Please send the invoice.
发票 specifically means a Chinese government-issued tax receipt (fapiao). If you need a commercial invoice for customs or a simple payment request, you may need a different document.
请把发票发给我。
Please send me the invoice — but 'invoice' in Chinese has specific legal and tax implications that the English word doesn't carry.
Please take the invoice send to me.
Please send me the invoice — but 'invoice' in Chinese has specific legal and tax implications that the English word doesn't carry.
WHEN IT FITS
“Invoice” is one of the most dangerous words to translate directly between English and Chinese, because the legal instruments are completely different. In English, an invoice is a commercial document: “here’s what you owe, please pay.” In Chinese, 发票 (fā piào) is a government tax document: a uniquely numbered, legally regulated receipt issued through the national tax system, required for all domestic Chinese transactions. If you’re a foreign buyer communicating with a Chinese supplier, you probably don’t need a 发票. You need a 形式发票 (xíng shì fā piào, proforma invoice) or 商业发票 (shāng yè fā piào, commercial invoice) — documents that look like Western invoices and serve the same function: listing goods, prices, and payment terms for international trade.
The confusion compounds because Chinese suppliers will often say “OK, I’ll send you the invoice” in English, meaning the proforma. But if you write back in Chinese asking for 发票, you’re now asking for a tax document they may not have planned to issue. This can create awkwardness: issuing a 发票 means the supplier must report the transaction to the tax bureau, incurring tax liability. For international transactions, this may or may not apply. The safe approach: specify which document you need. 形式发票 (proforma) for payment and customs. 发票 (fapiao) only if you’re operating a Chinese entity that needs the tax receipt.
If you’re paying a deposit (定金, dìng jīn) or progress payment, the supplier may not issue a full 发票 until the final payment is complete. This is normal — fapiao are typically issued against completed transactions, not partial ones. The phrase 先发形式发票，出货后再开发票 (send the proforma first, issue the fapiao after shipment) is a standard sequence. And if a supplier offers you a price “不含税” (bù hán shuì, tax not included), that means the price doesn’t include the cost of issuing a fapiao. The fapiao-able price is usually 3-13% higher depending on the tax category. This is a completely normal part of Chinese business — not a scam, just the tax system.
HOW PEOPLE ACTUALLY SAY IT
发票开好了吗？开好了发我。
Is the invoice issued yet? Send it to me when it's done.
Following up on an invoice that was supposed to be issued你们能开增值税专用发票吗？
Can you issue a VAT special invoice?
Asking about the specific type of tax invoice — important for companies operating in ChinaCHOOSE BY SITUATION
形式发票发我一下。
Send me the proforma invoice. — a non-tax commercial document used for customs and international payments.
You need a proforma invoice for international shipping or payment, not a Chinese tax receipt对账单发一下。
Send the statement/reconciliation. — a running account of transactions, not a single invoice.
You want a statement of account showing all transactions over a period