A practical English guide to Dutch ZZP invoicing: required invoice fields, BTW rates, international clients, UBL/XML and software features to compare.
ZZP is commonly used for an independent professional working without employees, but it is not a separate legal form or a single tax status. Your invoice obligations depend on the transaction, your VAT position and whether the customer is in the Netherlands, elsewhere in the EU or outside the EU. English-language software can make the workflow easier for expats, but it does not decide the tax treatment for you.
For a standard invoice, include the supplier's and customer's full legal names and addresses, the supplier's VAT identification number, the KVK number when registered, a unique sequential invoice number, the invoice date, the supply or service date, a clear description and quantity, the price excluding VAT, the VAT rate and the VAT amount. Simplified invoices and specific sectors can follow adjusted rules.
The Netherlands has a standard 21% VAT rate plus 9% and 0% rates for qualifying supplies. Exemption, the small-business scheme (KOR) and reverse charge are not interchangeable labels for 0% VAT. Choose the treatment that applies to the actual supply, and include required wording or customer VAT details when the rules call for it.
Cross-border invoices can require additional information. For many services supplied to a VAT-registered business in another EU country, VAT is reverse-charged and both VAT IDs plus reverse-charge wording are required, but exceptions exist. Ask an accountant or check the Belastingdienst guidance for the specific customer, service and country instead of applying a generic international template.
An invoice can be written in English as long as it contains the required information and remains understandable for the parties and administration. A PDF is a digital invoice for human reading. UBL/XML is structured data that a customer's accounting system can import. Peppol is a delivery network, not another name for the XML file. Fatūra Pro exports UBL/XML but does not provide Peppol delivery.
Prioritise an English interface, reusable business and client details, sequential numbering, adjustable VAT, clear due dates, credit notes, multiple currencies and exports your customers actually accept. If you work internationally, check that currency totals stay separate. If you submit VAT returns, confirm what the expense and VAT report includes before relying on it.
Fatūra Pro provides an English interface, client records, invoice and credit-note creation, PDF output, 18 invoice currencies, deposits and partial payments. It marks overdue invoices and prepares editable reminder text that opens in email or WhatsApp for you to review and send. The Essential plan also includes expenses and quarterly VAT summaries; those summaries support bookkeeping but do not file a return with the Belastingdienst.
Start by entering your real business details and creating one invoice for a typical customer. Check the legal names, addresses, dates, invoice sequence, VAT treatment and payment details, then export the format the customer requested. Fatūra Pro has a free plan with no card required, so you can test the core invoice flow before deciding whether paid features fit your work.
Yes, businesses commonly invoice international customers in English. The invoice still needs the information required for the transaction, and the records must remain clear to the parties and tax administration.
No. The applicable rate or treatment depends on the goods or services, the customer, location and the entrepreneur's VAT position. The Netherlands also uses 9% and 0% rates, exemptions, KOR and reverse-charge rules in qualifying cases.
No. From the Essential plan, Fatūra Pro provides expense and VAT summaries to support bookkeeping, but it does not submit a VAT return to the Belastingdienst.
No. It exports a UBL/XML file that you download and deliver through the method your customer requires. Peppol delivery needs a separate access-point service.
Use the official guidance for the rules or technical profile that applies to your transaction.