What to put in writing when your studio is abroad

Why does a cross-border project need more in writing?

Because the things a local studio settles over a coffee have to be settled in a document. Nobody can pop round to ask what "final files" meant. We covered the wider question in what actually changes when your studio is abroad. This piece is the practical sequel: the six lines worth writing down before the first invoice.

What working hours should the agreement name?

Two things: the windows when both sides are reachable, and how fast each side answers in writing. Bucharest sits two hours ahead of London, so the overlap with a UK client is most of a working day. With the US East Coast it shrinks to a few hours, and with the West Coast it is narrow enough to plan around.

Write the overlap as a rule, not a hope: one weekly call at a fixed hour, written feedback answered within two working days, a named person on each side. Projects stall when feedback waits for a call that never fits.

Which language is the language of record?

The one the contract, the brief and the sign-offs are written in, and it should be named. A studio may speak several languages day to day, but a disagreement is settled on a document, so the document needs one language. For a UK or US client that is English, and any translated summary is for convenience only.

Add a short rule for approvals: a design is approved when the named person on your side says so in writing, in that language. A thumbs-up in a chat window is a mood, not an approval.

Which currency and which VAT treatment apply to the invoice?

Name the currency and who carries the exchange rate. If the studio invoices in euros and you pay in pounds, the amount you pay moves with the rate between quote and payment day. Fix the currency in the contract, and say whether the quote is converted on the invoice date or on the payment date.

VAT follows a rule set out by HMRC. For business-to-business services, the general rule is that the supply is made where the customer belongs. When a UK business buys services from a supplier outside the UK, the reverse charge applies, which means the UK business accounts for the VAT itself. Your accountant handles the entry. The contract only needs to state who is VAT-registered and what number goes on the invoice.

How should payment terms be written?

With dates, not with "net 30" alone. GOV.UK's guidance on late commercial payments says a payment date agreed between businesses must usually be within 60 days, and that when none is agreed the law treats payment as late 30 days after the invoice arrives or the service is delivered, whichever is later. Whether the statute reaches a contract with a studio abroad depends on the governing law: section 12 of the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 deals with conflict of laws. Ask which country's law governs your contract before relying on any statutory default.

So say it yourself: a deposit on signature, a stage payment at each approval, a final payment on delivery of the files. Link each payment to a deliverable rather than to a calendar date alone, so that a stalled project does not leave either side owing or owed.

What does the contract say about governing law and ownership?

It names a governing law, a court or a way of settling disputes, and the point at which ownership passes to you. Left unsaid, ownership starts with the creator: the UK government states that the first owner of a work is the person who created it, with exceptions for employees. Payment alone does not transfer it, so the contract should say that rights pass on final payment, and in writing.

Source files, fonts and the domain name need their own lines. They are detailed in who owns the logo, files and domain after a project. For a studio abroad, add a line on where the files are delivered and how: a shared folder with a named recipient is enough.

The six lines, in one table

This is a studio's checklist, not legal advice. For a contract of any size, have your own adviser read it before you sign.

What if the agreement is already signed?

Add what is missing as a short written amendment, signed by both sides. Most gaps are small: a reply time, a currency date, a handover address. A studio that resists writing them down is telling you something before the project starts.

A useful test before you sign: read the six lines aloud as if the project had gone quiet for three weeks. Who chases whom, in which language, by which date, and what happens to the money already paid? If the document answers each question in a sentence, it is doing its job. If it answers with "to be agreed", that is the line to fix first.

If you want to see how we set these lines for our own clients, the studio page introduces the two of us, and the services section lists what we offer.

Common questions

Is it riskier to sign with a studio in another country?

Not inherently. The protection is a written agreement covering hours, language, currency, payment and ownership. It protects you the same way whether the studio is next door or abroad.

Who pays VAT when a UK business hires a studio in the EU?

For business-to-business services the supply is made where the customer belongs, and the UK business accounts for the VAT itself under the reverse charge. Your accountant handles the entry.

Should I pay a design studio abroad in my currency or theirs?

Either works if the contract names the currency and the date the exchange rate is fixed. Without that, the amount you pay can drift between quote and payment day.

Does UK late payment law apply to a studio abroad?

The GOV.UK guidance is written for UK transactions. Ask which country's law governs the contract and set payment dates in the contract rather than relying on statutory defaults.

When do I own the logo and files from a studio abroad?

When the contract says so. The creator is the first owner of a work under UK law, so ask for rights to pass to you on final payment, in writing.

Louis Denis, Orbe Studio

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