How do I invoice a US client from Serbia or N. Macedonia?
The problem“My client is in the US (or Germany). They asked for an invoice, and their finance team asked if they can pay by card. I have no Stripe.”
To invoice a US client from Serbia or N. Macedonia, send an invoice in USD (EUR for German clients) with your bank’s IBAN and SWIFT, and expect a W-8BEN request first. That works for any custom project. If the client wants to pay by card, turn your service into a fixed-price package and sell it through a merchant of record, which invoices the client and pays you out to your own bank.
What are the four ways to get paid by a foreign client?
| Bank transfer to your foreign currency account | Wise | US LLC + Stripe | Merchant of record (AgentaOS) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Client can pay by card | No | No: Wise card payments work only for Wise Business accounts in the EEA, UK, Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Singapore | Yes | Yes |
| Who invoices the client | You | You | Your US company | AgentaOS, as the official seller |
| Fits custom per-client work | Yes | Yes | Yes | No, fixed-price packages only |
| Works from Serbia | Yes | Limited: Serbia is not on Wise’s list for holding money | Yes, with a US company | Yes, individuals and companies |
| Works from N. Macedonia | Yes | Yes, on Wise’s list | Yes, with a US company | Yes, individuals and companies |
| Setup cost | None beyond your bank account | Free to open | Stripe Atlas $500, then from $400 a year Delaware tax and $899 to $1,999 for US tax filing | €0 |
| Card fee per payment | Your bank’s tariff (check it) | Wise’s fees (check its pricing) | Stripe from 2.9% + 30¢ for US cards | 4.5% + €0.50; UK, US and other non-EEA cards 6.0% + €0.50 |
| Tax on the sale | Yours | Yours | Yours, including US filings | Charged, filed and paid by AgentaOS as the seller |
Sources: Wise, where you can hold money · Wise, getting paid by card · Charge US clients by card (US company costs, published prices 2 October 2026) · AgentaOS pricing docs · Serbia guide · N. Macedonia guide. Payoneer also opens accounts in both countries; check its fees on its own site before you use it.
Honestly: for a one-off custom project, a plain bank transfer is the simplest and cheapest route. A merchant of record is worth it when the client wants to pay by card, or when you sell the same package to many clients.
How do I invoice a foreign client, step by step?
- Agree the currency and how they will pay, before you start. US clients usually pay in USD, German clients in EUR, UK clients in GBP or EUR. Put it in the contract. If the answer is “card only”, go to step 6.
- Open a foreign currency account at your bank. You need a EUR or USD account (devizni račun / девизна сметка). EUR from the EU arrives by SEPA; USD arrives by international transfer (Swift). Ask your bank for its incoming-transfer fee and your exact IBAN and SWIFT code.
- Send the W-8BEN if your US client asks for it. US companies ask non-US people for a W-8BEN (individuals) or a W-8BEN-E (companies) before the first payment. It goes to the client, not to the IRS. Neither Serbia nor N. Macedonia is on the IRS list of US tax treaties (checked 6 November 2026), so some guides that claim a treaty are wrong. Your accountant can tell you how to fill it in.
- Put the right details on the invoice. See the checklist below. Write it in English; ask your accountant if your registration also needs a local-language version.
- Ask your accountant which VAT note to add. The US has no VAT. For a German or UK business client, the wording depends on whether you are VAT-registered at home and on Serbian or Macedonian rules. Do not copy a note from a template without checking.
- If the client wants to pay by card, turn the service into a fixed-price package. Fix the deliverable, the price and the delivery time, the same for every buyer, with no per-client quote. “Website audit, 20-page PDF, 5 working days, €1,500” works. “Design work, price on request” does not. Create it as a product and share the link: the client pays by card in EUR or USD, and AgentaOS issues the invoice. How to price a package.
- Get paid and declare it. Bank transfers land when the client pays. With AgentaOS, payouts go to your own bank on the 1st and 15th of each month, each with a statement and a self-billed invoice you can give your accountant. Income from abroad is yours to declare at home: Serbia, N. Macedonia.
What goes on the invoice? A checklist
- ✓Invoice number, in sequence
- ✓Issue date and the date or period of the work
- ✓Your full name or company name, address, and “Serbia” or “N. Macedonia”
- ✓Your tax number (PIB in Serbia, ЕДБ in N. Macedonia)
- ✓The client’s legal name and address, and their VAT number if they are an EU business
- ✓What you delivered, in one plain line the client’s finance team can classify
- ✓Amount with the currency code (USD 1,500.00, EUR 1,500.00)
- ✓The VAT note your accountant gave you
- ✓IBAN and SWIFT/BIC of your foreign currency account, and your bank’s name
- ✓Payment terms (for example, 30 days)
- ✓For US clients: W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E sent, if they asked
What happens when the client pays by card?
AgentaOS buys the package from you and sells it to your client as the merchant of record. So the invoice your client receives comes from AgentaOS (Aristokrates OÜ, Estonia), not from you. Tell the client this before they pay, so their finance team expects it.
- German client: an EU business enters its VAT number at checkout. AgentaOS checks it against the EU VAT register; with a valid number, no VAT is charged and the invoice shows the reverse charge. Tax docs.
- US or UK client: a business outside the EU pays no VAT. Tax on each sale is AgentaOS’s to handle as the seller.
- You: you get a payout statement and a self-billed invoice for each payout. Payout docs.
Example: one €1,500 package, paid by card, at the published card rate.
| German client (EEA card) | US client (non-EEA card) | |
|---|---|---|
| Client pays | €1,500.00 | €1,500.00 |
| AgentaOS card fee | 4.5% + €0.50 = −€68.00 | 6.0% + €0.50 = −€90.50 |
| After the card fee | €1,432.00 | €1,409.50 |
Rates from AgentaOS pricing docs. SEPA payouts to a EUR account in Serbia and N. Macedonia cost €0 (Serbia, N. Macedonia guides). Service packages need approval first, and the per-sale fee for a package is the one shown in your account, which may differ from the published rate. At least 10% of each package sale is held for at least 120 days, and payout waits until delivery is confirmed (Terms, section 21). Try your own numbers in the payout calculator.
When is a merchant of record the wrong choice?
- Custom work.Anything quoted per client, hourly billing, or a scope you negotiate cannot be sold through AgentaOS, whatever it is called. Invoice it by bank transfer.
- Live-only delivery.A package delivered only in a call does not qualify. Delivery must leave a digital record, such as a file, a report or a recorded session.
- Cash flow on day one.The 10% hold and the wait for delivery confirmation mean bank transfer pays you faster on a single big project.
Where does AgentaOS fit?
If you sell the same service to several foreign clients, a fixed-price package your clients pay by card replaces the invoice, the chasing and the Swift fees. AgentaOS pays out to 86 countries, including Serbia and N. Macedonia, with no company abroad needed.
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Related questions
Is there a US tax treaty with Serbia or N. Macedonia?
No. Neither country is on the IRS list of US income tax treaties, checked 6 November 2026. Some invoicing guides say a Serbia treaty exists; the IRS list does not show one. Ask your accountant how this affects your W-8BEN.
Do I charge VAT to a US client?
The US has no VAT, so there is no US VAT to add. Whether your invoice needs a note about your own country’s VAT depends on how you are registered at home. Ask a local accountant.
Can my US client pay by card if Stripe is not available to me?
Yes, if you sell a fixed-price package through a merchant of record. AgentaOS is the official seller, so your client pays by card in USD or EUR and you get paid to your own bank. Custom per-client work cannot be sold this way.
Can I use Wise in Serbia?
Only partly. Wise’s own page lists the countries where you can hold money, and Serbia is not on it. N. Macedonia is. Check Wise’s page before you put Wise details on an invoice.
Does a German business client pay VAT on a card payment?
Not if it enters a valid EU VAT number at checkout. AgentaOS checks the number against the EU VAT register, charges no VAT, and the invoice shows the reverse charge, so the client accounts for the VAT.
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Related
Sources: IRS, US income tax treaties A to Z · Wise, where you can hold money · AgentaOS pricing docs · AgentaOS tax docs · AgentaOS payout docs · AgentaOS Terms