Prepare your DV photo and passport scan
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DV Lottery 2027
DV overview Latest updates & answers
Choose a question. Get a quick answer.
01
DV Lottery 2027 Registration Date: Is It Open Today?No. DV-2027 registration is paused: an appeals court put the November 1 opening on hold. What happened, the $1 fee, passport scans and photo rules.Read in 1 minute
02DV-2027 fee: is it really $1?The official fee table lists $1 at entry and $330 per visa applicant if selected. What is confirmed and what payment details remain unknown.Read in 1 minute
03DV-2027 passport scan: what file do I need?The new rule requires a valid passport and a JPEG/JFIF scan of its biographic and signature page, up to 5 MB, with limited exemptions.Read in 1 minute
04DV photo: size, background and common mistakesA quick DV photo checklist: 600 × 600 pixels, JPEG, 240 KB or less, recent photo, plain background and no glasses.Read in 1 minute
05DV-2027: what should I prepare before entering?A one-minute checklist of passport, photos, family details, eligibility and confirmation-number precautions for your DV entry.Read in 1 minute
06DV-2027 or DV-2028: which lottery is this?The year names refer to visa years, not the year you submit an entry. Why the delayed DV-2027 entry period is causing confusion.Read in 1 minute
Prepare now
- A valid passport for the main applicant, and a JPEG/JFIF copy of its biographic and signature page, 5 MB or less. The rule names JPEG, so convert a PDF first.
- A new photo of each person: 600 × 600 pixels, JPEG, 240 kB or less, taken in the last 6 months, no glasses.
- Names and birth dates of your spouse and all unmarried children under 21, even if they will not move with you.
- Know how you qualify: a completed high school education, or 2 years of work in the last 5 years in a qualifying job. You show proof only if selected.
- An email address that only you control.
- A way to pay the $1 entry fee.
When registration opens
- Go to dvprogram.state.gov yourself. Never pay anyone who promises you will win.
- Type every name and date exactly as on the passport.
- Add each person's photo and the passport scan.
- Submit one entry and save the confirmation number right away.
- Your spouse may submit a separate entry that lists you.
If you are selected
- Selected entrants are told through the official site. No date is set while registration is paused.
- Check results only on the official site with your confirmation number. An email saying you won is a scam.
- Fill in Form DS-260 for each person who will move.
- Collect documents: birth and marriage records, police certificates, school or work proof, and translations.
- Have the medical exam with a doctor approved by the embassy.
- Fees: $330 per person for the visa, then $235 per person to USCIS for the green card.
Avoid these mistakes
- Leaving out a spouse or child can disqualify your entry.
- Reusing a photo from an earlier year.
- Sending more than one entry for the same person.
- Uploading the passport scan as a PDF.
Read the full DV-2027 guide dvprogram.state.gov
Case Album is not the U.S. government and is not affiliated with the State Department. General information, not legal advice. Check dvprogram.state.gov before you rely on any date.