Diversity Visa Instructions (original) (raw)

What is a diversity visa?

The Department of State administers the Diversity Visa (DV) immigrant visa program, which is an annual program for immigration to the United States. Up to 55,000 immigrants can enter the United States each year from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.

How do I apply?

Applying is a multi-step process with strict deadlines. You should read about the entire process on the Diversity Visa Program webpage before you start the free, online application. The DV-2026 Program Instructions explains in detail who is eligible and how to complete the first step of applying for the program.

Important Notices

Diversity Visa 2025 Applicants: All DV-2025 diversity visa program applicants must be found eligible for, and obtain, their visa or adjust status by the end of fiscal year 2025 (September 30, 2025).

DV-2025 Instructions

Beware of fraud and scams: Some websites and emails attempt to mislead customers, posing as providers of official U.S. government information. Read our Fraud Warning.

Complete your own application. The online entry application is easy and free.

The processing requirements below are for the DV-2026 program.

DV-2026 Program: Online Registration

DV-2026 Program: The online registration period for the DV-2026 Program begins on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4) and concludes on Thursday, November 7, 2024, at 12:00 noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-5). Submission of more than one entry for a person during the registration period will disqualify all entries for that person.

DV-2026 Program Instructions

The English version of the DV-2026 Program Instructions in PDF format is the only official version. Unofficial translations in additional languages will be added to this webpage as they become available.

Note: As indicated in the instructions, for the purposes of eligibility some countries include components and dependent areas overseas. If you are a native of a dependency or overseas territory, please select the appropriate country of eligibility. For example, natives of Macau S.A.R should select Portugal, and natives of Martinique should select France.

DV-2026 Translations (unofficial)