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Explore visasDS-260Full guide

DVDiversity visa (green card lottery)

For people born in countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S. who enter the State Department's yearly random drawing for an immigrant visa.

At a glance

How you apply
Submit one entry online during the State Department's yearly registration period. If you are selected, you apply for an immigrant visa on Form DS-260; if you are already in the U.S., you may instead apply to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to adjust status on Form I-485 High confidence
Checked Oct 18, 2026[1,2]
Who qualifies
People born in (or chargeable to) a country eligible for that year's program who have at least a high school education or its equivalent, or two years of qualifying work experience within the five years before they apply for the visa
Checked Oct 18, 2026[2]
What you get
If your application is approved: an immigrant visa and permanent residence (a green card). Selection counts for one fiscal year only: the visa must be issued, or adjustment of status completed, by September 30 of that year, and nothing carries over
Checked Oct 22, 2026[2,3]
Family
Your spouse (DV2) and unmarried children under 21 (DV3) can apply for diversity visas with you, or follow you later in the same fiscal year
Checked Oct 18, 2026[2,4]
Fees
$1 registration fee for the entry; $330 Diversity Visa Lottery application fee if you are selected and apply. Other fees depend on whether you apply abroad or in the U.S. (see Fees)
Checked Oct 18, 2026[1,5]

Overview

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV Program), often called the green card lottery, makes up to 50,000 immigrant visas available each year. They are drawn by random selection from all entries, for people from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. The U.S. Department of State runs the program.[3]

Who qualifies

  • Country: you must be a native of a country that is eligible for that year's program, or be chargeable to one (see below). Native means born there. Countries with more than 50,000 immigrant admissions (immediate relatives plus preference immigrants) over the most recent five years are high-admission countries and are left out; the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sets that list each year, and it can change.[2]
  • Education (or else the work experience below): at least a high school education or its equivalent, meaning a completed 12-year course of elementary and secondary education in the U.S., or a comparable formal course in another country. Equivalency certificates such as the General Educational Development (GED) certificate do not count, and vocational degrees that are not a basis for further academic study are not equivalent.[1,2]
  • Work experience, if you do not meet the education requirement: within the five years before you apply for the visa, at least two years of experience in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience. Consular officers use the Labor Department's O*Net OnLine database, and the occupation must be rated Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) 7.0 or higher.[1,2]

You do not have to show your education or work experience to enter. If you are selected, you must meet the requirement by the end of the fiscal year you were selected for. If you cannot show it at the interview, the visa is refused; the officer may overcome that refusal if you prove it before the fiscal year ends and visas are still available for your region.[2]

If you were born in a country that is not eligible, you may still qualify through family ties (cross-chargeability). If your spouse was born in an eligible country and you were already married when you submitted the entry, you can use your spouse's country of birth; you then both count as principal applicants and must be issued visas and apply for admission to the U.S. at the same time. A child born in a country where neither parent was born or was living when the child was born may claim either parent's country of birth.[2]

Entering the lottery

High confidence Each year the State Department opens an online registration period of at least 30 days and announces the website and exact dates in the Federal Register. You register in one fiscal year for visas issued in the following fiscal year. The entry period usually starts in October, and selected entrants are usually notified around May of the following year.[1,6]

What every entry must include

  • Only one entry for you per registration period, whether you submit it yourself or someone submits it for you. If two or more are submitted for you, all of them are void and you cannot be considered that year.[1]
  • Your spouse and every child who is unmarried and under 21 on the date you submit the entry, including legally adopted children and stepchildren, even if you are no longer married to the child's other parent and even if they do not live with you or will not immigrate. You do not have to list a spouse or child who is already a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.[1,2]
  • A color photo of you, your spouse and each unmarried child under 21, taken within six months before you submit: facing the camera, face in focus, in front of a neutral, light-colored background, with no eyeglasses or sunglasses. A head covering is accepted only if worn for religious reasons, and it may not hide any part of the face. The State Department publishes the full photo specifications each year, and entries with missing or invalid photos are disqualified.[1,2]
  • The number, issuing country or authority and expiration date of your valid, unexpired passport (unless you are exempt from the passport requirement), and a scan of the passport's biographic and signature page (JPEG only, no PDF, 5 MB or less).[1,2]As printed in 22 CFR 42.33 (eCFR as of Oct. 1, 2026), which cites a March 11, 2026 Federal Register rule. The State Department's manual (9 FAM 502.6, updated November 2024) still describes a February 2022 court decision that set aside an earlier passport rule; the regulation text is the newer of the two.

Fees

USCIS fees from Form G-1055, edition 10/07/26; State Department fees from 22 CFR 22.1 (eCFR as of Oct. 1, 2026). Which rows apply depends on whether you apply at a consulate abroad or adjust status in the U.S.
ItemAmountWhen it applies
DV lottery registration fee (State Department)$1Collected when you register an entry
DV lottery application fee (State Department)$330If you are selected and apply for a diversity visa. USCIS also asks adjustment applicants for a copy of the State Department receipt for this fee
USCIS Immigrant Fee$235If you are immigrating to the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident on an immigrant visa
Form I-485$1,440 paper / $1,390 online; $950 paper / $900 online for a child under 14 filing together with a parent's I-485Adjusting status inside the U.S.
Form I-765 work permit$260While an I-485 you filed with a fee on or after April 1, 2024 is pending
Form I-131 advance parole$630 paper / $580 onlineTravel abroad while Form I-485 is pending
Form I-693 medical exam record$0 USCIS filing feeSubmitted with Form I-485
Form I-601 waiver$1,050Only if you need a waiver of a ground of inadmissibility
Form I-824$590If you adjusted status in the U.S. and your spouse or child abroad will follow to join you
Checked Oct 18, 2026[2,3,5,7]

The Diversity Visa application fee includes the standard immigrant visa processing fees, among them the immigrant visa application fee and the security surcharge. Consulates collect it at your formal interview and should not collect it beforehand.[2]

From entry to visa

  1. Random drawing

    After registration closes, entries are sorted into six geographic regions and a computer randomly assigns rank numbers. Every entry successfully received during the registration period has an equal chance of selection within its region. A rank number is two letters for the region (AS is Asia) followed by eight digits.[2]

  2. Check your result

    The only way to learn whether you were selected is the Entrant Status Check on the State Department's Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website. The State Department does not send selection notices by email.[2]

  3. Form DS-260

    Selected entrants are told to complete Form DS-260, the online immigrant visa application, and submit it electronically. Your DS-260 is checked against your original entry, and inconsistencies are flagged for the consular officer.[2]

  4. Your rank number becomes current

    Each month, visa numbers go to applicants whose rank number is below that month's cut-off for their region and whose case processing is complete. The diversity chart in the State Department's Visa Bulletin shows the cut-offs.[2,3]

  5. Interview

    An interview is scheduled once your DS-260 is complete, the embassy or consulate has an appointment open, processing is finished, a visa number has been allocated and your case is next in the selection order; an email then tells you to log in to the Entrant Status Check for your appointment letter. At the interview you pay the Diversity Visa fee, and the officer decides whether you qualify. Every ground of ineligibility in the immigration law applies except the labor certification requirement; there are no special waivers for diversity applicants, but the regular waivers in the law still apply.[2]

  6. September 30 deadline

    High confidence A diversity visa can be issued, or adjustment of status approved, only through September 30 of the fiscal year you were selected for. The State Department selects as many entries as it estimates are needed to use all of that year's diversity visas, and because the number of visas is limited, they can run out before that date. Being selected only makes you eligible to apply for a visa.[1,2,3]

Spouse and children

High confidence Your spouse (DV2) and unmarried children under 21 (DV3) can apply for diversity visas based on your selection, whether they travel with you or follow later. A spouse you marry, or a child born, after you submitted the entry but before you immigrate (are admitted to the U.S. or adjust status) also qualifies, even though they could not be on the entry. Married children do not qualify through you, and neither do children who are 21 or older under the age calculation below.[2,4,6]

Family members who follow you later can get diversity visas only in the same fiscal year in which you were admitted or adjusted status. If you adjusted status in the U.S., you may file Form I-824 so that USCIS can verify your permanent resident status for the consulate. If you, the principal entrant, die, your spouse and children are no longer entitled to diversity visas.[2]

A child's age is calculated under the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA): take the child's age on the first day your rank number became current in the Visa Bulletin, then subtract the number of days between the first day of the entry period and the day selection notices became available. If the result is under 21 and the child is unmarried, the child still qualifies, as long as the child seeks to acquire permanent residence within one year of that first day, for example by filing the child's own DS-260 (yours does not count for the child). An immigration attorney can apply this to your family's dates.[6]If that one-year step was missed, the child can still benefit only by showing extraordinary circumstances that the child did not create.

Already in the U.S.: adjustment of status

Most winners live abroad and get an immigrant visa through a U.S. consulate. A winner who is living in the U.S. in a nonimmigrant or other lawful status may instead be able to file Form I-485 with USCIS. You must show that you were selected in the State Department's lottery, that an immigrant visa is immediately available when you file, and that you are admissible to the United States.[3]

When you can file: as soon as a monthly Visa Bulletin is published, anyone whose rank number is lower than the cut-off in Section C (next month's diversity cut-offs) can file. That can be up to six or seven weeks before a visa number can actually be allocated. USCIS cannot decide the application until a visa can be allocated under the current month's cut-off.[3]

High confidence Bars to check first: unless you qualify under section 245(i) of the immigration law, you cannot adjust status if you were not admitted or paroled after inspection, are not in lawful immigration status on the day you file, have not kept lawful status continuously since entry (other than through no fault of your own or for technical reasons), ever worked in the U.S. without authorization or otherwise violated the terms of a nonimmigrant admission, were admitted under the Visa Waiver Program, or entered in transit without a visa. The exceptions written into these bars are for immediate relatives, certain special immigrants and a few other narrow groups, not diversity applicants. Separately, former J-1 exchange visitors subject to the two-year foreign residence requirement must first meet it or get a waiver, and people in A, E or G nonimmigrant status must first file the written waiver required by section 247(b) of the law.[8]An immigration attorney can check your entry and status history against these rules.

High confidence With a pending I-485 you can apply for a work permit (Form I-765) and for advance parole (Form I-131) to travel. Leaving the U.S. without advance parole is generally treated as abandoning your I-485; limited exceptions apply, for example to people in lawful H-1 or L-1 status who meet the conditions.[7,9,10]

With Form I-485, USCIS asks diversity applicants for a copy of the principal applicant's selection letter from the State Department and of the State Department receipt for the diversity visa lottery fee. It also asks for two passport-style photos, a copy of your birth certificate, Form I-693 (medical exam), Form I-94 (arrival/departure record), copies of the passport pages with your nonimmigrant visa and with your admission (entry) or parole stamp if applicable, certified copies of court records if you were ever arrested, Form I-601 (waiver) if applicable, and the applicable fees.[3]

Common mistakes

  • Leaving a spouse or child off the entry, or listing someone who was not your spouse or child when you submitted it. Either one is a reason to deny the visa even after you are selected. You do not have to list a spouse or child who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, or one who became part of your family after you submitted the entry.[2]
  • Using an entry photo that does not meet that year's specifications, or one that is not of you. If the officer finds either at the visa interview, the case is refused, and if the photo is of someone else the officer also considers a refusal for misrepresentation.[2]
  • Letting someone else submit your entry without checking what they entered. Your DS-260 is compared with the entry. Not every misstatement counts, but if the entry contains a material misrepresentation, the fact that someone else submitted it does not protect you when you knew they were acting for you.[2]
  • High confidence Responding slowly when the consulate asks for more documents. A delay can mean visa numbers are no longer available by the time you supply them, and no visa can be issued after the fiscal year ends.[1,2]

Recent policy changes

Recent policy changes

Official

Updates

Ask WELIVEINUSA Visa

Ask WELIVEINUSA Visa

Answers come from our sourced database and your own timeline, sorted into fact, public data, inference and unknown. No AI model is used in this version, so questions outside what we cover get an honest "not covered".

Questions people ask

Does it cost anything to enter the lottery?

High confidence Yes, a small amount. Under the current regulation an electronic registration fee is collected when you register, and the State Department's fee schedule sets it at $1. If you are selected and apply for the visa, the Diversity Visa application fee is $330.[1,2,5]The State Department's manual (9 FAM 502.6, updated November 2024) still says there is no fee to enter. The regulation (22 CFR 42.33, citing a March 11, 2026 rule) and the fee schedule in 22 CFR 22.1 are newer and list the $1 registration fee.

I got an email saying I won. Is it real?

The State Department does not notify selected entrants by email; the only way to find out is the Entrant Status Check on the E-DV website. USCIS warns that fraudsters may send such emails. Never send money to anyone who emails or writes to say you have won.[2,3]

My spouse and I both qualify. Can we each submit an entry?

Yes. Each of you may submit one entry, and each entry must list the other as your spouse. If either of you is selected, the other can apply as the selected entrant's spouse.[2]

Is there a minimum age to enter?

No. There is no minimum age to submit an entry, but because the principal entrant needs a high school education or qualifying work experience, most people under 18 will not qualify.[2]

Do I need a U.S. employer or relative to sponsor me?

High confidence No. Your entry itself serves as the petition, and the labor certification requirement does not apply. At a consulate you also do not have to submit Form I-864 (Affidavit of Support), but the officer still considers whether you are likely to depend on government support (public charge).[2]

I am in the U.S. on a student or work visa. Can I enter?

High confidence Yes, if you were born in (or are chargeable to) an eligible country and meet the education or work experience requirement; the entry form asks people in the U.S. for the consular office nearest their last foreign residence. If you are selected while living in the U.S. in lawful status, you may be able to adjust status with USCIS instead of going to a consulate. Check the bars under "Already in the U.S." first; an immigration attorney can review your history.[1,3]

Related categories

Content last reviewed: Oct 18, 2026 · General information, not legal advice.

Sources

  1. 1.22 CFR 42.33eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  2. 2.9 FAM 502.6 DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT VISASU.S. Department of State (Foreign Affairs Manual) · USCIS Policy Manual · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  3. 3.Green Card Through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program - USCISUSCIS · Agency page · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  4. 4.22 CFR 42.11eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  5. 5.22 CFR 22.1 - Schedule of fees for consular services (Department of State)eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  6. 6.9 FAM 502.1 IV CLASSIFICATIONS OVERVIEWU.S. Department of State (Foreign Affairs Manual) · USCIS Policy Manual · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  7. 7.Fee Schedule (Form G-1055) - USCISUSCIS · Form / instructions · Checked Oct 12, 2026
  8. 8.8 CFR 245.1eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  9. 9.8 CFR 274a.12 - Classes of aliens authorized to accept employmenteCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  10. 10.8 CFR 245.2 — Application (adjustment of status)eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Sep 27, 2026