DV-2021: Information Required for the 2021 Diversity Visa Program (Green Card Lottery) Registration

Registration for the 2021 Diversity Visa Program (Green Card Lottery) started on Tuesday, October 2nd, 2019 and runs until November 5th, 2019. The US State Department, the department that runs the lottery, urges those who wish to enter the lottery to not wait until the last few days to submit their entries as the website could be slowed by heavy traffic in the last week of the lottery.

The State Department informs participants that applications are only accepted online, and only at the following link: dvlottery.state.gov.

The State Department also urges participants to provide all information, and accurately to prevent their entries from being disqualified. The following information is required to submit an entry:

1. Name – last/family name, first name, middle name – exactly as it appears on your passport. If you have only one name, it must be entered in the last/family name field.
2. Gender – male or female.
3. Birth date – day, month, year.
4. City where you were born.
5. Country where you were born – Use the name of the country currently used for the place where you were born.
6. Country of eligibility for the DV program – Your country of eligibility will normally be the same as your country of birth. Your country of eligibility is not related to where you live or your nationality, if it is different from your country of birth. .
7. Entrant photograph(s) – Recent photographs (taken within the last six months) of yourself, your spouse, and all your children. You do not need to include a photograph for a spouse or child who is already a U.S. citizen or a Lawful Permanent Resident, but you will not be penalized if you do. DV entry photographs must meet the same standards as U.S. visa photos. Your entry will be disqualified or your visa application refused if the entry photographs for you and your family members do not fully meet these specifications or have been manipulated in any way. Submitting the same photograph that was submitted with a prior year’s entry will result in disqualification.
8. Mailing Address – In Care Of Address Line 1 Address Line 2 City/Town District/Country/Province/State Postal Code/Zip Code
9. Country where you live today.
10. Phone number (optional).
11.  Email address – An email address to which you have direct access, and will continue to have direct access, after we notify selectees in May of next year. If your entry is selected and you respond to the notification of your selection through the Entrant Status Check, you will receive follow-up email communication from the Department of State notifying you that details of your immigrant visa interview are available on Entrant Status Check. The Department of State will never send you an email telling you that you have been selected for the DV program.
12. Highest level of education you have achieved, as of today: (1) Primary school only, (2) Some high school, no diploma, (3) High school diploma, (4) Vocational school, (5) Some university courses, (6) University degree, (7) Some graduate-level courses, (8) Master’s degree, (9) Some doctoral- level courses, and (10) Doctorate. See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about educational requirements.
13. Current marital status: (1) Unmarried, (2) married and my spouse is NOT a U.S. citizen or U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR), (3) married and my spouse IS a U.S. citizen or U.S. LPR, (4) divorced, (5) widowed, or (6) legally separated. Enter the name, date of birth, gender, city/town of birth, and country of birth of your spouse, and a photograph of your spouse meeting the same technical specifications as your photo. Failure to list your eligible spouse or, listing someone who is not your spouse, will result in your disqualification as the Diversity Visa principal applicant and refusal of all visa applications in your case at the time of the visa interview. You must list your spouse even if you currently are separated from him/her, unless you are legally separated. Legal separation is an arrangement when a couple remain married but live apart, following a court order. If you and your spouse are legally separated, your spouse will not be able to immigrate with you through the Diversity Visa program. You will not be penalized if you choose to enter the name of a spouse from whom you are legally separated. If you are not legally separated by a court order, you must include your spouse even if you plan to be divorced before you apply for the Diversity Visa. Failure to list your eligible spouse is grounds for disqualification. If your spouse is a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident, do not list him/her in your entry. A spouse who is already a U.S. citizen or LPR will not require or be issued a visa. Therefore, if you select “married and my spouse IS a U.S. citizen or U.S. LPR” on your entry, you will not be prompted to include further information on your spouse.
14. Number of children – List the name, date of birth, gender, city/town of birth, and country of birth for all living unmarried children under 21 years of age, regardless of whether they are living with you or intend to accompany or follow to join you, should you immigrate to the United States. Submit individual photographs of each of your children using the same technical specifications as your own photograph. Be sure to include (a) all living natural children; (b) all living children legally adopted by you; and, (c) all living step-children who are unmarried and under the age of 21 on the date of your electronic entry, even if you are no longer legally married to the child’s parent, and even if the child does not currently reside with you and/or will not immigrate with you. Married children and children who are already aged 21 or older when you submit your entry are not eligible for the DV program. However, the Child Status Protection Act protects children from “aging out” in certain circumstances. If you submit your DV entry before your unmarried child turns 21, and the child turns 21 before visa issuance, it is possible that he or she may be treated as though he or she were under 21 for visa processing purposes. A child who is already a U.S. citizen or LPR when you submit your DV entry will not require or be issued a Diversity Visa; you will not be penalized for either including or omitting such family members from your entry. Failure to list all children who are eligible or, listing someone who is not your child, will result in disqualification of the principal applicant and refusal of all visa applications in the case at the time of the visa interview.