Receiving a White House greeting in the mail to celebrate a milestone birthday, anniversary, birth, or other occasions makes an important day even more special.

These White House greetings are completely free; you just need to send in a request following the guide below. Be sure to follow the directions exactly and double-check everything you're submitting. You won't get to fix anything later if you make a mistake.

Your White House greeting signed by the president will be a keepsake that will truly be cherished for many years to come.

What Special Occasions Will Get You Free White House Greetings

Free White House greetings will be sent to U.S. citizens celebrating the following milestones:

Birthday : U.S. citizens who are celebrating their 80th birthday and above, or veterans celebrating a birthday 70 and above are eligible for a free birthday White House greeting.

: U.S. citizens who are celebrating their 80th birthday and above, or veterans celebrating a birthday 70 and above are eligible for a free birthday White House greeting. Anniversary: Couples celebrating a 50th, 60th, 70th, and up anniversary can get a free anniversary White House greeting.

You can also receive a free White House greeting for the following events. Send in these requests after the event has already happened.

Birth or Adoption

Wedding and Civil Unions

Eagle Scout Award

Girl Scout Gold Award

Bar/Bat Mitzvah or equivalent occasion

Where to Send White House Greetings Requests

There are a couple different methods for requesting White House greetings. Choose one or both of these methods to make sure you get your White House greeting in a timely manner.

Mail Your Request to the White House. Send your request to the following address to get a greeting back:

The White House

Attn: Greetings Office

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, D.C. 20500 Contact Your Senator or Representative. Get a hold of your Senator or House Representative and request a White House greeting. You may also request a greeting from them.

What to Include in White House Greetings Requests

Include the following information along with your White House greeting request:

Name and address of honoree (couple's name if this is for an anniversary or wedding)

How to address the greeting (such as Mr. or Mrs. or First Name)

Type of event

Date of the birth, anniversary, or special occasion

Age if a birthday or number of years married if an anniversary

Your name and phone number

When to Send in White House Greetings Requests

Lots of people send in requests for White House greetings and the White House is swamped in responding to as many of these as possible. It will take a while to receive your greeting but here are some tips to help you decide when to send them in.

You'll need to submit birthday and anniversary White House greeting requests 6-8 weeks before the event.

Birth and wedding White House greetings should be sent in after the event.

The White House tries to send out the greetings around 10 days prior to the event.

Checking on the Status of a White House Greeting Request

You can call the White House Comments line at 1-202-456-1111 to check on the status of your White House greetings request.

Tips to Make Sure You Receive Your White House Greeting

Don't Miss the Obvious. It may go without saying but double-check all the information before you send it to the White House. Make sure that all details, addresses, and names are correct before you send them in. Send a Clear Request. Be clear about what type of White House greeting you're wanting (birthday, anniversary, etc.) and when you want it by. Be Nice. Using please and thank you's will get you far in this process. I also recommend leaving politics aside in your request.

When to Expect White House Greetings

You can expect to receive your White House greeting in 8-12 weeks although it may often take longer than this to receive them during popular request times.