To get a presidential greeting, submit a free request through the White House Greetings Office online form at whitehouse.gov/greetings, provided your occasion is on the qualifying list. The letter arrives on White House stationery with the President’s printed signature, and the whole process is handled by the Office of Presidential Correspondence.1The White House. Presidential Greetings
Which Milestones Qualify
The online form accepts requests for a specific set of life events. Before you start filling anything out, check that yours is on it:
- Birthdays for children ages 1 through 17. Adult birthdays are technically accepted through the form, but greetings have historically gone to civilians turning 80 or older and veterans turning 70 or older.
- Weddings, either upcoming or recent.
- Wedding anniversaries at the 25th, 50th, and 51st-or-later marks.
- The birth of a child.
- Condolences following a death.
- Earning the Eagle Scout rank or the Girl Scout Gold Award.
- Graduation from high school, college, or a service academy.
- Spiritual milestones including baptisms, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, christenings, confirmations, and First Communions.
- Retirements, covering general, civilian federal, first responder, and law enforcement retirements. Military retirements go through the individual’s service branch instead.
Qualifying events and age thresholds can shift between administrations, so the form itself is the most reliable place to confirm what’s currently accepted.1The White House. Presidential Greetings
How to Submit the Request
Everything happens on the online form. You choose the occasion, enter the recipient’s name and details, and give a mailing address where the greeting should be sent. The form asks whether the recipient is a veteran and, if so, for the service branch and rank. You can set a preferred salutation, such as “Dear Jane and John,” and add a short note of up to 100 characters.1The White House. Presidential Greetings
Different occasions ask for different supporting details. A birth request needs the child’s full name, birthdate, and both parents’ information. A condolence request asks for the date of death and a link to the obituary. An Eagle Scout or Gold Award request wants the date the honor was earned.
The Office of Presidential Correspondence strongly prefers electronic submissions. Physical mail to the White House creates significant delays in both delivery and any response, so the online form is faster and more reliable. Correspondence in a language other than English can also slow things down.2The White House. Contact Us – Terms of Use
When to Send It In
Submit early. Congressional offices that help constituents with these requests generally recommend at least six weeks before the milestone date. That buffer matters most for weddings and anniversaries, where the letter loses its point if it arrives late. The White House does not guarantee a delivery window, and volume can push timelines out.
If Your Event Isn’t Listed
If your milestone isn’t one of the occasions on the form, the White House directs you to the general “Contact the President” page to make the request.1The White House. Presidential Greetings You can also ask your U.S. Representative or Senator to help. Many congressional offices maintain their own greetings request forms and will forward the request to the White House for you. That route can also be useful when your event is on the list but you want a second set of eyes on the submission.
What You’ll Receive
The letter is a form letter tailored to the occasion, not a message personally written by the President. It comes on White House stationery and carries the President’s printed signature, using the details you provided in your request. It’s ceremonial: a personal acknowledgment from the President’s office, with no legal weight and no official record beyond the letter itself. For most people that’s exactly the point, but it’s worth knowing before you set expectations for the recipient.