Malta Purchase Order Generator

What is a purchase order, and how does it differ from a quote or an invoice?

A purchase order is issued by the buyer to authorise a purchase before delivery takes place. It fixes the items, quantities, agreed price and terms, giving the supplier written approval to proceed.

A quote is prepared by the supplier before any order exists, purely as a price proposal — nothing is confirmed until the buyer accepts it, often by sending a PO.

An invoice comes after delivery: once the supplier has delivered the goods or completed the service, they issue a VAT invoice to request payment, typically referencing the original PO number so both sides can reconcile the documents.

How to create a Maltese purchase order with this generator

1. Enter your buyer details — company name, address and Malta VAT number if registered.
2. Add the supplier’s details, including their VAT number if they charge VAT.
3. Set the ship-to address, or tick “same as buyer address” for direct delivery.
4. Fill in the PO number, PO date, requested delivery date and payment terms (e.g. Net 30).
5. Add line items with description, quantity and unit price — totals calculate automatically.
6. Apply the correct VAT rate (18% standard, or 12%/7%/5%/0% reduced, as applicable) to relevant lines.
7. Add an approver name and title if your business requires internal sign-off before sending the PO.
8. Review the totals and download the purchase order as a PDF ready to send to your supplier.

What should a Maltese purchase order include?

There’s no single mandated PO format in Malta, but a well-formed one should carry everything both sides need to fulfil the order and match it against the eventual VAT invoice:

• A unique, sequential PO number for tracking and invoice matching
• Full buyer and supplier names and addresses
• Malta VAT numbers for both parties, in the "MT" + 8-digit format, where either is VAT-registered
• A clear description of each item or service, with quantity and unit price
• The applicable VAT rate — 18% standard, or the 12%, 7%, 5% or 0% reduced rates where relevant
• Delivery address and requested delivery date
• Agreed payment terms, such as Net 30 or payment on delivery
• Approval details if your organisation requires internal sign-off before issuing the PO

From purchase order to VAT invoice: the Maltese procurement workflow

The PO begins the paper trail — it doesn’t end it. Once your supplier delivers the goods or finishes the work, they should issue a VAT invoice referencing your PO number, so your accounts team can quickly confirm the invoice matches what was originally authorised.

If you’re the supplier fulfilling someone else’s PO, you can use our invoice generator to raise the matching VAT invoice once the order is complete, carrying the same PO number and line items across for a clean audit trail.

Malta VAT rates and EU reverse charge — filling a real gap

Malta applies an 18% standard VAT rate, alongside reduced rates of 12%, 7%, 5% and 0% depending on the goods or services involved, so a Maltese PO needs to reflect the correct rate per line rather than a single flat percentage. This generator supports that directly, rather than forcing every line onto one rate.

For B2B purchases from suppliers in other EU member states, the reverse-charge mechanism often applies: the Maltese buyer self-accounts for VAT rather than being charged VAT by the supplier. If that applies to your order, it’s worth noting on the PO so the eventual invoice is issued on the correct basis. No dedicated Malta-specific PO tool covers this — most generic template sites simply ignore VAT altogether.