Starting today, candidates from around the world can apply for the US DV Lottery 2026 on the dedicated portal of the “US Department of State”. Up to 55,000 nationals of eligible countries will be able to get this immigrant visa program through random selection.
The US Diversity Visa program is also known as the Green Card Lottery Visa or DV Lottery Visa. The successful candidates must be nationals of eligible countries that have a low immigration rate to the US. Furthermore they should also either have high school qualifications or equivalent work experience.
The US State Department will start accepting applications online from 2 October to 5 November 2024 for the Diversity Visa Program of 2026. This visa is a permanent residence visa and it can also be applied with family members.
How to apply for DV Lottery 2026?
To apply for this visa, applicants must apply from within the given dates by the US State Department. The 2026 DV Program will open at 12:00 p.m. EDT on October 2, 2024, and will end on 5 November 2024 at 12 p.m. EST. The application portal can be accessed here https://dvprogram.state.gov/.
Please note this is the only official application portal and no alternative websites exist. Multiple application submissions are forbidden and are detected easily by the immigration department. If the applicants do so, they will be automatically disqualified.
What is the selection procedure for DV Lottery 2026?
Once applicants from eligible countries apply for this visa program between 2 October and 5 November, the random selection by the State Department is made. Applying for the selection for this program is free of cost. The results will be announced in May 2025. There will be no email and the applicants will have to check their status themselves on the official website https://dvprogram.state.gov/ESC/
The immigrant visa quota is distributed in the six regions of the world. No more than 7 percent of the total visas can be awarded to a single country per year.
Application Fee
Registering for the Diversity Visa program for 2026 through the online process is free. On the other hand, the selectees who are scheduled for an interview will be required to pay a visa application fee before making their formal visa application where a consular officer will determine whether they qualify for the visa.
As per the US State Department, per person applying as a DV program selectee for a DV category immigrant visa is $330.00 which is non-refundable in any case.
Eligibility Requirements
The eligibility criteria for the DV Lottery 2026 are as follows:
| Requirements | Explanation |
| Requirement No. 1: Eligibility Based on Country of Origin | The Diversity Visa Lottery is for people from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the U.S.- People from countries with high immigration rates to the U.S. cannot register.- If you are from an ineligible country but were born in an eligible country, you can participate. Two other ways to qualify: a) Spouse’s Country of Origin: If your spouse is from an eligible country, you can claim your spouse’s country of birth, provided you both meet the requirements and enter the U.S. simultaneously. b) Parents’ Country of Birth: If neither of your parents was born or legally residing in your birth country, you may claim the country of one parent if it is eligible for the Diversity Visa program. |
| Requirement No. 2: Education or Work Experience | a) Applicants must have a high school education (or equivalent) OR at least two years of work experience in the past five years. b) Proof of Qualification: – Completion of a 12-year high school education or equivalent; and or – Two years of work experience in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to perform. |
Eligible Countries for DV Lottery 2026
The following countries are eligible for this immigrant visa program as during the last 5 years, less than 50,000 of their natives immigrated to the US:
Asia
| Afghanistan | Indonesia | Kuwait | Sri Lanka |
| Bahrain | Iran | Laos | Syria* |
| Bhutan | Iraq | Lebanon | Taiwan** |
| Brunei | Israel* | Malaysia | Thailand |
| Burma | Japan*** | Maldives | Timor-Leste |
| Cambodia | Jordan* | Mongolia | United Arab Emirates |
| Nepal | North Korea | Yemen | |
| Oman | Qatar | Saudi Arabia | Singapore |
** Macau S.A.R. (Europe region, chargeable to Portugal) and Taiwan (Asia region) do qualify and are listed. For the purposes of the diversity program only, persons born in Macau S.A.R. derive eligibility from Portugal.
***Persons born in the Habomai Islands, Shikotan, Kunashiri, and Etorofu are chargeable to Japan.
Persons born in Southern Sakhalin are chargeable to Russia. Natives of the following Asia Region countries are not eligible for this year’s Diversity Visa program: Bangladesh, China Hong Kong), India, Pakistan, South Korea, Philippines, and Vietnam.
Europe
| Albania | Georgia | Lithuania | Slovakia |
| Andorra | Germany | Luxembourg | Slovenia |
| Armenia | Greece | Macau Special Administrative Region** | Spain |
| Austria | Hungary | Macedonia | Sweden |
| Azerbaijan | Iceland | Malta | Switzerland |
| Belarus | Ireland | Moldova | Tajikistan |
| Belgium | Italy | Monaco | Turkey |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Kazakhstan | Montenegro | Turkmenistan |
| Bulgaria | Kosovo | Netherlands (including components and dependent areas overseas) | Ukraine |
| Croatia | Kyrgyzstan | Northern Ireland*** | Uzbekistan |
| Cyprus | Latvia | Norway (including components and dependent areas overseas) | Vatican City |
| Czech Republic | Liechtenstein | Poland | |
| Denmark (including components and dependent areas overseas) | Lithuania | Portugal (including components and dependent areas overseas) | Russia**** |
| Estonia | France (including components and dependent areas overseas) | Romania | San Marino |
***For purposes of the diversity program only, Northern Ireland is treated separately. Northern Ireland does qualify and is listed among the qualifying areas.
**** Persons born in the Habomai Islands, Shikotan, Kunashiri, and Etorofu are chargeable to Japan. Persons born in Southern Sakhalin are chargeable to Russia. Natives of the following European countries are not eligible for this year’s DV program: Great Britain (United Kingdom). Great Britain (United Kingdom) includes the following dependent areas: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, British Indian Ocean Territory, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, St. Helena, and Turks and Caicos Islands.
Oceania
| Australia (including components and dependent areas overseas) | Marshall Islands | Papua New Guinea | Tonga |
| Fiji | Micronesia, Federated States of | Samoa | Tuvalu |
| Kiribati | Nauru | Solomon Islands | Vanuatu |
| New Zealand (including components and dependent areas overseas) | Palau |
South America, Central America, and, the Caribbean
| Antigua and Barbuda | Grenada | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Argentina | Guyana | Saint Lucia | Uruguay |
| Barbados | Nicaragua | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Venezuela |
| Belize | Panama | Suriname | |
| Bolivia | Paraguay | Chile | |
| Costa Rica | Ecuador | ||
| Dominica |
North America
- The Bahamas
- In North America, natives of Canada and Mexico are not eligible for this year’s DV program.
Application Guidance
| Check Eligibility | Do NOT enter if you do not meet the qualifications. |
| Official Entry Submission | Go to dvprogram.state.gov to submit your entry. This is the ONLY way to enter. Avoid scams. |
| No Entry Fee | There is NO fee to enter. Beware of scams offering improved chances for money. |
| Complete the Entry Yourself | Submit your application yourself. Avoid using visa facilitators who may exploit you. |
| Use a Recent Photo | Use a photo taken within the last six months. Old photos will result in disqualification. |
| Submit One Entry Only | Only ONE entry per person is allowed. Multiple entries will result in disqualification. |
| Include Family Members | List your spouse and ALL unmarried children under 21. Missing or incorrect info can lead to disqualification. |
| Keep Confirmation Number | Save your unique confirmation number. It is the ONLY way to check if you’ve been selected. |
| Selection Results | Results will be available in May 2025. Check only at dvprogram.state.gov/ESC. The Department of State will NOT notify you by email. |
| Selection Outcome | Being selected doesn’t guarantee a visa interview. There are more selectees than available visas. |