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    <periodOfReport>2005-08-01</periodOfReport>

    <notSubjectToSection16>0</notSubjectToSection16>

    <issuer>
        <issuerCik>0000101063</issuerCik>
        <issuerName>CHIQUITA BRANDS INTERNATIONAL INC</issuerName>
        <issuerTradingSymbol>cqb</issuerTradingSymbol>
    </issuer>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001192851</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>ARNTZEN MORTEN</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>511 FIFTH AVENUE</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2></rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>NEW YORK</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>NY</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>10017</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>1</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>0</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>0</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <nonDerivativeTable>
        <nonDerivativeTransaction>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Common Stock</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <transactionDate>
                <value>2005-08-01</value>
            </transactionDate>
            <transactionCoding>
                <transactionFormType>4</transactionFormType>
                <transactionCode>A</transactionCode>
                <equitySwapInvolved>0</equitySwapInvolved>
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            <transactionTimeliness>
                <value></value>
            </transactionTimeliness>
            <transactionAmounts>
                <transactionShares>
                    <value>321</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F1"/>
                    <footnoteId id="F2"/>
                </transactionShares>
                <transactionPricePerShare>
                    <value>0</value>
                </transactionPricePerShare>
                <transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
                    <value>A</value>
                </transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
            </transactionAmounts>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>20938</value>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
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        </nonDerivativeTransaction>
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    <footnotes>
        <footnote id="F1">Table I: Item 4. Fees for service as a member of the Board of Directors deferred in stock units to the Company's Directors Deferred Compensation Plan (&quot;DDCP&quot;). Due to an administrative error, the cash and stock deferrals to Mr. Arntzen's DDCP account for the first and second quarters of 2005 were made based on his 2004, rather than his 2005, elections.  The error was discovered and corrected on August 1, 2005. Additional stock units reported reflect Mr. Arntzen's 2005 election to have the cash portion of his director's quarterly compensation (which consists of $6,250 in quarterly fees and $2,500 in quarterly committee chair fees) deferred, 50% in cash and 50% in common stock units (which must be settled in Common Stock).</footnote>
        <footnote id="F2">Stock units credited represent 162 additional units in respect of the quarter ended March 31, 2005 and 159 additional units in respect of the quarter ended June 30, 2005, based in each case on the aggregate fair market value (the average of the high and low sales prices) of Chiquita's Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange Composite Tape on the last trading day of the respective calendar quarter.</footnote>
    </footnotes>

    <ownerSignature>
        <signatureName>Robert W. Olson as Attorney-in-Fact for Morten Arntzen</signatureName>
        <signatureDate>2005-08-03</signatureDate>
    </ownerSignature>
</ownershipDocument>
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X0202
4
2005-08-01
0
0000101063
CHIQUITA BRANDS INTERNATIONAL INC
cqb
0001192851
ARNTZEN MORTEN
511 FIFTH AVENUE
NEW YORK
NY
10017
1
0
0
0
Common Stock
2005-08-01
4
A
0
321
0
A
20938
D
Table I: Item 4. Fees for service as a member of the Board of Directors deferred in stock units to the Company's Directors Deferred Compensation Plan ("DDCP"). Due to an administrative error, the cash and stock deferrals to Mr. Arntzen's DDCP account for the first and second quarters of 2005 were made based on his 2004, rather than his 2005, elections.  The error was discovered and corrected on August 1, 2005. Additional stock units reported reflect Mr. Arntzen's 2005 election to have the cash portion of his director's quarterly compensation (which consists of $6,250 in quarterly fees and $2,500 in quarterly committee chair fees) deferred, 50% in cash and 50% in common stock units (which must be settled in Common Stock).
Stock units credited represent 162 additional units in respect of the quarter ended March 31, 2005 and 159 additional units in respect of the quarter ended June 30, 2005, based in each case on the aggregate fair market value (the average of the high and low sales prices) of Chiquita's Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange Composite Tape on the last trading day of the respective calendar quarter.
Robert W. Olson as Attorney-in-Fact for Morten Arntzen
2005-08-03