Free Export Invoice Generator Online — What You Need to Know Before You Export

Exporting from India sounds straightforward until you sit down to write the invoice. The moment your buyer is outside India, a regular GST invoice is no longer enough. The format changes. The mandatory fields change. The declaration on the invoice changes depending on whether you have filed an LUT or you are paying IGST on the shipment.

Get it wrong — even one missing field or an incorrect declaration — and the consequences are real. Your IGST refund can get stuck. Your Shipping Bill may not match. Your CHA may flag the invoice before filing on ICEGATE. None of this is what you want when a shipment is sitting at the port.

This free export invoice generator is built specifically for Indian exporters. It covers every mandatory field under CGST Rule 46 and the IGST Act — including IEC, 8-digit HSN codes, foreign currency with INR equivalent, LUT/Bond ARN, shipping details, and the legally required export declaration. No registration required. No watermark on your invoice. No cap on how many invoices you generate. Open the tool, fill in your details, and your invoice is ready.

What is an Export Invoice Under GST?

An export invoice is a tax invoice issued by a GST-registered Indian exporter for the supply of goods or services to a buyer located outside India. Under Section 16 of the IGST Act, all exports are treated as **zero-rated supplies** — the effective tax on the export is zero, but unlike exempted supplies, the exporter retains the right to claim Input Tax Credit on all inputs used.

Zero-rated does not mean zero paperwork. The export invoice carries specific mandatory fields and a legal declaration that a domestic GST invoice simply does not have. Writing “Export” on a regular domestic invoice and sending it to a foreign buyer is not compliant — it will not hold up at customs, and it will not support an IGST refund claim.

The format is different, the declaration is different, and the place of supply is always state code 96 (Other Territory) — regardless of which country your buyer is in.

LUT vs IGST Payment — Which Route Is Right for You?

Every Indian exporter has to choose between two options when raising an export invoice. Understanding the difference upfront saves a lot of confusion later.

**Export Under LUT / Bond — Zero Tax on Invoice**

A Letter of Undertaking filed as Form GST RFD-11 on the GST portal lets you export without charging any IGST on your invoice. The invoice carries the declaration that the supply is being made under LUT without payment of integrated tax. Your foreign buyer pays only the invoice value in foreign currency — no tax component. Your working capital stays intact. You claim a refund of the unutilised ITC on your inputs through a separate application.

This is the preferred route for most regular exporters because there is no upfront tax outflow. The LUT has to be filed once per financial year — from 1 April to 31 March.

**Export With Payment of IGST — Tax Paid, Refund Claimed Later**

Without an active LUT, you charge IGST at the applicable rate on your export invoice and pay it to the government. The refund is processed automatically — once your CHA files the Shipping Bill on ICEGATE and the data matches with your GSTR-1, the refund is credited to your bank account without a separate application. For goods exports, the Shipping Bill itself serves as the refund claim.

The drawback is that tax money is blocked until the refund arrives, which can take 30 to 60 days in most cases. For exporters doing regular shipments, this working capital impact adds up fast.

Both options are fully supported in this tool. Choose your export type at the top of the form and the correct legal declaration appears on your invoice automatically.

What Makes an Export Invoice Different from a Regular GST Invoice?

Several fields that are either optional or absent in domestic GST invoices become compulsory the moment the supply crosses India’s border.

Your business name, full address, GSTIN, and IEC (Importer Exporter Code) must all appear on the invoice — for goods exports. If you are exporting services or digital products and do not hold an IEC, your PAN is accepted in its place.

The invoice number must be unique within the financial year. The foreign buyer’s name and address are required — their GSTIN is not, because overseas buyers do not hold Indian GSTINs.

The country of destination, the invoice currency, and the INR equivalent at the applicable exchange rate are all mandatory. The place of supply must be shown as state code 96 — Other Territory — for every export, without exception.

The HSN code must be the full 8-digit ITC-HS code, not the 4 or 6-digit version used in domestic billing.

And the invoice must carry one of the two legally prescribed declarations depending on whether IGST has been paid or the supply is being made under LUT.

Port of loading, port of discharge, Shipping Bill number and date, and country of final destination are additional fields required for customs clearance and IGST refund matching on ICEGATE.

Why 8-Digit HSN Codes Are Non-Negotiable on Export Invoices

For domestic GST invoices, the HSN digit requirement depends on annual turnover — 4 digits for businesses below ₹5 crore AATO, 6 digits above. A lot of small businesses manage their domestic billing with 4-digit codes and face no issues.

Export invoices work differently. The 8-digit ITC-HS code is mandatory on every export invoice regardless of your turnover or the size of your business. There is no threshold exemption for exports.

Indian Customs uses the 8-digit code for classification, duty assessment, and calculating export incentives like RoDTEP. A 4-digit or 6-digit code on an export invoice can push your shipment into the Yellow Channel — triggering physical inspection and delays of 4 to 10 days. It can also result in reassessment of your RoDTEP benefits, which directly affects your export margins.

Before raising your export invoice, look up the correct 8-digit ITC-HS code on the DGFT portal. Enter it in the HSN/SAC field in this tool.

What is LUT?

An LUT is an annual undertaking filed by a GST-registered exporter, declaring that goods will be exported within three months of the invoice date or payment for services will be received in convertible foreign currency within one year.

Any GST-registered exporter can file an LUT as long as they have not been prosecuted for tax evasion above ₹2.5 crore under the CGST or IGST Act. In practice, almost all regular exporters are eligible.

File a fresh LUT before 31 March every year. An expired LUT means IGST becomes payable on every export shipment until you renew it — which directly blocks your working capital.

How the IGST Refund Process Works

When you export with payment of IGST, the refund mechanism is largely automatic — but only if the data is matched correctly between the GST portal and ICEGATE.

Report your export invoices in Table 6A of GSTR-1. Include the exact invoice number, date, HSN code, taxable value, and IGST paid. Your CHA files the Shipping Bill on ICEGATE using the same invoice number and your GSTIN. ICEGATE sends the Shipping Bill data to the GST portal. The system matches both records. When there is a match, the IGST refund is credited directly to your registered bank account — usually within 30 days of the Let Export Order (LEO) date.

The most common reason refunds get stuck is a data mismatch between the invoice number you used in GSTR-1 and the number your CHA filed on the Shipping Bill. Even a small difference — a space, a capital letter, a slash — causes the match to fail. Use the same invoice number consistently across all documents.

Export of Services — Five Conditions That Must All Be Met

Service exports follow stricter rules than goods exports under GST. For a supply to qualify as an export of service under Section 2(6) of the IGST Act, all five of the following conditions must be satisfied at the same time: the supplier must be located in India, the recipient must be located outside India, the place of supply must be outside India, the payment must be received in convertible foreign exchange or as permitted by RBI, and the supplier and recipient must not be mere establishments of the same legal entity.

The foreign exchange condition catches many Indian freelancers off guard. If your foreign client pays you in INR — even if the transfer originates from their overseas bank account — the supply may not qualify as an export of service, and GST could become applicable. If you regularly receive INR from foreign clients, consult your CA on whether your situation qualifies under the RBI trade-based netting guidelines before issuing zero-rated invoices.

For IT, software, design, content, and marketing services, the SAC code typically falls in the 9983 range. Verify the exact 6-digit SAC for your specific category on the GST portal before billing.

How to Use This Export Invoice Generator

Keep your GSTIN, IEC code (or PAN for service/digital exports), buyer details, and 8-digit HSN codes handy. The invoice takes about two minutes to fill.

Enter your exporter details first — business name, GSTIN, address, and optionally your logo. Select your **Export Category** — Goods or Services / Digital Products. For goods, enter your IEC code. For services or digital products, enter your IEC if you have one, or your PAN if you do not. The tool saves these details automatically so you do not have to re-enter them next time.

Fill in your buyer’s details — name, address, and country. No GSTIN is needed for the overseas buyer.

In the shipping and compliance section, select your export type — LUT/Bond or IGST with payment. If you are exporting under LUT, enter your LUT ARN. Choose the invoice currency and enter the exchange rate. Add port of loading, port of discharge, and Shipping Bill details if available.

Add your line items — description, 8-digit ITC-HS code, quantity, unit, and rate in the foreign currency. The INR equivalent calculates automatically.

Add your bank details if you want them on the invoice — account number, IFSC, and SWIFT code for international remittance.

Review the summary — taxable value, tax amount (NIL under LUT, or IGST amount for tax-paid exports), grand total in foreign currency and INR equivalent. Click Generate and Print. Save as PDF or print directly.

Who Is This Tool Built For?

Indian exporters who need a correct, professional export invoice without the cost or learning curve of full billing software.

Freelancers and independent consultants billing overseas clients in USD, EUR, GBP, or AED — particularly those exporting services under LUT for the first time. Small manufacturers and trading firms that ship goods abroad and need the correct 8-digit HSN codes and shipping fields on their invoices. E-commerce sellers dispatching orders internationally. Startups receiving their first foreign clients but not yet on accounting software. Seasonal exporters who ship a few times a year and have no reason to maintain a monthly software subscription just for export invoices.

If your business needs invoice tracking, inventory management, automated GSTR-1 filing, or full accounting — that requires proper billing software. But for raising a clean, compliant export invoice fast, this tool is built for exactly that.

Frequently Asked Questions — Export Invoice, GST & Compliance