The 40 Best Things to Write in a 30th Birthday Card

Reaching the big three-zero is a huge deal. As a good friend once put it, turning 30 marks the change from being a “baby adult” to being an “real adult.”

Turning 30 can make people panic as they start to reflect on what they’ve achieved.

They’ll wonder whether they should have their lives more together than they do…should they be the kind of person who has a house guestbook for people to write in?

Should they be greeting their friends with something a little more mature than “What’s good?”

If the person you’re writing a card for has a good sense of humor and is always up for a laugh, send them a card with a funny note or a witty one-liner.

However, if the newly minted 30-year-old in your life needs to be given a bit of a pep talk about how to handle the aging process, keep your card sincere.

Ultimately though, there’s a good way to wish everyone a happy 30th, so read through this list to select an appropriate message for the person you know.

The 40 best things to write in a 30th birthday card

Happy 30th! I hope you have a lovely day.
You’ve achieved so much in your first 30 years, and I can’t wait to see what you get up to in the next 30.
I hope your 30th birthday celebrations are as fun and full of life as you are.
Congratulations on your 30th birthday. I hope you have a great day and an even better year.
Sending you all the birthday love in the world on your 30th!
A toast to your 30 years of life and the many more to come.
Happy birthday! I hope 30 treats you well.
You deserve to have an incredible 30th birthday.
Happy 30th birthday…you’re just getting started!
I hope you have a spectacular year, full of excitement, love, and fulfilment.
You’ve made it to the big three-oh!
Wishing you a wonderful 30th birthday! May this year be a blessed one.
Happy birthday! You’re old now.
We had our doubts, but in spite of all the evidence that pointed against it, you’ve safely made it to 30.
Happy 30th, James. Welcome to the beginning of the end.
30 looks great on you (but not as good as 20 did).
Happy 30th birthday! Or are you turning 29 again?
It’s all uphill from here!
Happy birthday gramps!
Say goodbye to your twenties…trust me, you’re going to miss them terribly.
Welcome to your 30s! Get ready to spend a lot more time thinking about your skincare routine, your achy joints, and your loss of tolerance for drinking.
Happy 30th…you’re aging like a fine wine!
Happy birthday, 30-year-old…at least you’re still young at heart.
A little bird told me you crossed the 30-year line. Oh well…you’ve had a good run.
30 years ago today, a legend was born.
Welcome to 30. May this be a decade filled with all the good things.
I am so proud of the brilliant, conscientious, and caring person you’ve become.
The compassionate, open, and loving way you approach life is an inspiration to me. I hope you have a wonderful 30th birthday.
You’ve achieved an incredible amount in your thirty years. You light up every room you enter.
30 years young today! But you’ve always been wise beyond your years.
Happy 30th dear! Another year has passed, but you just keep getting kinder, funnier, and more hard-working.
Inside and out, you are a beautiful person. Congratulations on entering your third decade of life.
Life doesn’t begin at 30…but it does begin to show.
Thirty, flirty, and thriving at coming to terms with the fact that this is all there is.
Thirty, flirty, and….dying of a hangover.
Thirty, flirty, and…why are you crying?!
Just think about it like this: You’re 21 with 9 years of experience.
Happy 5th anniversary of your 25th birthday!
Welcome to 30, where you’ll realize that as your age goes up, your stamina goes down.
But if you’re thirty…why are you still so immature?

The classiest messages for a 30th birthday card

How you congratulate someone on this important milestone depends on the nature of two relationships: Your relationship to the birthday gal (or guy) and their relationship to their new age.

Some people rejoice at saying sayonara to their twenties, which are often a turbulent time. Others, however, feel like 30 marks the end of youth and they despair at losing that all-important two in front of their age.

So, while funny birthday messages are great, they might not always be appropriate. When the person crossing from the second to the third decade of their life isn’t a close friend, it might not be advisable to crack a joke about how old and withered they look.

If you’re attending the 30th birthday of a co-worker, or a friend of a new partner, it is wise to stick to traditional well wishes.

Here are a few warm and classic birthday greetings for a thirty-year-old you like…but aren’t close enough to to crack jokes at their expense.

1. Happy 30th! I hope you have a lovely day.

This birthday message is as basic as they come. It makes a classic inscription for a simple card that you place on the present table along with your gift at a big birthday to-do.

It contains all the necessary elements of a well wish: It expresses that you hope the person being celebrated has a happy birthday.

Unless you’re close to the person whose party it is, you don’t really need to say more.

This note is ideal for your slightly sensitive cousin, your too-sweet-for-her-own-good younger sister…or just that guy from work who takes all the coffee and doesn’t put on another pot.

2. You’ve achieved so much in your first 30 years, and I can’t wait to see what you get up to in the next 30.

This is a kind and personal birthday wish. It is flattering because it compliments a person’s achievements.

In addition to commenting on their success to date, it also makes the point that you assume they will continue to do well. It suggests that you hope to remain part of their lives for a long time.

3. I hope your 30th birthday celebrations are as fun and full of life as you are.

This is the ideal birthday card inscription for an extended family member or a casual acquaintance.

If you know someone well enough to know that they are always the life of the party, you can wish them a happy birthday by telling them you hope their day is as great as they are.

Fun-loving people are excellent company, and because of how social they are, they tend to throw big parties given even the smallest excuse. And a 30th birthday is far from a small excuse.

So, if you’re attending the 30th birthday bash of a supremely outgoing person, brace yourself for glitter galore and get ready to dance into the early hours of the morning.

And crucially, bring a card that reflects the upbeat mood of the party you’re going to…like this one.

4. Congratulations on your 30th birthday. I hope you have a great day and an even better year.

This is another standard, can’t-go-wrong birthday greeting.

Whether you’re writing a congratulatory note on someone’s social media profile or a message in an old-school card to give them in person, this message is 10/10.

5. Sending you all the birthday love in the world on your 30th!

One of the hazards of aging is that we often lose touch with people we used to be very close to. Life just gets in the way.

Are you thousands of miles away from someone you used to see every day?

Maybe you went to the same college and then parted ways, or maybe you were childhood besties and one of you moved abroad.

For a while you might have been writing postcards to each other when you were on vacation, or commenting on each other’s Instagram stories…but all that communication has dwindled.

Whatever the case, there are lots of people that we love lots but seldom get to spend quality time with.

This message is a great birthday note to write in a card for someone you care about immeasurably but who isn’t part of your day-to-day life anymore.

6. A toast to your 30 years of life and the many more to come.

This is a formal and traditional message that is appropriate for almost any occasion.

If you’re attending the birthday of a colleague or casual friend, you can’t go wrong by making a written toast to their 30 years.

Wishing them well for the years to come is a nice additional touch. You could add this on to any of the messages in this list to make your card a little longer.

7. Happy birthday! I hope 30 treats you well.

There are a surprising number of variations of the generic happy birthday greeting.

The classic elements of a birthday message are “Happy birthday,” a mention of the person’s new age, and a well wish about what you hope for their future.

This message is an ideal combination of these things that is appropriate for a wide variety of contexts.

8. You deserve to have an incredible 30th birthday.

Some people have a really, really hard time cutting themselves slack. If you want to encourage someone to let loose and enjoy their 30th birthday (it’s a big deal after all!) this is a perfect message to send them.

If a friend is ringing in the good old three-oh, try to get them to let their hair down.

At the end of the day, we only turn 30 once, and we have the rest of our lives to stress ourselves out.

Telling the type-A friend in your life they deserve to enjoy themselves may give them the kick they need to put away their work brain and soak up all the fun to be had.

9. Happy 30th birthday…you’re just getting started!

If you know that your friend, co-worker, sibling, or acquaintance is struggling with the idea of aging, use your card to tell them 30 is the new 20…or that they’re just getting going.

It’s amazing what a big effect a few little words scribbled in a card can have on our mood.

If you feel like the birthday kiddo is going to be sulking in the corner because they’re convinced their face is becoming more wrinkled by the second, you’ll need to intervene.

Using your birthday card to inject a bit of positivity into an evening is never a bad idea. If you suspect your friend is actually down in the dumps, you can get in touch to cheer them up over text too.

10. I hope you have a spectacular year, full of excitement, love, and fulfilment.

This is a warm but formal card inscription that is perfect for a friendly acquaintance.

You can adapt this message by changing the things you wish for the person celebrating their 30th. Other variations of this inscription might include wishing someone a year full of joy, love, happiness, success, adventure, or laughter.

11. You’ve made it to the big three-oh!

Congratulating someone on making it out of their twenties is a classic way of acknowledging their 30th birthday.

This would make a great message scrawled in all caps on the inside of a store-bought birthday card.

12. Wishing you a wonderful 30th birthday! May this year be a blessed one.

If you’re struggling to come up with something to write in a 30th birthday card, you can’t go wrong by wishing someone a blessed year.

The religious or spiritual element is a nice touch, particularly if the person ringing in their third decade is committed to their faith.

The funniest messages for a 30th birthday card

Okay, we’re finally about to get to the good stuff: the funny messages.

By the time you’re 30, you’ll probably have established a tight-knit social circle.

Your friend-group doesn’t have to be big, but having people we would always help, no matter the circumstances, makes us feel like an essential part of a community.

And the flipside of that kind of loyalty is that you know the best way to celebrate them and their achievements is to show off your brilliant sense of humor by making fun of them.

Here are some of the funniest ways you can wish someone a happy 30th, ranging from silly puns and lighthearted cracks to brutal takedowns.

Choice your burn level and proceed with caution.

All of these are also funny things to write in a scrapbook for a best friend if you’re making your BFF a book of memories for her (or his) birthday.

13. Happy birthday! You’re old now.

Not much needs to be said about this witty (albeit slightly cruel) 30th birthday wish.

Inscribe this in a classic birthday card to give your friend a good, healthy laugh.

This is not a card for a sensitive soul, so be selective about who you send this message to.

14. We had our doubts, but in spite of all the evidence that pointed against it, you’ve safely made it to 30.

If you were wondering how harsh these messages were going to get, this scalding roast will probably answer your question.

If you are writing a card for a friend who wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Jackass franchise, this is a great text to include in your message.

We all know that one daredevil who seems to have nine (or more) lives.

This the card for them.

15. Happy 30th, James. Welcome to the beginning of the end.

This (hilariously) bleak birthday message will be sure to bring a smile to James’s (or, whomever you send it to’s) face.

Is 30 really the beginning of the end? Hardly. But that doesn’t make this message any less funny.

16, 30 looks great on you (but not as good as 20 did).

Ouch. Right?

Funny enough to be worth the sting? Definitely.

17. Happy 30th birthday! Or are you turning 29 again?

Does one of your close friends seem to have forgotten how years work and to be stubbornly claiming the ability to time travel?

If so, this is a superb way to poke fun at their feigned amnesia.

Obviously, no one turns any age more than once, but the big three-zero seems to scare some people into pretending they aren’t already 29.

While that fib might work on some, you don’t need to pretend to go along with their silliness.

18. It’s all uphill from here!

This cheeky 30th-birthday message packs a good punch.

It’s the ideal inscription for a card for the kind of friend who is always making jokes at your expense.

19. Happy birthday gramps!

Joking that turning 30 is tantamount to becoming a grandparent is just another way to poke fun at the fact that your friend is aging.

However, be careful! People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, and you are probably no spring chicken yourself.

So only dish out the age-related jokes if you can handle hearing them in return.

20. Say goodbye to your twenties…trust me, you’re going to miss them terribly.

If you are a little bit older than the person in your life who is transitioning from their twenties to their thirties, you can speak about aging from personal experience.

This is an ideal birthday inscription for a younger sibling or cousin.

21. Welcome to your 30s! Get ready to spend a lot more time thinking about your skincare routine, your achy joints, and your loss of tolerance for drinking.

If you’re already comfortably settled in the third decade of your life, you can give your friend who’s following close on your heels some sage advice.

Prepare them for the physical changes they’re about to experience while also making them chuckle…and voilà, you have the perfect birthday card.

22. Happy 30th…you’re aging like a fine wine!

“Ah, finally!” you might be thinking, “A positive take on the aging process.”

If you want to be funny without ribbing your friend unnecessarily, this message might be more up your alley.

This message is cleverly based on the saying, “a fine wine gets better with age.”

What you’re saying is that like a wooden barrel of Merlot, your friend is only getting finer with age.

23. Happy birthday, 30-year-old…at least you’re still young at heart.

Here’s a softer, more subtle joke for a 30th birthday card. It is a classic backhanded compliment.

Calling someone young at heart is both flattering and insulting. The person receiving the card will have to decide which one it is more of.

24. A little bird told me you crossed the 30 line. Oh well…you’ve had a good run.

The underlying joke is of course that your friend’s “run” is somehow over just because they’ve celebrated their 30th birthday.

Obviously, this is a preposterous claim.

Your friend is nowhere near done with the most exciting era of their life.

But what makes this card inscription funny is that it points out how silly that common fear is.

25. 30 years ago today, a legend was born.

And here is a funny 30th birthday message that has nothing to do with making a joke out of your friend’s aging process.

Instead of being a dig at someone, it’s basically just an affectionate compliment.

And who doesn’t want to congratulate someone on turning 30 by telling them they have a big and impressive personality.

I mean, if you’re ever going to stroke someone’s ego, you might as well do it on an important birthday.

The most inspirational 30th birthday wishes

Here are a handful of sweet and meaningful birthday messages.

Maybe you want to send well wishes to one of your children. Or maybe you know that a friend or colleague has had a tough year and you want to tell them that you’ve been seriously impressed by how they dealt with the hardship they faced.

If you know that the person turning 30 is a bit sensitive about getting older, the following messages are appropriate card inscriptions.

When a big part of society is focused on trying to stay youthful forever, noting the many positives of aging when wishing someone happy birthday is a good route to take.

26. Welcome to 30. May it be a decade filled with all the good things.

This birthday wish is brimful of positivity.

Are you happy-go-lucky in everything you do? Are you always angling to make people realize just how wonderful life is?

This kind of happy message is an ideal way to bring a smile to any 30-year-old face on their big day.

What makes this message special is that it allows the person celebrating their birthday to fill in what “all the good things” are for themselves.

They could be the type who hopes their adult life will be characterized by a calm home life with children and partner, or they could be the adventurous, never-settle-down kind.

Either way, this message works, because it encourages them to make plans for the third decade of their life that will fulfil them completely…whatever that means to them.

27. I am so proud of the brilliant, conscientious, and caring young man you’ve become.

This is a perfect birthday message for a mother to send to her son or for an older sibling to inscribe in a card for their younger brother.

Of course, you can also easily send this to a daughter or sister simply by changing the gendering of the message.

28. The compassionate, open, and loving way you approach life is an inspiration to me. I hope you have a wonderful 30th birthday.

If someone lives their life in a way that inspires you and makes you want to do better yourself, it will mean a lot to them to hear that you feel that way about them.

However, life is busy, and we don’t get that many chances to tell the people we care about how we feel about them or how much we respect them.

That’s why it’s important to take advantage of the big milestones to let the people in our lives know that we’re proud of them.

Whether you’re sending an anniversary card, choosing a fool-proof message for a bachelorette card, or sending well wishes on a birthday, don’t hold back your nice words.

29. You’ve achieved an incredible amount in your thirty years. You light up every room you enter.

Is person celebrating their birthday the kind of person who has written messages on donation bricks all around your town?

If they always do right by other people, use their birthday to congratulate them on their kindness and conscientiousness.

We all age…it’s unavoidable. So, in many ways, celebrating the aging process just for the sake of it makes no sense.

What we should be focusing our messages on is what a person has achieved during the years they’ve been around.

After all, a well-spent 30 years looks very different to a poorly invested three decades.

30. 30 years young today! But you’ve always been wise beyond your years.

We don’t get that many opportunities to compliment people on how wise they are.

Two exceptions to this are when someone reaches an academic milestone and we get to compose a message for a graduation cake and when we write them a birthday card.

Unlike bridesmaid thank you cards, or baby shower thank you cards, there is no specific thing you must focus your message on in a birthday card.

Of course, you have to say, “happy birthday,” but apart from that, a birthday card is a pretty free form of correspondence.

If you want to comment on the measured and considered way that someone lives their life, their 30th birthday is a great opportunity to do so.

31. Happy 30th dear! Another year has passed, but you just keep getting kinder, funnier, and more hard-working.

This is a highly adaptable birthday card. Just swap out the characteristics of the person you’re sending the card to.

For example, you might say they’re getting, wiser, better looking, more grounded, or more knowledgeable…just to name a few alternatives.

32. Inside and out, you are a beautiful person. Congratulations on entering your third decade of life.

No one doesn’t enjoy responding to “you are beautiful.”

Complimenting someone on their birthday will boost their mood. Who knows, you may just make their whole day with this sweet message.

The wittiest 30th birthday card one-liners

If all those sincere messages just feel a bit too serious and heavy for you, you might opt for a funny one-liner instead.

Plus, if you’re giving a card in addition to a gift, you can be a little laxer about what you write in your card.

These are perfect messages for the friends in your social circle that you aren’t super close to…the kind you would always invite to social events but wouldn’t call for advice at midnight.

33. Life doesn’t begin at 30…but it does begin to show.

This will surely make your friend, family member, or co-worker crack a smile (and reveal the wrinkles around their eyes as they do).

But hey, the benefits of crow’s feet include all the wisdom and self-confidence you gain with age…and most of us wouldn’t trade that for anything.

That said, while aging is natural, we all get a little worried when wrinkles seem to appear out of nowhere.

Making light of our insecurities helps us come to terms with them. And that’s ultimately what this 30th birthday card is doing.

34. Thirty, flirty, and thriving at coming to terms with the fact that this is all there is.

The great thing about one-liners is that you don’t have to get too emotional when writing them down.

Some birthday messages require you to think long and hard about what we most want to say to someone.

Celebrating the transition to the next year of our lives is a big deal…but not everyone is a fan of deep, meaningful cards. Some people prefer to communicate in lighthearted quips and witty back-and-forths.

If your 30-year-old friend (or you) falls into this category, a shorter, funny message is a better inscription for a b-day card than a labored and cheesy expression of love and care.

35. Thirty, flirty, and….dying of a hangover.

Thirty is often considered the age when the consequences that we avoided during our youthful antics start to catch up with us.

And that is particularly true of having a sore head the morning after a big night out.

This funny variation of the saying, “Thirty, flirty, and thriving,” is a great birthday card one-liner.

36. Thirty, flirty, and…why are you crying?!

Here’s another variation on that common saying.

This card inscription makes the joke that instead of thriving, a lot of 30-year-olds are actually in the middle of having a breakdown about their ever-increasing age.

37. Just think about it like this: You’re 21 with 9 years of experience.

This witty inscription hardly requires an explanation. It’s a ludicrous joke that uses the formulaic way we talk about workplace experience to make a crack about someone’s fleeting youth.

38. Happy 5th anniversary of your 25th birthday!

This birthday card one-liner advocates ceasing to count birthdays at a desirable age and referring to every passing birthday after that as an anniversary of the chosen birthday.

39. Welcome to 30, where you’ll realize that as your age goes up, your stamina goes down.

If you’re comfortably settled into your third decade of life and have come to the terms that your twenties are no longer, you will be able to offer all sorts of advice.

That advice can either be serious…or, as in this case, not.

You might save your real advice about what it is like to enter your thirties for an in-person conversation and choose to use your card to make the birthday girl (or boy) laugh.