<?xml version="1.0"?>
<ownershipDocument>

    <schemaVersion>X0202</schemaVersion>

    <documentType>4</documentType>

    <periodOfReport>2004-07-01</periodOfReport>

    <notSubjectToSection16>0</notSubjectToSection16>

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

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001194016</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>BENJAMIN JEFFREY D</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>1301 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2>38TH FLOOR</rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>NEW YORK</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>NY</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>10022</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>2004-07-01</value>
            </transactionDate>
            <transactionCoding>
                <transactionFormType>4</transactionFormType>
                <transactionCode>A</transactionCode>
                <equitySwapInvolved>0</equitySwapInvolved>
            </transactionCoding>
            <transactionTimeliness>
                <value></value>
            </transactionTimeliness>
            <transactionAmounts>
                <transactionShares>
                    <value>300</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F1"/>
                </transactionShares>
                <transactionPricePerShare>
                    <value>0</value>
                </transactionPricePerShare>
                <transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
                    <value>A</value>
                </transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
            </transactionAmounts>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>10014</value>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </nonDerivativeTransaction>
    </nonDerivativeTable>

    <footnotes>
        <footnote id="F1">Table I, Item 4:  Fees for service as a member of the Board of Directors are paid each quarter in arrears.  Mr. Benjamin has elected to have the cash portion of his director's quarterly compensation (which consists of $6,250 in quarterly fees) deferred in cash, pursuant to the Chiquita Directors Deferred Compensation Program (the &quot;DDCP&quot;), and the stock portion (which consists of a number of shares of Chiquita's Common Stock having an aggregate fair market value of $6,250) deferred in common stock units, which must be settled in Common Stock, pursuant to the DDCP.  The number of stock units credited to his account is based 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 calendar quarter.</footnote>
    </footnotes>

    <ownerSignature>
        <signatureName>Robert W. Olson as Attorney-in-Fact for Jeffrey D. Benjamin</signatureName>
        <signatureDate>2004-07-02</signatureDate>
    </ownerSignature>
</ownershipDocument>
[{"type": "4", "sequence": "1", "filename": "primary_doc.xml", "description": "PRIMARY DOCUMENT", "secsgml_size_bytes": 3959}]
X0202
4
2004-07-01
0
0000101063
CHIQUITA BRANDS INTERNATIONAL INC
CQB
0001194016
BENJAMIN JEFFREY D
1301 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS
38TH FLOOR
NEW YORK
NY
10022
1
0
0
0
Common Stock
2004-07-01
4
A
0
300
0
A
10014
D
Table I, Item 4:  Fees for service as a member of the Board of Directors are paid each quarter in arrears.  Mr. Benjamin has elected to have the cash portion of his director's quarterly compensation (which consists of $6,250 in quarterly fees) deferred in cash, pursuant to the Chiquita Directors Deferred Compensation Program (the "DDCP"), and the stock portion (which consists of a number of shares of Chiquita's Common Stock having an aggregate fair market value of $6,250) deferred in common stock units, which must be settled in Common Stock, pursuant to the DDCP.  The number of stock units credited to his account is based 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 calendar quarter.
Robert W. Olson as Attorney-in-Fact for Jeffrey D. Benjamin
2004-07-02