Flat Number and Entry Code: What to Fill In for Delivery in Russia

You have chosen a beautiful bouquet, written a heartfelt message, and confirmed the delivery time. Then the address form appears, and suddenly there are four or five fields you were not expecting — entrance number, floor, intercom code, building block. If you leave any of them blank, the courier may stand outside a locked door with roses slowly losing their chill. This guide walks you through every field, explains what each one means in a Russian urban address, and shows you exactly how to fill them in so the flowers arrive fresh, on time, and straight to the right door.

Why Russian Addresses Have So Many Fields

In most Western countries, a street address and a flat number are enough to find someone. Russian cities work differently, and once you understand why, the extra fields make complete sense. Soviet-era urban planning produced enormous residential complexes where a single postal address can contain dozens of separate entrance doors, multiple building blocks, and hundreds of apartments spread across fifteen or more floors. A courier arriving at the street level of one of these complexes without precise information faces a genuine maze. There may be six separate entrance doors along the same facade, each serving a different stairwell and a different set of flats. Without knowing which entrance leads to flat 247, the courier has to guess or call repeatedly, which costs time and warmth. Fresh flowers are sensitive to temperature shifts. In winter, standing outside a Saint Petersburg building while waiting for a callback can drop the temperature of a bouquet by several degrees, causing petal bruising on roses and making ranunculus droop faster than they should. In summer, a courier waiting in direct sun faces the opposite problem. Every minute matters. Filling in the address fields completely is not bureaucratic formality — it is the single most effective thing you can do to ensure the flowers arrive looking exactly as they did when they left our studio. Think of the address form as part of the gift itself.

Bouquets we can deliver

Bouquet of 1 yellow sunflowers

$12

Bouquet of 3 gerberas mix

$20

Bouquet of 3 red gerberas

$20

Bouquet of 3 white matthiola

$22

The Apartment Number Field — More Than Just a Number

The apartment number, or kvartira in Russian, is usually the first and most obvious field. It identifies the specific dwelling within a building and is always a number, sometimes reaching into the hundreds in large complexes. Enter it exactly as it appears on the resident's door or mailbox. Do not confuse it with the floor number or the entrance number — these are separate fields for a reason. One common mistake is writing the flat number with a prefix such as 'apt' or 'kv' — the form already knows what the field means, so just the number is correct. If you are sending flowers to someone in a new development, ask them for their official flat number rather than the marketing unit number the developer used during sales, as these can differ. For older Soviet buildings, apartment numbers typically run sequentially through the entire building rather than resetting per floor, so flat 89 might be on the fifth floor of entrance three. This is perfectly normal and our couriers are familiar with the pattern. If the recipient lives in a communal apartment, which still exists in some older parts of Saint Petersburg and other historic city centres, there may be a room number within the flat. In that case, add the room number in the comments field rather than the apartment field, and note that it is a communal arrangement so the courier knows to ring the correct bell on a shared door panel.

Entrance Number — The Field That Saves the Most Time

The entrance, called podyezd in Russian, is the specific door on the exterior of the building that leads to a particular stairwell. In a building with four entrances, each entrance door is numbered, and each one gives access to a completely different set of flats. Entrance one might serve flats one through thirty, entrance two serves thirty-one through sixty, and so on — though the exact grouping varies by building age and layout. If you do not specify the entrance number, the courier must either call the recipient, check the intercom panel for a directory, or try each door in sequence. None of these options is ideal when the goal is a smooth, surprise delivery. Ask the recipient for their entrance number in advance, or check with them casually without revealing the surprise — you can frame it as needing their full address for a parcel. Most people in Russia know their entrance number instinctively because they use it every day. In newer residential developments, entrances are sometimes labelled with letters rather than numbers, or marked by the range of flats they serve on a sign beside the door. If that is the case, note it in the comments field alongside the number. Buildings in central Saint Petersburg, particularly pre-revolutionary ones, sometimes have a courtyard entrance that is different from the street-facing door. If the resident enters their building through a courtyard archway rather than directly from the pavement, mention this clearly — it changes the entire approach route for the courier.

Floor Number — Helping the Courier Move Fast

Including the floor number speeds up the final stage of delivery considerably. Once inside the correct entrance, a courier carrying a large bouquet wrapped in kraft paper and a water-filled base needs to know whether to take the lift to the third floor or climb to the twelfth. Russian residential buildings typically have lifts in anything above five storeys, but lift availability and size vary. A courier with a tall arrangement of branches, such as a composition featuring cherry blossom or eucalyptus stems, may need to angle the bouquet carefully in a small lift cabin. Knowing the floor in advance allows them to plan this. Floor numbering in Russia follows the European convention: the ground floor is the first floor, not the zeroth. So if someone says they live on the fifth floor, that means five flights up from street level. This is worth noting if you are used to the British system where the ground floor and the first floor are different things, or the American system where the ground floor is always called the first floor — in Russia, ground equals first, and there is no ambiguity. Mezzanine levels exist in some older buildings, particularly converted commercial spaces or pre-revolutionary mansions divided into apartments. If the recipient mentions a half-floor or a mezzanine, add that detail in the comments so the courier is not confused when the lift buttons do not match the expected floor. A quick note goes a long way.

The Intercom Code — The Most Critical Field of All

The door code, called domofon in Russian, is the electronic intercom system that controls access to the building entrance. Almost every residential building in a Russian city installed these systems from the 1990s onward, and they are now universal in urban areas. Without the correct code, the courier cannot enter the building at all. The domofon typically has a keypad on the exterior of the entrance door. To reach a specific flat, you dial the flat number and the resident buzzes you in. However, many residents disable the call function or do not hear it, particularly during work hours. Many buildings also have a master code — a short number sequence that opens the door directly without calling any flat. This master code is what you should request from the recipient and enter into the door code field. It is usually a three to six digit number, sometimes followed by the letter B or K on the keypad. Ask the recipient for this code when you confirm the delivery address. Most people share it freely because it is a building-wide code rather than a personal one. If the building has a security desk or a concierge instead of an automated intercom, note that in the comments and include the concierge's name if you know it. Our courier will introduce themselves, show the order details, and the concierge will direct them to the right flat. In gated residential complexes, which are increasingly common in newer developments across Russian cities, there may be a barrier code at the vehicle entrance as well as a separate door code for the building itself. Provide both.

Building Block and Corpus — When One Address Has Multiple Buildings

Many large residential developments in Russia consist of several physically separate buildings that share a single street address. These are distinguished by a corpus number or a stroenie number, both meaning something close to building block. You might see an address written as ulitsa Lenina 14, korpus 2, which means the second of several buildings at number 14 on that street. From the outside, these buildings can look identical, stand close together, and share the same courtyard. Without the corpus number, a courier arriving at the right street and number may still be standing in front of the wrong building entirely. The corpus number is usually displayed on a plaque on the building facade, sometimes at eye level near the entrance and sometimes higher up near the roofline. It may also appear on the intercom panel. If you are ordering flowers for someone and you are not certain whether their address includes a corpus number, it is always worth asking. A simple message — can you confirm your full address including building block — takes thirty seconds and prevents a delivery delay. Stroenie and korpus are technically different designations in Russian municipal addressing, with slightly different legal meanings in the property registry, but for delivery purposes they function identically. Enter whichever one the recipient gives you into the corresponding field. If your address form only has one field for building block, enter the number there and specify in the comments whether it is a korpus or stroenie if you know, though in practice our couriers recognise both conventions without difficulty.

Comments Field — Your Safety Net for Anything Unusual

Every address form worth using has a free-text comments field, and for Russian urban delivery it is genuinely valuable. Use it for anything that does not fit neatly into the structured fields. Common examples include a gate code that is separate from the building intercom, a note that the lift is out of service, a request to call the recipient five minutes before arrival rather than ringing the doorbell, or a detail like the building entrance faces the courtyard rather than the street. If the recipient has a dog that reacts to doorbells, mention it. If the flowers are a surprise and you need the courier to hand them to a neighbour first, explain the arrangement clearly. The comments field is also the right place to note any access restriction that applies to the time of delivery. Some residential complexes restrict vehicle entry during morning rush hours. Some buildings have a security checkpoint that requires the courier to show identification. Some newer developments have a parcel locker room on the ground floor, and if the recipient prefers the flowers left there with a notification, that instruction belongs in the comments. Think of the comments field as a brief conversation with the courier before they set off. The more clearly you write it, the more smoothly the handover goes. Keep it factual and specific rather than general — instead of writing 'the building is a bit confusing,' write 'entrance three is around the left side of the building facing the parking area, not visible from the street.' That kind of detail makes the difference between a confident delivery and a hesitant one.

Getting the address right is genuinely one of the most loving things you can do when sending flowers to someone in Russia. The bouquet you choose speaks for you, but the address details are what carry it safely to the door. A few minutes spent confirming the entrance number, the intercom code, and the corpus number with the recipient — even if it means a small hint about an incoming delivery — is always worth it. Flowers arrive at their best when they travel quickly and without interruption, and a complete address is the clearest path to that. We deliver bouquets across Russia in 1–2 hours.