diff --git a/CHANGELOG.rst b/CHANGELOG.rst
index ecfeeea1..c1a07055 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.rst
+++ b/CHANGELOG.rst
@@ -4,10 +4,13 @@ CHANGELOG
 UNRELEASED
 ----------
 
+* Lazy load ``formfields.PhoneNumberField`` translation for ``invalid`` data.
+
 **Backwards incompatible changes**
 
 * Drop support for end-of-life Django 3.0
 
+
 5.1.0 (2021-04-02)
 ------------------
 
diff --git a/phonenumber_field/formfields.py b/phonenumber_field/formfields.py
index 55659b29..5f880ee8 100644
--- a/phonenumber_field/formfields.py
+++ b/phonenumber_field/formfields.py
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 from django.core import validators
 from django.core.exceptions import ValidationError
 from django.forms.fields import CharField
-from django.utils.translation import gettext as _
+from django.utils.text import format_lazy
+from django.utils.translation import gettext_lazy as _
 
 from phonenumber_field.phonenumber import to_python, validate_region
 from phonenumber_field.validators import validate_international_phonenumber
@@ -31,8 +32,8 @@ def __init__(self, *args, region=None, **kwargs):
                 example_number = "+12125552368"  # Ghostbusters
                 # Translators: {example_number} is an international phone number.
                 error_message = _("Enter a valid phone number (e.g. {example_number}).")
-            self.error_messages["invalid"] = error_message.format(
-                example_number=example_number
+            self.error_messages["invalid"] = format_lazy(
+                error_message, example_number=example_number
             )
 
     def to_python(self, value):
diff --git a/tests/test_formfields.py b/tests/test_formfields.py
index d207ed37..d2e74355 100644
--- a/tests/test_formfields.py
+++ b/tests/test_formfields.py
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
+from unittest import mock
+
 from django import forms
 from django.test import SimpleTestCase
+from django.utils.functional import lazy
 
 from phonenumber_field.formfields import PhoneNumberField
 
@@ -45,3 +48,13 @@ class PhoneNumberForm(forms.Form):
         form = PhoneNumberForm({"number": ALGERIAN_PHONE_NUMBER})
         self.assertTrue(form.is_valid())
         self.assertEqual(ALGERIAN_PHONE_NUMBER, form.cleaned_data["number"])
+
+    def test_error_message_lazy(self):
+        def fail_gettext(msgid):
+            raise Exception("gettext was called unexpectedly.")
+
+        with mock.patch(
+            "phonenumber_field.formfields._",
+            side_effect=lazy(fail_gettext, str),
+        ):
+            PhoneNumberField()