Green Card Lottery: DV Rules, New Passport Rule and Scams

A message pops up on your phone: "Green card lottery now open. Pay $50 and we'll guarantee your entry." It looks official, the deadline sounds urgent, and you've dreamed about moving to the US for years. Stop before you pay anyone.

The DV lottery is real, and it has changed a lot in 2026. Entries now need a passport, there's a small official fee, and the next entry period has been pushed back. Here's what's true as of September 2026 and how to protect yourself.

What is the green card lottery (DV lottery)?

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program gives natives of countries with lower immigration to the US a chance at a green card through a random computer draw. For DV-2026, the State Department said up to 55,000 diversity visas would be available.

Demand is enormous. In its 2026 passport rule, the State Department cited 6.7 million entries for fiscal year 2021, 7.3 million for 2022 and 9.6 million for 2023. Only a small fraction of entrants ever get a visa.

Being selected isn't the same as getting a green card. It only gives you the right to apply, and every visa for that program year must be issued, or adjustment approved, by September 30 of that fiscal year. After that date, the chance is gone.

When is the DV lottery open? Entry dates and 2026 changes

Historically, the entry period has run in the autumn for about a month. The DV-2026 entry period, for example, ran from early October to early November 2024.

That pattern broke this year. In its March 2026 final rule, the State Department referred to deferring the opening of the DV-2027 entry period. Check travel.state.gov and dvprogram.state.gov for official dates, and ignore any site claiming to know them first.

Who is eligible for the DV lottery?

There are two tests, and you must pass both.

Country chargeability

You must be a "native" of an eligible country. The eligible list changes from year to year, so check the instructions for the program year you're entering.

Usually your country of chargeability is where you were born. The State Department allows only two alternatives. You can claim your spouse's country of birth, but then you both must be issued visas and enter the US together. Or you can claim a parent's country of birth if neither parent was born in, or resident in, your country of birth when you were born.

Say you're an accountant living in Dubai, born in a country that isn't eligible this year, and your husband was born in one that is. You could claim his country. If he isn't issued a visa, though, you can't use yours either.

Education or work experience

You need at least a high school education or its equivalent, or two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience.

The State Department defines high school as a formal 12-year course of elementary and secondary education or its foreign equivalent. Equivalency certificates such as the GED don't count. For work experience, it uses the Department of Labor's O*Net database and requires an occupation rated at Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) 7.0 or higher.

The passport and photo rules you can't ignore

A State Department rule effective April 10, 2026 requires you to give valid, unexpired passport information and upload a scan of the passport's biographic and signature page, unless you qualify for a limited exemption. If you don't have a passport, apply now, since processing takes months in many countries.

Photo mistakes also disqualify entrants every year. Under the most recent published instructions (DV-2026), photos had to:

• be taken within the last six months
• meet the same standards as US visa photos
• show no eyeglasses
• be unedited, and not reused from a previous year's entry
• be provided separately for your spouse and each child listed

The rules can change, so compare your photo with the instructions for your program year.

How to enter and check your results, step by step

1. Read the official instructions for the program year on travel.state.gov.
2. Prepare your passport scan and photos before the entry period opens.
3. Enter at dvprogram.state.gov, pay the $1 registration fee within the form, and submit only one entry.
4. Save your confirmation number. You can't check your result without it.
5. Check Entrant Status Check yourself. For DV-2026, results opened in May 2025. It's the only way the State Department notifies anyone, selected or not.
6. If selected, follow the instructions right away. Most selectees complete Form DS-260 and go to a consular interview. Selectees already in the US in eligible status may file Form I-485 with USCIS instead.

What happens if you're selected, and what does it cost?

Move quickly. Visas run out, and the September 30 deadline is absolute.

At your interview, you must prove your education or work experience and show you're admissible to the US. Here are the main official fees as of September 2026. Check the State Department and USCIS pages before paying.

On top of that, budget for the panel physician's medical exam, police certificates, document translations, and travel to the embassy. The biggest cost is often the move: flights, a rental deposit, and health insurance from day one. Our guides to sending money internationally for less and building US credit from zero help you stretch that budget.

You don't need a lawyer to enter. A licensed immigration attorney is worth it if you've had a visa refusal, overstay, arrest or complicated family situation.

How to spot DV lottery scams and avoid costly mistakes

Scammers love the lottery because the stakes feel so high. Watch for these red flags:

• Any site that isn't dvprogram.state.gov. Private "registration services" can't improve your odds.
• Emails or letters saying you won. The State Department doesn't notify selectees by email or mail.
• Requests for large payments to "secure" your visa or hold your place.
• Someone else holding your confirmation number. Keep it yourself.

The other big mistakes are self-inflicted: duplicate entries, old or edited photos, an unlisted child, or claiming a country you can't prove. Our guide to job and visa scams targeting migrants covers more tricks to watch for.

Your next steps

If you don't have a valid passport, start that application now. Then check whether your country, or a spouse's or parent's, is likely to be eligible, and gather proof of your education or work experience.

Bookmark travel.state.gov and dvprogram.state.gov, and watch for the official instructions for the next program year. If the lottery doesn't work out, compare the other routes in our guide to every US green card path.