In order to be available for the Diversity Visa program, registrants need to meet three requirements:

Each year's lottery establishes a list of eligible countries-of-origin. You can claim one of those countries for your application if you were born in, currently reside in or are married to someone who was born in one of those qualifying countries. 2. You need to meet the work or education requirement.

This requirement can be met with an education equivalent to a U.S. high school diploma or two years of work experience in an occupation that required two years of training. If you opt for the work experience option, you will need to make sure the occupation is accepted by the Department of Labor's O*Net database.

Due to new requirements, Green Card Lottery applicants are now required to submit their passport details: passport number, country of issuance and expiration date. Unless stateless or unable to obtain one as a national of a Communist-controlled country.

The following countries are ineligible for DV-2026:

*Residents of North Ireland are still eligible for the Green Card Lottery, but residents of dependent territories of the U.K. (such as Bermuda or the Falkland Islands) are not.

You can register online during the month long registration period established by the U.S. Department of State, which usually occurs in October.

You should mention your spouse and any children you may have when you register for the Diversity Visa program even if they are not coming with you to the U.S. or are deceased.

Be sure to include their information in the application as well as a passport-style photograph of each individual in your application.

After you register and the registration period ends, the U.S. Department of State conducts the lottery drawing. They will select about 100,000 applicants and begin to contact them the following spring.

Applicants can check if they have won the Green Card Lottery in early May of the year following their application. The date when the results are posted is typically May 1.