DV Lottery (Green Card Lottery) 2027: Dates, Rules, Photo & Status Check

Last verified 16 October 2026 · How we verify

The Diversity Visa (DV) Program, or “green card lottery,” offers up to 55,000 U.S. immigrant visas a year to people from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. Entries are made only online at dvprogram.state.gov during a limited period each year. Starting with DV-2027, entrants must provide a valid passport, with limited exemptions. As of 20 October 2026, the State Department’s entry page still says there is no cost to register; confirm any registration fee in the DV-2027 instructions when State publishes them. Official registration dates are not yet posted on travel.state.gov. Results are available only through Entrant Status Check with your confirmation number. The State Department does not email or mail a notice that you won. It may email a reminder to check your status.

What is the DV Lottery?

It is the Diversity Visa Program. You submit one entry for yourself. A spouse and children who will immigrate with you are listed on that same entry, each with their own photo. Submitting more than one entry can make every entry ineligible. How to submit an entry.

DV Lottery 2027 dates (and why there aren’t any yet)

No registration start or end date on travel.state.gov — last checked 20 October 2026. The November 2025 notice still says State will announce “as soon as practicable.”

What is already published: visas for people selected for DV-2027 are issued from 1 October 2026 through 30 September 2027. DV-2027 entry-period notice.

Separate from that notice: the S.D. Cal. preliminary injunction (see status box) set court deadlines for announcement and opening. Until State posts the period on .gov, treat blog calendars and firm newsletters as secondary.

Historical registration windows

Past dates are shown for context only. DV-2027 is delayed, and the State Department has said its timing will differ.

• DV-2026 ran from 2 October 2024 (noon EDT) to 7 November 2024 (noon EST). DV instructions
• DV-2025 ran from 4 October 2023 to 7 November 2023. Results for DV-2026 opened on 3 May 2025. dvprogram.state.gov

What’s new for DV-2027: passport + registration fee

You need a valid, unexpired passport. Upload a scan of the biographic and signature page. Exemptions: stateless people, nationals of Communist-controlled countries who cannot get a passport, and approved waivers. Federal Register, 11 March 2026. The rule was effective 10 April 2026.

Fee: the State Department’s current Submit an Entry page still says there is no cost to register. A 16 September 2025 fee rule created a $1 electronic registration fee in the Schedule of Fees. Do not treat that as the live entry price until the published DV-2027 instructions say so. The $330 DV application fee is charged only to selectees who apply for the visa.

The form now asks for “sex” instead of “gender,” and “date of birth” instead of “age.”

If your passport is expired, renew it before the entry period opens. This page does not predict that date. A US passport photo, if you need one, is a different file: US passport photo.

Who is eligible?

Eligibility is by country of birth, plus the education or work requirement in that year’s instructions. The list of ineligible countries changes every year. Always check the current instructions. This page does not copy the country list, because a copied list goes stale. Natives of Macau S.A.R. select Portugal. Natives of Martinique select France. Current instructions. The DV-2027 PDF was not on that page on 20 October 2026. The latest published instructions were still the DV-2026 PDF.

DV Lottery photo requirements

The entry photo is exactly 600×600 pixels. It is not a range up to a larger square. Visa photo requirements, DV section.

A photo that does not meet the requirements may make the entry ineligible. The DV-2026 instructions PDF is the place that states the exact consequence. That PDF was not re-opened for this page, so the sentence above stays with the Federal Register wording we have already checked: a reused prior-year photo will make you ineligible, and a manipulated photo may make you ineligible.

DV lottery photo tool · Spec table · Glasses · Refusal reasons

Common mistakes

1. More than one entry. Every entry can be ineligible. Entry page
2. Losing the confirmation number. You need it for Entrant Status Check.
3. An old photo, an edited photo, a filter, or glasses. Photo page
4. Paying a consultant, or using a site that is not .gov, to submit the entry.
5. The wrong country for a dependent territory, such as Macau or Martinique.
6. For DV-2027: an expired passport, or no scan of the passport page.
7. Leaving an eligible spouse or child off the entry. Confirm that line in the current instructions on travel.state.gov before you rely on it.

Applying from outside the US

Country eligibility

You can enter from outside the United States if you were born in an eligible country and you meet the education or work rules. Eligibility is by country of birth, not by where you live now. The list of eligible and excluded countries changes every program year. Check the official list in the current Diversity Visa Instructions before you enter. Do not use a third-party country list. Diversity Visa Instructions

For DV-2026, countries that were not eligible included Nigeria, the Philippines, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Vietnam, among others. That list is for DV-2026 only. It is not the DV-2027 list.

DV-2027 country list not yet published — last checked 20 October 2026. See the Diversity Visa Instructions on travel.state.gov.

Common photo mistakes by applicants abroad

A local studio often follows a national ID or a local passport rule, not the U.S. digital rule for this entry.

1. The upload is not square or not the right size. The digital entry photo is exactly 600×600 px JPEG, 240 KB or less. A non-square local print is not a substitute for that file. Visa photos
2. The studio retouches by default: smoother skin, brighter eyes, or a creative crop. A digitally altered photo may make the entry ineligible. Ask for an unedited file. DV lottery photo tool
3. Glasses. They are not allowed, except a narrow medical exception.
4. The photo is older than 6 months.
5. Last year’s DV photo. It is usually too old. Take a new one.
6. A spouse or child on the entry has no photo of their own. Who must be listed is in the current instructions on travel.state.gov. Do not leave a required person off the entry.

Printed photo at the embassy interview

Selection is separate from the visa interview. If you are selected and you attend an embassy or consulate interview, you need printed 2×2 inch photos that meet the U.S. visa photo rules, not only the 600×600 file from the entry. The photo page says selectees bring two identical 2×2 prints. Confirm the current print rule there. Visa photos · DS-160 photo, if you later file that form.

How to do the Entrant Status Check

1. Open dvprogram.state.gov and choose Entrant Status Check.
2. Enter the confirmation number and the other details the form asks for. The DV-2026 PDF names those fields. Follow the labels on the form. Do not trust a copied field list from a non-.gov site.
3. Read the result on that page. If you are selected, follow the instructions shown there.
4. Keep the confirmation number until the end of the program year. For DV-2026, that meant at least 30 September 2026.

If you lose the number, use only the recovery path on dvprogram.state.gov.

DV Lottery scams: how to stay safe

“The only official information about the DV program is found on U.S. government websites ending in ‘.gov’.” Fraud warning

“The Kentucky Consular Center does not mail or email notifications to DV entrants informing them of their winning entries.” The same page says the Department may send a reminder to check Entrant Status Check. That reminder is not a notice that you won. Entrant Status Check is the only place the result appears. If you are selected

Enter only at dvprogram.state.gov. The current State Department entry page says registration has no cost; confirm any fee in the DV-2027 instructions when they are published. A site that is not .gov, and that asks you to pay to “register” or “guarantee” a win, is not the lottery. PixID sells a photo file. It does not submit your entry.

What happens if you’re selected?

Complete the DS-260, then interview scheduling, documents, and the interview. Selection does not guarantee a visa. People already in the United States may be able to adjust status. The deadline is the end of the program fiscal year. For DV-2027 that is 30 September 2027. A green-card photo you take yourself is a different process: USCIS photographs you at biometrics. Green card photo, not the DV lottery

Questions

When does DV Lottery 2027 registration open?

Not posted on travel.state.gov as of 20 October 2026. A court order seeks announcement by 29 October and opening by 1 November 2026 — see the status box. Use only .gov dates.

Is the DV Lottery 2027 open now?

No, as of 20 October 2026, on dvprogram.state.gov.

When are DV-2027 results?

Not announced on travel.state.gov. The court order also named 3 December 2026 for selectee notification — confirm on the official site.

What is the green card lottery deadline for 2027?

The registration deadline is not announced. The visa must be issued by 30 September 2027.

What is the official DV Lottery website?

dvprogram.state.gov only.

How do I check my DV Lottery status with my confirmation number?

Entrant Status Check on that site. Keep the confirmation number.

Does DV-2027 cost money?

Free to register per the current State Department entry page. A Federal Register rule created a $1 fee — confirm in the DV-2027 instructions when published. $330 later, only if you are selected and you apply.

Do I need a passport for DV-2027?

Yes, with the limited exemptions in the March 2026 rule.

What size is the DV Lottery photo?

Exactly 600×600 px JPEG, 240 KB or less.

Can I wear glasses in my DV photo?

No, except a documented medical case.

Can I edit or filter my DV photo?

No.

Which countries are eligible for DV-2027?

The DV-2027 list is not yet published as of 20 October 2026. Use the Diversity Visa Instructions on travel.state.gov. A DV-2026 example is not the DV-2027 list.

I got an email saying I won the green card lottery. Is it real?

No. The Department does not email you that you won. It may email a reminder to check Entrant Status Check.

Can I enter the DV lottery from outside the US?

Yes, if you were born in an eligible country and you meet the other entry rules. Where you live now does not replace country of birth. The DV-2027 country list is not yet published as of 20 October 2026.

Can a local photo studio make my DV photo?

Only if the file is an unedited JPEG, exactly 600×600 px, 240 KB or less, on a white or off-white background, with no glasses, filters, or retouching. A non-square local print, or a studio edit, often fails. Check the file on the DV lottery photo tool before you upload.

Do my children need photos?

Yes. Each person you list, including a spouse and each child the instructions require, needs their own photo. The exact family-listing sentence is in the current instructions on travel.state.gov.

Sources

• DV instructions
• E-DV and Entrant Status Check
• Submit an entry
• DV-2027 entry-period changes (page last updated 5 November 2025)
• Photo requirements
• Fraud warning
• Passport requirement, final rule
• Schedule of Fees — $1 registration fee rule
• Fragomen summary of Red Eagle Law v. Rubio injunction
• If you are selected

Last checked 20 October 2026. Country lists and Entrant Status Check field names are in the current instructions on travel.state.gov. This page does not copy them.

Written by the pixid.studio compliance team. PixID is not the U.S. Department of State.