Can I Send Vitamins & Supplements to South Korea from India? (2026 Limits & Rules)
Vitamins, protein and herbal supplements are among the most-sent items to family and students in Korea — but Korea treats them as health-functional food with a personal-quantity limit. Here's what clears and what doesn't.
Key takeaways
- Personal-use limit is commonly about 6 bottles/units of vitamins or supplements per shipment.
- Korea classes them as health-functional food, so they're excluded from simplified list clearance and need care.
- Ingredients matter — some herbal/hormonal actives are restricted or banned; sealed, labelled products clear best.
- For quantities above personal limits, it's a formal/commercial import — we handle that route too.
Quick answer — sealed, labelled, and within ~6 units
You can send vitamins and supplements from India to South Korea for personal use, but Korea classes them as health-functional food with a practical limit of around 6 bottles/units per shipment. Keep them sealed with ingredient labels visible, declare each item, and avoid anything with drug-like or hormonal actives. Larger quantities become a formal import — which we also handle.
Why supplements aren't 'just food'
Korea regulates health-functional foods more tightly than ordinary groceries. That's why they're excluded from the fast list-clearance route and looked at more closely at customs. Ordinary multivitamins, minerals and protein are the easy end; concentrated herbal or hormone-adjacent products are the risky end.
The personal-quantity limit
Roughly 6 bottles/units for personal use is the working ceiling. Ten identical tubs of the same whey protein reads as resale and can be held or reclassified. Mix a reasonable personal assortment rather than a bulk lot of one SKU.
Ingredients that cause problems
Screening focuses on actives: hormonal ingredients, certain concentrated botanicals, and anything making medicinal claims can be restricted or refused. Plain vitamin C, D, B-complex, calcium, omega-3 and standard protein are typically fine when sealed and labelled.
Packing and declaration
Leave everything in original retail packaging so the ingredient list is readable, cushion any glass, and write a specific description with quantities ('multivitamin tablets x2 bottles, whey protein 1 tub'). Vague 'health products' invites a manual check.
Tax and DDP
Under USD 150 CIF there's usually no duty or VAT; above it, duty plus 10% VAT apply. Ship DDP and we pre-pay so your recipient — often a student or parent — receives the box with nothing to pay.
Sending more than personal quantities
If you're supplying a shop or sending in bulk, that's a commercial import needing a formal declaration and a Korean importer — we set that up. For personal boxes, WhatsApp label photos to +91 78003 20078 and we'll confirm before pickup. Related: restricted items to Korea, can I send medicines to Korea, personal-use import limits.
