Diversity Visa Lottery (Green Card Lottery)

Each year, the U.S. Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program makes available up to 50,000 permanent resident visas to persons meeting the eligibility requirements.  Applicants for Diversity Visas are initially chosen through a random computer-generated lottery drawing, which takes place at the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) in the United States, and lottery winners who are residents of France then must apply for a visa at the U.S. Embassy in Paris.  All applicants must meet the DV program eligibility requirements in order to receive a visa.

Where can one receive instructions to enter the lottery ?

For information about the DV program, please visit the Bureau of Consular Affairs website.

Information regarding an upcoming lottery will usually be available in late September.

Entering the DV Lottery

There is only one way to enter the DV lottery.  Applicants must submit an Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form (E-DV Entry Form), which is accessible during the 30-day registration period only. 

The exact registration period will be publicized on the Bureau of Consular Affairs website in late September every year.  After an entry is submitted, the applicant will be able to print out a confirmation page with a confirmation number.

Important: Entrants must remember to keep their confirmation page

Lottery entries submitted in paper form to American Embassies abroad will be disqualified.
The American Embassy cannot assist you in completing your electronic Diversity Visa entry.

Is there a fee ?

No, there is no fee for submitting a lottery entry.  A diversity processing fee is only charged when a winning lottery entrant applies for the diversity visa.  At the time of visa application at a U.S. Consular office, each applicant (the DV entrant and any accompanying family members) will be charged a DV processing fee, and immigrant visa application fee.  Both of these fees are not refundable if the visa is refused.

Is it necessary to use an attorney or consultant?

NO fee is charged to enter the annual DV program.  The U.S. Government employs no outside consultants or private services to operate the DV program.  Any service provider that offers assistance to prepare DV casework for applicants does so without the authority or consent of the U.S. Government.

Every entry received during the lottery registration period will have an equal, random chance of being selected within its geographic region.  However, receipt of more than one entry per person will disqualify the person from the DV program for that year, regardless of the source of the entry.

When will lottery winners be notified?

The KCC will not send notification letters to entrants selected for further eligibility.  All information about entrants selected for further eligibility will be posted on the official Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs website.

Entrants must remember to keep their confirmation page.  Entrants must check their status using the Entry Status Check function on the E-DV website.  Entrants must have their confirmation number to access information through Entry Status Check, which will be the sole means by which DV entrants are notified of their selection, provided instructions on how to proceed with their application, and notified of their immigrant visa interview appointment date and time.

Status information will usually be available from May 1.  Entrants who have lost their confirmation information will not be able to check their E-DV entry status.  KCC will not resend the confirmation page information.  U.S. Embassies and Consulates will not be able to provide a list of those selected to continue the visa process.  Please safeguard your confirmation page with your confirmation number. The U.S. Embassy will be unable to help you recover this information if it is lost.

Will those who did not get selected be notified?

Persons not selected may verify the non-selection of their entry using their confirmation information through the Entry Status Check function at the official DV website. U.S. Embassies and Consulates will not be able to provide entry status information.