Direct answer: every country has a personal-use de minimis
Every country sets a de minimis — a declared value below which no customs duty applies on personal-use imports. Above the threshold, duty + VAT/GST/IVA/consumption tax apply. For American snack shipments, knowing your country's de minimis is the #1 customs question. Here's the full per-country breakdown.
Per-country de minimis + duty rates (snack imports)
🇲🇽 Mexico
De minimis: ~$50 USD (couriers).
Above: 16% IVA + ~5–10% confectionery duty.
Authority: SAT / Aduanas Mexico.
🇧🇷 Brazil
De minimis: ~$50 USD (Receita Federal "remessa internacional").
Above: 60% Imposto de Importação + 17–25% ICMS (state-dependent).
Authority: Receita Federal.
Strategy: Use DHL DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) to pre-pay and avoid Receita Federal portal step.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
De minimis: £135 (for VAT applied at border — under £135, sellers register for UK VAT).
Above £135: VAT 20% + duty (typically 0–4% on confectionery — most snack items at 0% duty, just VAT).
Authority: HMRC.
🇪🇺 European Union
De minimis: €150 for duty exemption (VAT applies on all imports since 2021 IOSS).
Above €150: ~5–10% duty + national VAT (19% Germany, 20% France, 21% Spain, etc.).
Authority: Each member state's customs.
🇦🇪 UAE
De minimis: ~AED 1,000 (~$272 USD).
Above: 5% standard duty + 5% VAT.
Authority: UAE FCA / Dubai Customs.
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
De minimis: ~SAR 1,000 (~$266 USD).
Above: ~5% confectionery duty + 15% VAT.
Authority: ZATCA (Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority).
🇵🇭 Philippines
De minimis: PHP 10,000 (~$180 USD).
Above: ~5–10% confectionery duty + 12% VAT.
Authority: Bureau of Customs (BOC).
🇰🇷 Korea
De minimis: $150 USD (with $200 cap for US-origin under KORUS FTA in some categories).
Above: ~8–10% duty + 10% VAT.
Authority: Korea Customs Service (KCS). Requires PCCC (Personal Customs Clearance Code).
🇯🇵 Japan
De minimis: ¥10,000 (~$67 USD) — among the lowest globally.
Above: ~10% duty + 10% consumption tax.
Authority: Japan Customs.
🇨🇴 Colombia
De minimis: ~$200 USD (one of the most generous in LatAm).
Above: ~10–15% duty + 19% IVA.
Authority: DIAN.
🇮🇳 India
De minimis: ₹1,000 (~$12 USD) — very low.
Above: ~10–15% basic customs duty + 18% GST.
Authority: CBIC.
Restricted items by category
Gummies with pork-derived gelatin
Restricted at retail in halal markets (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan); personal-import generally permitted with disclosure. We flag pork-gelatin items in halal-market orders.
Snacks with banned food dyes (Red 40, Yellow 5/6, etc.)
EU/UK restrict retail sales of cereals and confectionery with these dyes. Personal-import allowed in most cases. Lucky Charms US recipe is the most common example.
Beef jerky and certain meat snacks
Restricted in BSE markets (Brazil, parts of EU) and in halal markets if not halal-certified.
Energy drinks above caffeine limits
PRIME Energy line, some Bang/C4/Celsius flavors restricted in Saudi Arabia (per SFDA), some EU markets.
Cochineal-dye candy
Some markets restrict cochineal-derived red dyes; personal-import typically allowed.
CBD/Hemp gummies and chocolates
Banned in many countries. Don't ship without explicit destination verification.
How to declare correctly
For every Selectido shipment we generate a commercial invoice with HS codes:
- 1704.90 — Sugar confectionery (most candy)
- 1806 — Chocolate and chocolate-containing items
- 1905 — Bread, pastry, cakes, biscuits, Pop-Tarts
- 2008 — Edible nuts, prepared
- 1904 — Cereal preparations (Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch)
- 2106 — Food preparations not elsewhere specified
Declared value is the actual US retail cost. Honest declarations clear customs fastest.
3 customs strategies for cheaper imports
Strategy 1: Stay below de minimis
Most countries' de minimis is $50–200 USD. Order at $40–45 per box if your country's threshold is $50; multiple smaller shipments avoid duty entirely.
Strategy 2: Use DDP (Delivered Duty Paid)
DHL and FedEx offer DDP — we pre-pay all duties on your behalf via the carrier. No portal step on delivery. Slightly more upfront but zero hassle. Best for Brazil, India, anywhere with complex import portals.
Strategy 3: Mark as gift (where allowed)
Many countries allow higher de minimis for "personal gift" classification — e.g., some EU member states permit €45 for gifts vs €150 for goods. We can mark accordingly when accurate.
Brands by customs ease
What if customs holds my box?
Rare for snack shipments declared correctly. If it happens: (1) carrier sends a notification with the issue, (2) we work with carrier customs broker to resolve, (3) duty assessment is paid by you (or we pre-paid via DDP). Worst case: a few days delay. We've shipped tens of thousands of snack boxes and clearance failures are well under 1%.