Photo PassMake my photo US Diversity Visa Lottery: eligibility, entry and selection guide
A practical guide to what the US Diversity Visa program is, who may enter, how the free online entry works, what selection means and how to continue toward an immigrant-visa interview.
What this visa or program is
The Diversity Immigrant Visa program—often called the DV Lottery or Green Card Lottery—is an annual US immigrant-visa program for people from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. A computer selection creates an opportunity to apply for a diversity immigrant visa; it does not itself grant a visa, permanent residence or permission to travel.
The Department of State publishes a new set of instructions for each DV year. Those instructions control the eligible countries, entry window, education or work-experience test, photo rules and case-processing timetable. Never reuse dates or assumptions from an older program year.
- Purpose
- Permanent immigration
- Entry method
- Official online entry only
- Entry fee
- No fee to submit an entry
- Result
- Checked through Entrant Status Check
This independent guide explains the normal route, not a personal eligibility decision. Immigration rules, fees and appointment procedures can change; check the linked authority and the office handling your application before submitting or paying.
Who needs it?
- A person seeking a US immigrant visa through the diversity program who meets the current program-year rules.
- A spouse may submit a separate entry if independently eligible. Each valid principal entry must list the required spouse and children exactly as the instructions require.
- Country of eligibility is usually based on country of birth, not citizenship or current residence. Limited spouse- or parent-based alternatives exist and must be applied exactly as described in that year’s instructions.
Core eligibility
- Be chargeable to an eligible country under the current DV instructions.
- Meet either the stated high-school education standard or the qualifying work-experience standard. The detailed definitions matter; simply holding any diploma or having any job is not enough.
- Submit no more than one entry per person during the registration period. Duplicate entries can disqualify the entrant, although eligible spouses may each submit their own entry.
- Include accurate biographical and family information and a compliant recent photo for every person required on the entry.
Documents and information to prepare
- For the initial entry: accurate personal, contact, education, marital and child information, plus a recent digital photograph for each required person.
- Keep the unique confirmation number after submission. It is the primary way to access the official result.
- If selected: passport and civil documents, certified translations where required, police or court records when applicable, education or work evidence, medical-examination results and other case-specific evidence.
- Selected applicants complete Form DS-260 and later follow the document and interview instructions for their case and post.
How to apply, step by step
Read the current program-year instructions
Confirm the entry dates, eligible-country list, education/work test, family-member rules and technical photo specification on travel.state.gov.
Prepare one accurate entry
Use the official Electronic Diversity Visa site during the announced window. Enter names and dates exactly, list all required family members and upload compliant photographs.
Save the confirmation page
Store the confirmation number securely. The Department of State does not notify winners by ordinary email or letter and does not ask for payment to reveal a result.
Check the result yourself
Use Entrant Status Check on the official E-DV site during the published result period. Selection is only the beginning of the immigrant-visa application.
If selected, act on the case instructions
Confirm eligibility, submit DS-260, collect civil and supporting records, complete the medical examination when instructed and attend the consular interview. Visa numbers are limited and selection does not guarantee an interview or visa.
Timing and fees
- Initial DV entry is free. Fees arise only later for selected applicants, including the immigrant-visa application, medical examination and documents; use the current official fee pages.
- Registration normally opens for a limited period, but the exact dates can change. Cases must be completed within the relevant DV fiscal year, so selected applicants should follow their case promptly without relying on unofficial deadlines.
Validity and stay conditions
- Selection is not a visa and cannot be transferred to another program year.
- If a diversity immigrant visa is issued, its expiry is printed on the visa and is commonly linked to the medical-examination validity. The holder must enter the United States before that date.
Photo requirements
The photo is a critical part of the entry, but it is only one eligibility and submission requirement. A technically valid image cannot correct an inaccurate or ineligible entry.
- Square JPEG image, 600 × 600 pixels
- File size no more than 240 KB
- Recent, full-face colour portrait on a plain light background
- No digital alteration that changes appearance; do not reuse a previous DV entry photo
Common refusal or delay risks
- More than one entry for the same person, omitted required family members or materially incorrect personal information.
- Failure to meet the education or qualifying-work requirement, even after selection.
- An old, reused, digitally manipulated or incorrectly framed photograph.
- Missing documents, missed case instructions, ineligibility under US immigration law or a case number that never becomes eligible before the program year closes.
- Fraudulent agents and websites that claim they can improve selection odds or privately announce winners.
After approval
- Check every printed detail on the visa packet or electronic instructions and report an error to the issuing post before travel.
- Pay any required USCIS immigrant fee through the official channel, carry the required documents and enter before visa expiry.
- A US border officer makes the final admission decision. After admission, follow the instructions for delivery of the Permanent Resident Card and Social Security processing.
Official sources and next check
Use these authority pages to verify live eligibility, fees, forms, dates and submission instructions:
Prepare the photo when the application is ready
First confirm the correct visa route and current checklist. Then use the matching preset to crop and export the portrait privately on your device.
Create a DV Lottery photo