Sending Flowers Abroad to Russia: A Guide from Our Florists
Sending flowers abroad works by ordering online for delivery in the recipient's country: the bouquet is made there and taken to the door by a courier, so nothing has to cross a border. You pay from home, choose the date and time, and add a personal card. If your recipient lives in Russia, Pyat Tsvetov delivers across the country and accepts foreign bank cards.
We have run flower shops in Saint Petersburg since 2011, and a large share of our orders now come from people living in Germany, Israel, the USA, the UK and elsewhere who want to reach parents, friends or colleagues in Russia. The advice below comes from their most frequent questions: payment, timing across time zones, choosing a bouquet you have never seen in person and wording the card.
Paying from another country
The first thing customers abroad ask is whether their card will work. Payment is made online on the site, and foreign bank cards are accepted through Robokassa. Customers with Russian cards can also pay by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay. You do not need a Russian phone number or account to place the order; you only need the recipient's details.
Delivery within a city costs 500 RUB. For remote districts and suburbs the operator confirms the price when confirming the order, so you see the full amount before the bouquet goes out. Keep in mind that your bank converts the payment from roubles at its own rate, which may differ slightly from the rate you see in currency apps.
All the conditions are collected on the delivery and payment page. If something about the payment is unclear, it is quickest to call 8 (812) 507-67-05 before ordering rather than after.
Timing across time zones
Russia spans eleven time zones, and customers abroad often plan by their own clock. Saint Petersburg and Moscow are on UTC+3 all year with no daylight saving, so in winter they are three hours ahead of London and two hours ahead of Berlin, and eight hours ahead of New York. Cities in Siberia and the Far East are further ahead still, which means a 'morning' delivery there may be the middle of your night.
In large cities express delivery takes 1-2 hours after the order is confirmed. For a planned occasion it is better to choose an exact time with an accuracy of about 30 minutes, a window of 09-12, 12-15, 15-18 or 18-21, or to pre-order 1-30 days ahead. Pre-ordering is especially useful when you live far behind Moscow time: you place the order during your day, and it arrives in the recipient's morning.
In Saint Petersburg delivery runs around the clock, so a bouquet can arrive late in the evening or at midnight on a birthday. For other cities, plan within the standard windows.
Bouquets we can deliver
Choosing a bouquet you will not see in person
Customers abroad cannot walk into the shop and point at flowers, so we always suggest choosing by shape and palette rather than by a specific stem count. Look through the bouquets catalogue and note the general style: compact round bouquets, tall airy arrangements, monobouquets of one flower or mixed seasonal compositions. Then think about where it will stand; a large bouquet in a small flat is more of a burden than a pleasure.
Seasonality matters for freshness and for meaning. Tulips and mimosa are the flowers of early spring and 8 March, peonies appear in June, and autumn is the time for chrysanthemums, dahlias and warm orange and burgundy tones. Roses and alstroemeria are available all year and travel well across a big city.
For older relatives, choose calm colours and a moderate scent. For a colleague or a business contact, a neutral bouquet in white, cream or green is always appropriate. Younger recipients usually appreciate something less traditional, such as a monobouquet or a bright, loosely gathered mix.
Russian flower etiquette worth knowing
In Russia a bouquet for a living person has an odd number of stems; even numbers are associated with funerals. The rule matters most for small bouquets of up to about fifteen stems and for older recipients, who notice it immediately. If you specify a number yourself, choose 5, 7, 9 or 11.
Some flowers carry associations that customers abroad do not expect. Red carnations are tied to Victory Day and memorials, so they suit 9 May and veterans rather than a birthday. Some people of the older generation still see yellow flowers as a sign of parting, while chrysanthemums, which are funeral flowers in parts of Europe, are a cheerful autumn gift in Russia.
The key flower dates are 8 March, the busiest day of the year, 1 September, when schoolchildren bring bouquets to teachers, and Mother's Day on the last Sunday of November. For these days order several days in advance. Our separate guide on sending flowers to Russia from the USA, UK or Europe covers more holiday dates.
The card and the address
A card with your text is free, and for many recipients abroad it is the most important part of the gift. Write two or three warm sentences and, if the recipient speaks Russian, consider adding a short phrase in Russian, such as 'S dnyom rozhdeniya' for a birthday. Delivery is anonymous by default and the courier does not name the sender, so sign the card if you want to be recognised.
Give the address in full: city, street, building, flat, and, for apartment blocks, the entrance number, floor and intercom code. Add the recipient's phone number with the country code, because the courier calls about 15 minutes before arrival. A wrong flat number or a switched-off phone causes more delays than traffic does.
Think about the moment of delivery as well. A bouquet handed over at the office in front of colleagues feels different from one that arrives at home in the evening, and elderly parents are often happiest with a morning delivery when they are rested and at home. If the recipient works shifts or travels a lot, a pre-ordered time window agreed in advance with a family member is the safest choice.
If the recipient is not at home
If nobody answers the door, we agree a second delivery on the same day, or, with the sender's consent, hand the flowers to a neighbour or a concierge. Customers abroad often prefer to warn a family member, so that someone is at home for a surprise delivery without spoiling it.
Once the flowers are in the vase, a few simple steps keep them fresh: trim the stems at an angle, use cool clean water, change it every one or two days and keep the vase away from radiators. In Russian flats central heating dries the air in winter, and a cooler room adds several days to a bouquet. For questions about an order you can call 8 (812) 507-67-05.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay with a foreign bank card?
Yes. Foreign bank cards are accepted through Robokassa when you pay on the site. Russian cards, SBP and Yandex Pay also work.
How much does delivery in Russia cost?
Delivery within a city costs 500 RUB. For remote districts and suburbs the operator confirms the price when confirming the order.
Can flowers be delivered at night in Saint Petersburg?
Yes. In Saint Petersburg delivery runs around the clock. In other cities you can choose an exact time, a time window or express delivery in 1-2 hours in large cities.
Will the recipient know the flowers are from me?
Delivery is anonymous by default and the courier does not name the sender. Sign the free card if you want the recipient to know.
How far in advance can I order?
You can pre-order 1-30 days ahead. For 8 March, 1 September and other busy dates it is best to order several days early.
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