Diversity Visa Lottery Guide: Eligibility, Registration and Process

The Diversity Visa Lottery, officially called the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, provides a limited path to U.S. permanent residence for qualifying people chargeable to countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. The program does not require a traditional employer sponsor or a qualifying family petitioner, but selection is random and never guarantees an interview, immigrant visa, adjustment of status or green card.

Congress authorizes up to 55,000 diversity visas for each fiscal year. The number actually available may be reduced by other statutory allocations. According to the Department of State’s July 2026 Visa Bulletin, the effective DV-2026 annual limit is approximately 52,000 visas after applicable reductions.

Every program year has separate registration dates, country-eligibility rules, photo requirements, selection results and processing deadlines. Applicants should not assume that dates or eligible countries from a previous lottery will apply to a future cycle.

What Is the Diversity Visa Lottery?

Congress created the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program through the Immigration Act of 1990. Its purpose is to make immigrant visas available to people from countries that have sent comparatively fewer immigrants to the United States through specified family- and employment-based categories.

The Department of State administers the electronic entry process and randomly selects qualifying entries by geographic region. Selection creates an opportunity to apply for an immigrant visa or, for some eligible applicants already in the United States, adjustment of status.

A selected entrant must still:

• Meet the country-of-chargeability requirement.
• Satisfy the education or qualifying work-experience standard.
• Have correctly disclosed the required spouse and children on the original entry.
• Complete Form DS-260 or an eligible adjustment-of-status process.
• Have a regional case number that becomes eligible under the Visa Bulletin.
• Complete the required medical, identity, civil-document and background checks.
• Remain admissible to the United States or qualify for any legally available relief.
• Receive the visa or obtain adjustment approval before the end of the applicable fiscal year.

The process is competitive. For DV-2026, the Department of State received 20,822,624 qualified entries and registered approximately 129,516 prospective applicants, including principal selectees and their spouses and children. Those numbers should not be used to calculate a simple personal probability because the selected-person total includes derivatives and visa allocations differ by region and country.

How the DV Lottery Process Works

The Diversity Visa process contains several separate stages. Completing one stage does not guarantee access to the next.

1. Official registration: The entrant submits one electronic entry during the announced registration period.
2. Confirmation number: The entrant saves the confirmation page and number needed to check results.
3. Entrant Status Check: The entrant verifies selection only through the official DV website.
4. Eligibility review: The selectee confirms country of chargeability, education or work experience, family disclosure and other requirements.
5. Form DS-260: The selectee and immigrating derivatives complete their immigrant visa applications.
6. Visa Bulletin monitoring: The applicant tracks the regional rank-number cutoff.
7. Consular processing or adjustment: The applicant completes the applicable immigrant process.
8. Final approval before the deadline: The visa must be issued or Form I-485 approved before September 30 of the relevant fiscal year.

Who Is Eligible for the Diversity Visa Lottery?

The principal entrant must satisfy two basic requirements. The entrant must be chargeable to an eligible country under the annual instructions and must qualify through education or specified work experience.

A spouse and eligible children applying as derivatives do not independently need to meet the education or work-experience requirement. Every derivative must still establish identity, the qualifying family relationship, admissibility and eligibility for immigrant status.

Country of Chargeability

Eligibility is generally based on the applicant’s country of chargeability, which is usually the country of birth. Citizenship, passport nationality and current residence do not normally replace the country of birth for this purpose.

The Department of State publishes a separate list of eligible and ineligible countries for every DV cycle. A country that was eligible in one program may become ineligible in another, and a previously ineligible country can later become eligible. Applicants should never rely exclusively on an old list reproduced by a private website.

The annual instructions exclude natives of countries that meet the statutory high-admission calculation during the relevant five-year period. This calculation is not simply a count of every person who moved from that country to the United States.

Using a Spouse’s Country of Birth

A person born in an ineligible country may sometimes claim the country of birth of a spouse. This form of cross-chargeability is not merely a box that can be selected for convenience.

The spouses generally must be included in the same case, both must qualify for immigrant visas, and they normally must immigrate together under the applicable cross-chargeability rules. A person should not claim a spouse’s country without understanding how the joint immigration requirement affects the case.

Using a Parent’s Country of Birth

A limited exception may apply when the entrant was born in a country where neither parent was born and neither parent was legally resident at the time of the entrant’s birth. The applicant may be able to use the country of birth of one parent when all legal requirements are met.

Temporary presence by the parents can differ from legal residence. Applicants relying on this exception should be prepared to document the parents’ birthplaces, immigration status and residence at the time of birth.

Education Requirement

The principal applicant may qualify by completing a formal course of elementary and secondary education comparable to a 12-year U.S. education.

Only formal courses of study count. Informal instruction, correspondence courses and equivalency credentials such as GED-style certificates do not automatically satisfy the DV standard. At the interview, the principal applicant should be prepared to provide diplomas, transcripts or official records that establish completion of the qualifying education.

Work-Experience Requirement

An applicant who does not qualify through education may qualify through work experience. The standard is more restrictive than simply having worked for two years.

The principal applicant must have at least two years of qualifying work experience during the five years immediately preceding the DV application. The occupation must be classified by the Department of Labor as:

• O*NET Job Zone 4 or Job Zone 5; and
• Specific Vocational Preparation of 7.0 or higher.

A professional-sounding job title does not establish eligibility. The applicant must identify the appropriate occupation in the O*NET Online database and compare the actual duties and experience with the listed classification.

How to Register for the DV Lottery

The Department of State accepts entries only through the official Electronic Diversity Visa website at dvprogram.state.gov. Registration is available only during the period announced for that program year.

The traditional October-to-November schedule should not be assumed for future programs. The Department of State has specifically delayed announcement of the DV-2027 registration dates while it changes the entry process.

Diversity Visa Registration Fee

The Department of State’s current visa-service fee schedule lists a $1 Diversity Visa Registration Fee payable by the principal entrant at registration. Some existing program-entry pages still contain language stating that there is no cost to submit an entry.

Because the next registration period has not opened, entrants should follow the payment instructions displayed inside the official DV registration system when the Department of State announces the new cycle. No registration payment should be made through a personal account, cryptocurrency wallet, social-media contact or unofficial lottery website.

One Entry Per Person

Each person may submit only one entry during a registration period. Submitting more than one entry for the same person disqualifies that person from the applicable DV program year.

A married couple can legitimately receive two opportunities when each spouse qualifies and submits a separate entry. Each spouse must list the other spouse and all required children as derivatives on the individual entry.

Listing a Spouse and Children

The original entry must accurately disclose the entrant’s marital status and required family members. A legally married entrant generally must list the spouse even when the spouses are separated or the spouse does not intend to immigrate.

The entrant must generally include every living, unmarried child under age 21, including:

• Biological children.
• Legally adopted children.
• Stepchildren who qualify through a marriage occurring before the child turned 18.
• Children who live with a former spouse or another parent.
• Children who do not intend to immigrate.
• Children who are not currently living with the entrant.

A spouse or child who is already a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident generally does not need to be included as a derivative. An ex-spouse whose marriage legally ended before registration is not listed as a current spouse.

Failure to list a spouse or child who was required to appear on the initial entry can result in the denial of every diversity visa connected to the case. Adding a family member who did not legally exist at the time of entry can create misrepresentation concerns.

DV Lottery Photo Requirements

The principal entrant must upload a separate compliant photograph for the entrant, spouse and every child included in the entry. The annual instructions control, but standard electronic DV photo requirements generally include:

• A recent photograph taken within the required period.
• A square image with equal height and width.
• JPEG file format.
• 600 × 600-pixel dimensions.
• A file size of no more than 240 KB.
• A plain white or off-white background.
• Full-face presentation directly toward the camera.
• No digital manipulation that changes the applicant’s appearance.
• No eyeglasses, except in the narrow medical circumstances permitted by current rules.

Applicants should avoid reusing an old DV photograph merely because it was accepted by an upload system in a previous year. Acceptance by the website does not establish that the photograph satisfies every substantive requirement.

Save the Confirmation Number

After successful submission, the system generates a confirmation page containing a unique confirmation number. The entrant should save digital and printed copies in a secure location.

The confirmation number is required to use Entrant Status Check. A third-party preparer should not be allowed to retain exclusive control over the number, email address or account information.

How to Check DV Lottery Results

The only authoritative method for checking selection is Entrant Status Check at the official DV Program website. The Department of State does not send a letter, telephone call, text message or email announcing that a person has been selected.

An official email may direct an entrant to check the website, but it will not provide a visa approval, request payment through an email link or replace Entrant Status Check.

Scammers frequently use official-looking logos, fabricated case numbers and fake embassy addresses. Selection should be verified independently before the entrant shares documents or pays any fee.

What Selection Really Means

Selection means that the entrant may proceed with an immigrant application if eligible. It does not mean that the person has received a visa or that an interview will be scheduled.

The Department of State selects more prospective applicants than the number of available visas because some people will not proceed, will not qualify, will have high case numbers or will be refused. This practice helps the government use the annual allocation but creates a real possibility that some fully qualified selectees will never receive an interview or visa number.

What to Do After DV Lottery Selection

A selectee should move carefully but promptly. Paying fees before confirming basic eligibility can create avoidable financial loss because diversity visa fees are generally nonrefundable.

1. Verify selection: Use Entrant Status Check on the official website.
2. Review the original entry: Confirm the name, chargeability, marital status, children and photographs.
3. Confirm qualifications: Verify the principal applicant’s education or O*NET work eligibility.
4. Review admissibility: Identify criminal, immigration, medical, security or misrepresentation concerns.
5. Complete Form DS-260: Submit accurate applications for the principal and every derivative who plans to immigrate.
6. Monitor the Visa Bulletin: Follow the regional case-number cutoff.
7. Prepare civil documents: Obtain the correct records according to the Reciprocity Schedule.
8. Complete the medical examination: Use the physician authorized for the selected process.
9. Complete the case: Obtain the visa or adjustment approval before the fiscal-year deadline.

How DV Case Numbers Work

Every selected case receives a number containing a regional code and rank number. Examples of regional codes include AF for Africa, AS for Asia, EU for Europe, OC for Oceania, NA for North America and SA for South America and the Caribbean.

The rank number determines the case’s position within the regional allocation. The Department of State publishes monthly cutoff numbers in the Visa Bulletin.

When the bulletin publishes a numerical cutoff, visas are available only to qualifying cases with rank numbers below that cutoff. When a region is listed as current, qualifying cases in that region are not restricted by a regional cutoff at that time, although annual and per-country limits still apply.

A low case number can improve the possibility of earlier processing but does not guarantee approval. A high number may never become eligible. Cutoffs can advance, remain unchanged or become unavailable as the Department of State manages the annual allocation.

→ Complete Visa Bulletin and Priority Dates Guide

Completing Form DS-260

After confirming selection and basic eligibility, a selectee who intends to immigrate should generally complete Form DS-260 promptly. It is not necessary to wait until the case number appears below a Visa Bulletin cutoff before submitting the form.

The Kentucky Consular Center must process a complete DS-260 before a consular interview can be scheduled. Scheduling also requires case-number availability and interview capacity at the assigned post.

Form DS-260 requests detailed information about:

• Identity and prior names.
• Addresses and residence history.
• Education and employment.
• Travel and immigration history.
• Spouse, parents and children.
• Military service.
• Criminal and security information.
• Prior visa applications and refusals.
• The intended U.S. address.
• Social-media identifiers requested by the form.

Each immigrating spouse and child requires a separate DS-260. Errors should be corrected through the procedure permitted by KCC or the consular post rather than concealed during the interview.

Diversity Visa Supporting Documents

DV selectees generally prepare their supporting documents for presentation at the interview. Since DV-2024, applicants generally have not been required to send civil documents to KCC before the interview unless specifically instructed otherwise.

Applicants must still follow any pre-interview document-submission or prescreening instructions issued by the embassy handling the case.

Commonly required records include:

• Passport valid for the required period.
• Entrant Status Check appointment information.
• DS-260 confirmation page.
• Long-form birth certificate.
• Marriage certificate.
• Divorce decrees or death certificates ending prior marriages.
• Adoption and custody records when applicable.
• Military records.
• Court and prison records for every arrest or conviction.
• Police certificates.
• Evidence of qualifying education or work experience for the principal applicant.
• Certified English translations when required.
• Photographs meeting immigrant visa specifications.
• Financial evidence requested by the consular post.

Police Certificate Rules

Police-certificate requirements depend on nationality, residence and arrest history. The general Department of State rules include:

Country or Circumstance	When a Police Certificate Is Generally Required
Country of nationality	When the applicant is age 16 or older and lived there for more than six months
Current country of residence, if different from nationality	When the applicant lived there for more than six months after turning 16
Previous country of residence	When the applicant lived there for more than 12 months after turning 16
Any country where the applicant was arrested	Regardless of age or length of residence
United States	Present and former U.S. residents generally do not obtain a U.S. police certificate

Availability, format, issuing authority and validity are controlled by the official Reciprocity and Civil Documents Schedule.

Diversity Visa Medical Examination

Every immigrant applicant must complete the medical process required for the chosen pathway. An examination performed by an unauthorized doctor will not satisfy the immigration requirement.

Medical Examination for Consular Processing

A consular applicant must use a panel physician authorized by the U.S. embassy or consulate. The examination normally occurs before the interview and can include:

• Medical-history review.
• Physical examination.
• Age-appropriate laboratory testing.
• Chest X-ray when required.
• Review of vaccination records.
• Administration of missing required vaccines.
• Evaluation of health-related grounds of inadmissibility.

The physician sets the local fee, and vaccines or additional tests may cost extra. The validity of the immigrant visa is commonly limited by the medical examination and may be shorter than six months.

Medical Examination for Adjustment of Status

An adjustment applicant uses a USCIS-designated civil surgeon and follows the current Form I-693 instructions. A panel physician and a civil surgeon perform different roles and are not interchangeable.

DV Consular Processing

Most selectees complete the process through a U.S. embassy or consulate. Under current Department of State rules, immigrant visa interviews are generally assigned according to the applicant’s country of residence or, when properly requested and permitted, country of nationality. Applicants from countries without routine immigrant visa operations use a designated processing post.

The principal stages are:

1. Submit Form DS-260.
2. Wait until the regional case number becomes eligible.
3. Receive an interview appointment through Entrant Status Check.
4. Follow the assigned embassy’s instructions.
5. Complete the panel-physician medical examination.
6. Prepare original civil records and translations.
7. Pay the DV application fee.
8. Attend the interview.
9. Complete additional processing when required.
10. Receive the visa and enter the United States before its expiration.

An interview does not guarantee visa issuance. A consular officer may refuse the application under Section 221(g) for additional documents or administrative processing. A case can also be denied because the applicant fails to meet the DV qualifications or is inadmissible.

Under the issuance guidance currently in effect, consular interviews may continue but diversity visas are not being issued. There are no announced exceptions to the pause.

→ Complete Consular Processing and Immigrant Visa Interview Guide

DV Adjustment of Status

A selected entrant physically present in the United States may be able to request permanent residence through Form I-485. Adjustment is not available merely because the person is in the country or was selected.

The applicant must satisfy the applicable adjustment-of-status requirements, which can include:

• Physical presence in the United States.
• A qualifying inspection and admission or parole.
• Immediate availability of a DV number.
• Eligibility under Section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
• Compliance with status and employment rules unless a legal exception applies.
• Admissibility to the United States.
• Submission of the required Department of State DV fee.
• A properly filed Form I-485 package.
• Completion of biometrics, Form I-693 and any USCIS interview.
• USCIS approval no later than September 30 of the applicable fiscal year.

USCIS cannot approve a DV adjustment after the end of the fiscal year. Beginning October 1, USCIS must deny a Diversity Visa adjustment application that remains pending from the previous program year.

USCIS currently instructs its officers to hold and review pending DV adjustment cases under strengthened screening procedures. The hold does not suspend the September 30 statutory deadline.

A person with expired status, unauthorized employment, entry without inspection, unlawful presence or another immigration violation should not assume that departing for consular processing will solve the problem. Departure can trigger inadmissibility bars or other consequences.

→ Complete Form I-485 Adjustment of Status Guide

Diversity Visa Fees

The DV registration, consular and adjustment processes involve different payments.

Consular Processing Costs

• DV application fee: $330 for every person applying for a diversity immigrant visa.
• Medical examination: Private local fee set by the panel physician.
• Vaccinations and additional tests: Charged separately when required.
• USCIS immigrant fee: Generally paid after visa issuance to produce the physical green card.
• Civil documents and translations: Amounts vary by country and provider.
• Travel and courier service: Vary by consular post and applicant location.

The $330 DV fee is nonrefundable and applies to the principal applicant and each derivative. There is no separate general $100 diversity visa issuance fee.

Adjustment of Status Costs

• The Department of State Diversity Visa fee for each adjusting applicant.
• The current Form I-485 filing fee.
• The civil-surgeon medical examination.
• Optional Form I-765 employment authorization fee.
• Optional Form I-131 travel-document fee.
• Translations, photographs and civil documents.

Applicants should verify current amounts immediately before filing through the U.S. Visa and Immigration Fees Guide and the official USCIS Form G-1055 schedule.

Grounds of Inadmissibility

Selection does not protect an applicant from the general grounds of inadmissibility. Potential issues include:

• Certain communicable diseases or missing required vaccinations.
• Criminal convictions and controlled-substance violations.
• Fraud or willful misrepresentation.
• Prior false claims to U.S. citizenship.
• Unlawful presence and prior immigration violations.
• Removal or deportation orders.
• Security and terrorism-related grounds.
• Smuggling or document fraud.
• Public-charge concerns under the rules applicable at the time.

Waiver options can be more limited in a DV case because the process has no extension beyond the end of the fiscal year. A waiver application that remains unresolved after September 30 cannot preserve the diversity selection for a later year.

→ Form I-601 Waiver and Grounds of Inadmissibility Guide

Financial Evidence for DV Applicants

Diversity Visa cases do not normally use the mandatory Form I-864 Affidavit of Support required in many family-sponsored immigrant cases. A consular officer must still determine that the applicant is not inadmissible under the financial rules in effect at the time.

Depending on the applicant and consular post, useful evidence can include:

• Personal savings and bank records.
• Property or other assets.
• A credible U.S. job offer.
• Professional qualifications and employment history.
• Evidence of housing arrangements.
• Financial assistance from relatives or friends.
• Form I-134 when requested or appropriate.

No single document guarantees a favorable public-charge determination. The officer evaluates the applicable law and the totality of the evidence.

Spouses, Children and CSPA

A principal selectee’s spouse and qualifying unmarried children may apply as derivative immigrants. They can immigrate with the principal or later during the same fiscal year.

“Follow to join” does not extend Diversity Visa eligibility beyond September 30. A derivative who does not receive a visa or adjustment approval by that date loses eligibility through the DV selection.

A child who turns 21 may receive limited protection under the Child Status Protection Act. The DV calculation can account for part of the program’s registration period and the date on which a visa becomes available. The child must remain unmarried and generally must take qualifying action to seek permanent residence within the required period.

CSPA calculations are technical and can be affected by Visa Bulletin movement, the exact date of availability and whether the child took timely action. Families with a child approaching age 21 should obtain individualized advice early in the process.

DV Lottery Scams and Fraud Warnings

The Diversity Visa Program attracts scams because selection is random, registration periods are limited and applicants may be unfamiliar with U.S. government procedures.

Fake Selection Notices

The Department of State does not notify selectees by email, text, telephone or postal letter. Results are checked through Entrant Status Check.

Confirmation Number Extortion

An intermediary may submit the entry using an email address the entrant does not control, retain the confirmation number and later demand additional money to reveal whether the person was selected.

Duplicate Entries

An unauthorized service may submit a second entry without telling the applicant, causing the person to be disqualified from that program year.

Guaranteed Selection Claims

No attorney, travel agency, consultant, embassy employee or government contact can improve the random selection probability. Legitimate professionals may charge for assistance, but they cannot guarantee selection or visa approval.

Unofficial Payment Requests

Government fees should be paid only through the method identified by the official registration system, embassy, Department of State or USCIS. Requests for payment through cryptocurrency, gift cards or a personal bank account are warning signs.

After Diversity Visa Approval

A person who enters the United States with a valid diversity immigrant visa becomes a lawful permanent resident upon admission by CBP. A person who completes adjustment becomes a permanent resident on the date USCIS approves Form I-485.

A permanent resident may generally live and work in the United States and may sponsor certain relatives under the family-based immigration system. Permanent residence also creates responsibilities involving U.S. taxes, residence, address changes and compliance with immigration law.

The physical green card is usually issued with a 10-year expiration date. Expiration of the card does not automatically end permanent resident status, but the resident must maintain valid evidence of that status.

Long absences can create questions about abandonment of residence. A reentry permit may help document an intention to return, but it does not guarantee admission or preserve continuous residence for naturalization.

Most Diversity Visa immigrants become eligible to apply for naturalization after five years of permanent residence if they satisfy continuous residence, physical presence, good moral character, English, civics and other requirements.

The September 30 Deadline Cannot Be Extended

Every Diversity Visa selection exists only for the fiscal year assigned to that program. DV-2026 eligibility ends on September 30, 2026. DV-2027 eligibility, for people ultimately selected under that program, is scheduled to end on September 30, 2027.

After the deadline:

• The Department of State cannot issue a Diversity Visa from that program year.
• USCIS cannot approve a Diversity Visa adjustment from that program year.
• A pending administrative-processing case cannot carry into the next fiscal year.
• A pending waiver does not preserve DV eligibility.
• A spouse or child cannot receive derivative DV status after the deadline.
• Government fees are not refunded merely because the fiscal year ended.

Visa numbers can also be exhausted before September 30. Applicants should act promptly while avoiding rushed submissions, false information or payments made before confirming eligibility.

Official Sources and Next Steps

Registration dates, eligible countries and annual instructions should be obtained directly from the Department of State Diversity Visa Program page. Entries and selection results should be handled only through dvprogram.state.gov.

Selected entrants should review the monthly Visa Bulletin, the instructions issued through Entrant Status Check and the requirements published by the assigned embassy or USCIS. Information from previous program years should be treated as historical unless confirmed in the current instructions.

For a broader comparison of permanent residence categories, review How to Get a U.S. Green Card: All Pathways Explained. For the overall immigration process, use the U.S. Visa and Immigration Application Process Guide.