How to get a 100th birthday letter from the President (or the King)
In the US, request it on the Presidential Greetings form at whitehouse.gov/greetings, ideally six weeks ahead. In the UK, the King's 100th-birthday card is automatic for State Pension recipients; others apply.
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A birthday greeting from the President isn't automatic: someone has to ask. You fill in the Presidential Greetings form on whitehouse.gov with the birthday, the age and a US mailing address, ideally six weeks early. In the UK, the King sends a card for 100th and 105th birthdays and every year after, often without anyone asking.
Below: the US form step by step, the UK rules, one 100th birthday worked through with real dates, a 1929 letter to a 100-year-old who had just voted for the first time, and the cards we made for people with a lot of candles.
Cards made from your photos
How to get a birthday card from the President
Requests go through the Presidential Greetings form at whitehouse.gov/greetings. Here's what it asks for, in order:
- The occasion: pick Birthday. Wedding anniversaries are on the list too, for the 25th, the 50th and 51 and up.
- Adult or child. Adults are 18 and older and children 1 to 17, so, technically, you don't have to wait for 100.
- The date of the upcoming birthday and the age they're turning.
- Their mailing address. The form takes US states, territories and military (Armed Forces) addresses.
- Whether they're a veteran, and if so the branch and rank.
- A preferred salutation (the form's example is "Dear Jane and John"), then your own name, email and phone.
How far ahead do you need to ask?
The White House form doesn't print a deadline, but it asks for the upcoming birthday, so ask early. House offices that pass these requests along tell people to send them at least six weeks ahead (ramirez.house.gov/services/presidential-greetings). The same page lists the older age rule: birthday greetings for people turning 80 and up, and for veterans turning 70 and up. At 100 you clear every version of it.
Six weeks from today is December 23, 2026. If the birthday comes sooner than that, send the request today anyway.
The UK windows are tighter, and they open late on purpose. Here's one 100th birthday, Monday, March 1, 2027, worked through:
| Step | Date |
|---|---|
| US: send the White House request (6 weeks ahead) | By Monday, January 18, 2027 |
| UK: online application opens (5 weeks ahead) | Monday, January 25, 2027 |
| UK: postal application opens (3 weeks ahead) | Monday, February 8, 2027 |
| UK: earliest early delivery you can ask for | Wednesday, February 24, 2027 |
| UK: last day to ask for a belated card | Wednesday, September 1, 2027 |
Birthday card from the King: who gets one
The King and Queen send cards for 100th and 105th birthdays and every birthday after that. The tradition goes back to 1917 and King George V, when the messages went out as telegrams (royal.uk/anniversary-messages).
Many people don't need to ask. If the person gets a State Pension or another benefit and lives in the UK, the card is sent to the name and address on that record. If they don't, or they live abroad, someone has to apply (gov.uk/get-birthday-anniversary-message-from-king).
- Who: current citizens of His Majesty's realms and UK Overseas Territories. In Australia, Canada or New Zealand you apply to the Governor-General instead.
- When: online no earlier than 5 weeks before the birthday, by post no earlier than 3 weeks before. A belated card can be requested up to 6 months after.
- Proof: the application asks for a copy of the birth certificate. If there isn't one and they get a State Pension, the office checks with the Department for Work and Pensions.
- Delivery: by Royal Mail to their home, or to where they're staying. It can't be presented in person, and you can ask for it to arrive up to 5 days early.
- Cost: Buckingham Palace doesn't charge for it.
- Couples: 60th, 65th and 70th wedding anniversaries and every one after get a card too, but those always need an application.
A 1929 letter to a 100-year-old voter
Presidents sent these long before there was a web form. In May 1929, Herbert Hoover wrote to Mrs. Jane T. Whitaker of Westfield, Massachusetts: "I have just learned that on May 29th you will celebrate your one hundredth birthday." He also thanked her for her interest in his campaign the fall before.
The editor's note in the archive explains the thank-you: she had voted for the first time at 99, for him (presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/letter-jane-t-whitaker-her-100th-birthday). Born in 1829, first ballot at 99, a letter from the man she voted for at 100. The letter is short. Her story is the good part.
How we made cards for a 100th
Nobody in our test family is 100. The oldest is Walter, 82: bald on top, big ears, thick glasses, a plaid flannel shirt and an armchair. Mei, 76, has a short grey perm and gold-rimmed glasses. Neither exists, and both have had a very busy year.
If the King sends a card, our answer was to hand the crown to the birthday person. Royal Portrait paints them into a gilded oil portrait in an ermine-trimmed robe and a jeweled crown, with a fluffy dog in a tiny party hat on a cushion beside them. In the video the painting comes alive: a slow regal nod, and the dog's ears perk up. Nobody speaks; it's party sounds only.
For 90 and up there's Hometown Parade: a tiara, a sash with their age, the back of a cream convertible and ticker tape from the windows. It came with a rule. Crowds in the background can borrow the star's face, so only the birthday person is in sharp focus, and the prompt says, in so many words, that the neighbors are all humans.
The bloopers are why we test. Walter's first skydive came back with goggles over his glasses, a thumbs-up belonging to nobody and a parachute about the size of a cocktail umbrella. Mei's skydive for Still Lit grew a third hand to hold the cupcake. Neither shipped. And on every grandparent card, the message lines we suggest skip "old", "senior moment" and "over the hill" jokes. At 100 the number does the bragging. For the decades before, see 90th birthday wishes and birthday wishes for Grandpa.
How it works
- Pick a cardPilots, mermaids, rock stars, one very surprised cake. Every one shows a real example first.
- Add their photosOne clear face each, up to 5 people. A selfie is fine. No sign-up.
- Preview it, then payOne picture of them in the card in about 10 seconds. Like it? Apple Pay or Google Pay, and four pictures arrive about 20 seconds later, the video in about 90.
Do you automatically get a card from the King on your 100th birthday?
Only if they get a State Pension or another benefit and live in the UK; then it goes to the address on that record. Anyone else needs an application, online from 5 weeks before.
How do I write a letter to the President?
Use the contact form on whitehouse.gov, or mail it to The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20500. For a birthday or anniversary, use the greetings form instead.
What is a good birthday message for a 100-year-old?
Thank them for one thing they gave the family, then tell them they're loved: "Happy 100th. Thank you for every Sunday dinner, and for never writing down the recipe." There are 46 more on our 100th birthday wishes page.
By HiWith (Winding AI, Inc.) · support@winding.ai · Updated