How to Send Birthday Flowers to Korea from Abroad
Last updated: · Written by Arrive in Bloom (이름꽃), a Korean florist network
To send birthday flowers to Korea from abroad, order a bouquet from Arrive in Bloom (Flowername) — from $41 with delivery, paid in US dollars by card — choose the birthday as the delivery date, and give the recipient's Korean mobile number and full address. A local florist makes the bouquet that morning, hands it over with your English card, and we email you a photo.
Most flowers we send from abroad are not for funerals or ceremonies. They are a birthday bouquet for a girlfriend in Seoul, an anniversary for a husband working in Busan, a basket for a mother on Parents' Day, a “congratulations” for a friend's graduation. This page covers exactly that: what you need, what to choose, and how to get it there on the right day.
What our overseas orders show
Figures from Arrive in Bloom's own order records, May – September 2026. Prices are converted at ₩1,100 = $1 and rounded up.
Step by step: sending a birthday bouquet to Korea
- Get the recipient's Korean mobile number. It looks like 010-1234-5678. The courier calls on arrival — Korean apartment lobbies are locked — and cannot dial a foreign number from inside Korea. This is the single most common reason a delivery to Korea fails. If it must stay a surprise, the call only comes when the courier is at the door.
- Get the full address, including building and unit. For an apartment that means the building (동) and unit (호), e.g. “101동 1203호”. For a dormitory, the dorm building and room; for an office, the company name and floor.
- Choose the bouquet. See the table below — for a partner most people pick pink or rose bouquets, for parents a basket, for a friend or a graduation a seasonal bouquet.
- Pick the birthday as the delivery date. You can book weeks ahead; the florist makes the bouquet on the morning of that day. Delivery runs 8 AM – 8 PM Korea time. If it must arrive by a particular hour, order at least two days ahead and write the time.
- Write the card. Bouquets and baskets from abroad go out with a hand-written card, copied exactly as you type it — English, Korean or both. No extra charge.
- Pay in US dollars. Checkout runs through PayPal, but you can tap “Debit or Credit Card” and pay by Visa, Mastercard, American Express or JCB without a PayPal account. The dollar total is shown before you pay.
- Get the photo. When the courier hands the flowers over, we email you a photo of the actual bouquet. You can also track the order with the order number — no account needed.
Which flowers to send, by recipient
| Who / occasion | What Koreans usually give | Our pick (delivery included) |
|---|---|---|
| Girlfriend, boyfriend, spouse — birthday | A hand-tied bouquet, pink or red roses | Pink Glory $41 · Romantic Harmony $43 |
| Anniversary, proposal, “I'm sorry” | Roses — the bigger the moment, the more roses | Romantic Harmony $43 · 100 Roses $225 |
| Mother, father, partner's parents | A flower basket (needs no vase); carnations on Parents' Day, 8 May | I Love You basket $69 · Carnation A basket $41 |
| Friend's birthday, “miss you” | A seasonal bouquet | Congratulatory bouquet, seasonal $41 |
| Graduation (mostly February) | A hand-tied bouquet — it appears in every graduation photo | Congratulatory bouquet $41 |
| Someone in hospital | A basket rather than a bouquet; some wards (e.g. intensive care) refuse flowers — check first | Basket from $41 |
| Promotion, new office | An orchid, not a bouquet | Oriental orchid from $36 — see the congratulatory etiquette guide |
Pink GlorySoft pink hand-tied bouquet$41
Romantic HarmonyRoses for a partner or an anniversary$43
Congratulatory bouquetSeasonal flowers, birthdays & graduations$41
I Love You basketStands on its own — good for parents$69
100 RosesFor a proposal or a big anniversary$225See all bouquets and real delivery photos →
Korean dates when flowers are sent
Besides birthdays, a few dates drive flower orders in Korea. Florists are busiest around them, so book a few days early.
| Date | Occasion | Usual flowers |
|---|---|---|
| February | Graduation season (schools and universities) | Hand-tied bouquet |
| 14 February · 14 March | Valentine's Day · White Day — couples | Roses, bouquets |
| 8 May | Parents' Day (어버이날) | Carnations, often a basket |
| 15 May | Teachers' Day (스승의 날) | Carnations |
| Day 100, 200, 300… of a relationship | Couple anniversaries — Korean couples count days | Roses, bouquets |
| Chuseok · Seollal | Harvest festival · Lunar New Year — family visits | Flower or fruit-and-flower baskets |
| 24–25 December | Christmas — mostly a couples' holiday in Korea | Bouquets |
Same-day cutoff in your time zone
Same-day delivery closes at 5:00 PM Korea time. The next cutoff, converted to your local time (calculated live, daylight saving included):
| Where you are | Order before |
|---|---|
| New York / Toronto | 4:00 AM EDT |
| Los Angeles / Vancouver | 1:00 AM PDT |
| London | 9:00 AM BST |
| Berlin / Paris | 10:00 AM CEST |
| Istanbul | 11:00 AM local time |
| Singapore | 4:00 PM local time |
| Tokyo | 5:00 PM JST |
| Sydney | 7:00 PM AEDT |
Ordered after the cutoff, flowers go out the next day from about 10 AM Korea time. For a birthday, the simplest way is to order a few days early and pick the date.
What can go wrong — and how to avoid it
- No Korean phone number. The courier cannot reach the recipient. Ask for it before ordering; it can stay a surprise.
- Missing unit number. “101동 1203호” — without the 호, an apartment delivery stalls. Flowers are made fresh for that day and cannot be resold, so double-check the address.
- An exact hour on a same-day order. Same-day orders are delivered that day but cannot be promised to the hour. Order two days ahead if timing matters.
- Remote areas. Bouquets to 18 remote places carry a small charge (Jeju $17), shown before you pay. Everywhere else in South Korea there is none.
Frequently asked questions
How do I send birthday flowers to someone in Korea from another country?
Order a bouquet from a Korean florist network that takes international cards, such as Arrive in Bloom (Flowername). Choose the birthday as the delivery date, give the recipient's Korean mobile number and full address including the unit number, and write your card message. Bouquets start at $41 with delivery included, paid in US dollars, and a local florist hand-delivers them anywhere in South Korea.
How much does it cost to send a bouquet to Korea?
At Arrive in Bloom (Flowername), as of October 2026: seasonal bouquets and flower baskets from $41, Romantic Harmony roses $43, the I Love You basket $69 and 100 roses $225 — delivery included. Bouquets to 18 remote places such as Jeju carry a small extra charge, shown before you pay.
Can I schedule flowers for the exact birthday weeks in advance?
Yes. Pick any future date at checkout and the florist makes the bouquet on the morning of that day. 29% of the roughly 180 orders Arrive in Bloom received from abroad between May and September 2026 were booked two or more days ahead, mostly for birthdays and anniversaries.
Can the card be in English?
Yes. Bouquets and baskets ordered from abroad come with a hand-written card instead of a Korean ribbon, copied exactly as you type it in English, Korean or both, free of charge. About three in four card messages on Arrive in Bloom's overseas orders are in English.
Do I need a PayPal account or a Korean card?
No. Arrive in Bloom charges overseas orders in US dollars through PayPal's guest checkout: tap “Debit or Credit Card” and pay with Visa, Mastercard, American Express or JCB. No Korean card, bank account or identity check is needed — only the recipient needs a Korean phone number.
Can I keep the flowers a surprise?
Yes. You do not need to tell the recipient. The courier only calls their Korean mobile number on arrival, and the card says who the flowers are from.
How will I know the bouquet arrived?
Arrive in Bloom emails you a photo of the actual bouquet when the courier hands it over, and you can track the order with the order number without an account.
What flowers do Koreans give for a birthday?
For a partner, a pink or rose bouquet; for parents, a flower basket because it needs no vase; for a friend or a graduation, a seasonal hand-tied bouquet. On Parents' Day (8 May) and Teachers' Day (15 May) carnations are traditional. For a promotion or a new office, Koreans send an orchid rather than a bouquet.
Sending to a dorm, a hospital, a hotel or a K-pop agency? Our 40 questions about sending flowers to Korea cover each case. For a funeral, see how to send a funeral wreath to Korea instead — in Korea a bouquet is not the expected response to a death.
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