goods or services to a business partner. It is not necessarily used solely for the purpose of requesting payment, as the Japanese term 請求書 (seikyūsho) implies. As a result, businesses outside of Japan apply the term invoice to a wide range of purposes, such as delivery notes or shipping slips.

However, sometimes the Japanese term 請求書 (seikyūsho) might be translated as “bill” instead of invoice. A bill is a document notifying customers of the need to make a payment and is commonly used in B2C transactions. Examples include restaurant meals, cell phone charges, and utility bills such as those for gas or electricity. The business (seller) issues a bill to request payment on those charges from the customer.

When translating the Japanese term 請求書 (seikyūsho) into English, or creating English documents, it’s important to understand that this Japanese word can be handled as invoice or bill, depending on the purpose. This article will focus solely on the use of the term as invoice.

Key points when creating invoices in English

Collecting consumption tax is not required for transactions outside of Japan

In order for businesses to receive input tax credits under the Invoice System mentioned above, both the business and the customer must issue and retain qualified invoices. Therefore, even if the customer is a domestic Japanese business, if English is required for the exchange of documents, the business might need to prepare a valid invoice in English, even though it’s for a domestic transaction.

However, the invoice system does not affect transactions outside Japan with companies that are not Japanese. This is because the Invoice System applies only to transactions related to Japan’s consumption tax (JCT), and consumption tax is not applied for overseas transactions, nor is there any tax liability. This means that qualified invoices normally require detailed mandatory items such as the Invoice System registration number and the consumption tax reduced tax rate. However, for overseas transactions, these items do not have to be recorded on the invoice, even if your company is a qualified invoice issuer.

Withholding tax information is not required for overseas transactions

According to the National Tax Agency (NTA), when payments of domestic-sourced income are made outside Japan, withholding tax is generally not required.

When issuing an invoice to overseas companies or nonresident, self-employed individuals residing abroad, in most cases withholding tax is not required. This is because payments to businesses and individuals who do not have an address in Japan and have not resided in Japan for one year or more are not subject to withholding tax within Japan.

However, in some cases, withholding tax might be required. When conducting business with an overseas company for the first time, in addition to learning the principles outlined above, we recommend getting the opinion and advice of a tax accountant or other professional.

Seals and stamps are not required

Although it has become an established practice for business transactions in Japan, affixing a seal to invoices is not mandatory. If you work in accounting, you’ve probably seen many invoices with seals on them.

For transactions with overseas businesses, a seal or a signature in place of seal are generally not required. Seals are not commonly used outside of Japan, so it’s likely safe to assume that one won’t be expected. However, if your business partner has made a specific request for a signature, you should make an effort to accommodate that.

English phrasing for the required items on an invoice

For general invoices, the required items and formatting are almost identical for both Japanese and English. However, as we learned in the previous section, the contents and details that must be recorded are slightly different depending on whether the transaction is domestic or international. Even for purely domestic transactions, the required items vary depending on whether or not it must be Qualified Invoice System-compliant.

When creating an invoice, whether for domestic or international transactions, knowing the English terms below is important:

• 請求書発行日: Invoice issue date
  
• 請求書番号: Invoice number—can also be written as Invoice No. or Invoice # (e.g., Invoice No. 0000)
  
• 宛先: Billed to (e.g., Billed to ABC Inc.)—confirm the company name with the client beforehand
  
• 請求明細: Billing details
  
• 商品名・サービス名: Product name or service name
  
• 単価: Unit price
  
• 数量: Quantity (can be shortened to Qty)
  
• 金額: Amount (obtained by multiplying the unit price by the quantity)
  
• 小計: Subtotal
  
• 合計金額: Total amount or grand total
  
• 支払期限: Payment due date
  
• 振込先情報: Remittance information
  
• 口座番号: Bank account number
  
• 口座名義人: Bank account holder
  

It’s important to thoroughly review an invoice before sending it. Make sure there are no omissions or errors. In the next section, we’ll explore the format of the “issued date” and “payment due date” mentioned above. However, it’s important to note that the order of the date (year, month, day) varies by country and region.

Also be aware that, while not required for international transactions, for most domestic B2B transactions, it’s necessary to issue a qualified invoice to claim input tax credits. When creating a qualified invoice in English, use the following phrases.

• インボイス制度の登録番号: Invoice System registration number
  
• 消費税: Tax
  
• 軽減税率: Reduced tax rate
  

When creating invoices, whether for domestic or international transactions, we recommend using online tools that support back-office optimization, such as automatic consumption tax calculation features, accounting software, and automated invoice generation tools. However, when using these tools, it’s important to verify in advance whether they’re compatible with the Invoice System.

If they are Invoice System-compliant and provide comprehensive accounting support, your business can smoothly issue and retain qualified invoices, while also saving time and effort on tasks such as managing accounts receivable, collecting payments, and reconciling transactions. This allows billing operations to be handled more efficiently.

How to write an email with an attached invoice

The email below is just an example, but when sending an email with an invoice, aim to be concise and polite.

Email subject line

Use the subject line of the email to make it clear that it’s related to invoicing. To do this, include the invoice number, product or service name, payment due date, and the recipient’s company name as follows:

• Example: For an email you’re sending to ABC Incorporated for product A111 under invoice number 1234 with payment due on May 10, 2025, you could make the subject line, “ABC Inc. Invoice #1234 for Product A111: Due May 10, 2025.”
  

For payment due dates, add the word "due" before the date, as shown above. Be aware that the order of year, month, and day differs between Japan and other countries and regions. From the example shown above, May 10, 2025, would be written as 2025/05/10 in Japan. However, in the United States, the standard order is month–day–year, so the year is placed last, like so: 05/10/2025. However, Europe uses a day–month–year order, so the date above would be interpreted as October 5.

One way to avoid any confusion is to write out the month in words instead of numbers. In the example above, you would use May instead of “05.” This is both for consideration of your business partner and for ease of understanding.

Email body text

Let’s take a look at a sample email below. The parentheses indicate locations where information specific to the transaction, such as company name or amounts, will be entered. The sender's first name goes first, followed by their last name or surname. “Regards” can be changed to “sincerely” as an alternative for the closing phrase. When writing your company’s address in English, the order is: “Building name and floor number or unit number,” “Street address (block and lot number),” “Town,” “City,” “Prefecture,” “Postal code,” “Country name.”

English content:

Dear (person in charge),

I hope this email finds you well. I have attached the invoice to this email. I would appreciate it if you could make the payment by the due date on the invoice. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Thank you very much for your business. We’re looking forward to serving you again.

Regards,
Taro Yamada
(Company name)
(Address)
(Contact information: phone number, email address, etc.)

Japanese translation:

Let's translate the email above from English into Japanese.

(担当者名) 様

お元気にお過ごしのことと思います。
こちらのメールに請求書を添付いたしました。
請求書に記載の期日までにお支払いいただけますと幸いです。
何かご不明な点がございましたら、お気軽にご連絡ください。

この度は弊社の商品をご利用いただき誠にありがとうございました。また次回のご利用を心よりお待ちしております。

山田太郎
(企業名)
(所在地)
(電話番号やメールアドレスなどの連絡先)

Other frequently used phrases

Some alternative phrases that you can use when creating invoices in English are shown below:

• Please find the attached invoice. (添付の請求書をお確かめいただけますようお願いいたします。)
  
• Please make payment by the due date on the invoice. (請求書に記載の期日までにお支払いをお願いいたします。)
  
• Please let us know if you have any questions regarding the invoice. (請求書に関するご質問がありましたら、ご連絡ください。)
  

When preparing detailed invoices in English for your business partners, having an understanding of these expressions and specialized terms will make communication between international businesses much smoother. It bears repeating that any business that wants to streamline their invoice creation processes might also want to consider implementing an automated invoice generation tool that supports English.

So kann Stripe Invoicing helfen

Mit Stripe Invoicing lässt sich Debitorenbuchhaltung vereinfachen – von der Erstellung der Rechnung bis zum Einzug der Zahlungen. Ganz gleich, ob Sie einmalige oder wiederkehrende Abrechnungen verwalten, Stripe hilft Unternehmen dabei, Zahlungen schneller zu akzeptieren und Abläufe zu optimieren:

• Debitorenbuchhaltung automatisieren: Sie können professionelle Rechnungen im Handumdrehen erstellen, anpassen und senden – ganz ohne Code. Stripe verfolgt automatisch den Rechnungsstatus, sendet Zahlungserinnerungen und verarbeitet Rückerstattungen, sodass Sie Ihren Cashflow im Griff behalten.
  
• Cashflow beschleunigen: Reduzieren Sie die Forderungslaufzeit (DSO) und akzeptieren Sie Zahlungen schneller mit integrierten globalen Zahlungen, automatischen Erinnerungen und KI-gestützten Dunning-Tools, die Ihnen helfen, mehr Umsatz zu erzielen.
  
• Nutzungsfreundlichkeit erhöhen: Bieten Sie Kundinnen und Kunden eine bequeme Zahlungsmöglichkeit mit Unterstützung von über 25 Sprachen, 135 Währungen und 100 Zahlungsmethoden. Die Nutzer/innen können Rechnungen über ein Selfservice-Portal ganz leicht aufrufen und bezahlen.
  
• Aufwand im Backoffice reduzieren: Erstellen Sie Rechnungen in Minuten und reduzieren Sie die Zeit, die für das Inkasso aufgewendet wird, durch automatische Erinnerungen und eine von Stripe gehostete Rechnungszahlungsseite.
  
• In Ihre bestehenden Systeme integrieren: Stripe Invoicing lässt sich in beliebte Buchhaltungs- und Enterprise-Resource-Planning(ERP)-Software integrieren, sodass Sie Systeme synchron halten und manuelle Dateneingaben reduzieren können.
  

Erfahren Sie mehr darüber, wie Stripe Ihren Forderungsprozess vereinfachen kann oder legen Sie noch heute los.