The short answer
Yes, you can ship snacks internationally. Dry, shelf-stable, commercially-packaged snacks (candy, chocolate, cookies, cereal, chips, crackers, jerky, granola bars, popcorn) ship to virtually every country with a postal or courier system. You cannot ship items requiring refrigeration, items containing alcohol or controlled substances, fresh produce, certain meat products (beef restricted in BSE markets), or items banned by destination country (e.g., gummies with cochineal dye in some markets). For everything else, it's straightforward.
What CAN ship internationally
- Candy — chocolate bars, hard candies, gummies (subject to gelatin rules in some markets), licorice
- Cookies + crackers — Oreos, Cheez-It, Goldfish, Tate's, Chips Ahoy
- Cereal — Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cap'n Crunch, Frosted Flakes
- Chips + savory snacks — Hot Cheetos, Takis, Doritos, Pringles, Cheez-It variety
- Bars — KIND, RXBAR, Clif, Quest, protein bars
- Popcorn — Garrett, microwave-pop (sealed), kettle corn
- Pastry — Pop-Tarts, Twinkies, Hostess products (long shelf life)
- Beef jerky — except in BSE-restricted countries (Brazil, some EU)
- Specialty — Trader Joe's Cookie Butter, peanut butter, fluff, condiments (shelf-stable)
What CAN'T ship internationally
- Refrigerated or frozen items — ice cream, fresh cheese, dairy items requiring refrigeration
- Alcohol-containing items — rum-flavored truffles in some markets, alcohol-infused chocolates
- Items with alcohol-containing extracts over destination thresholds (varies by country)
- Fresh produce — fruit, vegetables, fresh herbs
- Certain meat products — beef jerky to BSE-restricted countries (Brazil, some EU), pork to halal markets without halal-compliant packaging
- Energy drinks above caffeine limits — PRIME Energy line in some markets, certain Bang/C4/Celsius flavors
- Items with banned dyes — Lucky Charms with Red 40/Yellow 5/Yellow 6 banned in some EU markets (personal-use allowed in most)
- CBD/Hemp gummies — banned in many countries
- Cannabis-flavored or cannabis-themed novelty items
Customs forms (what you need)
Every international snack shipment requires customs declaration. For USPS: CN-22 (under $400) or CN-23 (over $400 or commercial shipments). For UPS, FedEx, DHL: their proprietary commercial invoice form, which they generate from the shipment data. We at Selectido handle the form generation — you don't fill anything out. Forms include: contents description (we use specific HS codes), value declaration in USD, weight, and sender/recipient details.
Shelf life rules
Carriers don't enforce a specific "best by" requirement, but most international receivers (Amazon Global, large e-commerce) require items shipped to have at least 6 months remaining shelf life. We follow the same rule — every Selectido shipment has at least 6 months remaining shelf life on every item. Typical snack shelf lives: Pop-Tarts 12–14 months, candy bars 9–12 months, cereal 12–18 months, cookies 6–9 months, beef jerky 6–12 months, chip bags 3–6 months from production date.
Carrier rules (which carrier wins)
Common questions about shipping snacks abroad
Most-asked: can chocolate ship internationally? Yes — but be aware of heat in tropical destinations (Philippines, India, Brazil summer). We ship year-round but recommend cooler months for chocolate-heavy boxes to Philippines, India, Brazil. Can gummies ship? Yes, but pork-derived gelatin items face restrictions in halal markets — see UAE and Saudi Arabia. How are snacks declared? By HS code (1704.90 for sugar confectionery, 1806 for chocolate, 1905 for bakery, etc.) — we do this automatically.