Author DVLottery.me 2022-09-27

As it is a key identity document, the passport is one of the biggest aspects to focus on in immigration issues. What about the Diversity Visa lottery? Find out here.

According to a recent ruling, DV lottery applicants no longer need a passport when applying online. The passport has been a point of pain for some applicants, as they find it difficult and costly to get a passport in the period of time they need to apply for the lottery, so this ruling was more than welcome.

The answer to this question refers to the DV lottery for 2024, whose registration will open at the beginning of the last quarter of 2022 (early October to early November).

Applications are done online. Even though applications do not require passports now, they are still done on the official DV lottery by the Department of State website: https://dvprogram.state.gov/. There, you will have to answer questions and submit required documents.

When the passport was needed to apply for the DV lottery, you had to apply with a valid passport. That means it should not be expired.

Now, as a passport is no longer a requirement for application, the question is moot: you simply do not need any passport to apply. However, to actually get the visa if you win the lottery, you will have to use a valid passport.

As we have mentioned above, a passport is no longer a requirement to take part in the DV 2024 lottery. It will be needed when you do win and process your visa. However, we could infer which characteristics of the passport are essential: (*) Validity of passport, with clear date: passport needs to be valid to apply for visa; (*) Shows personal identity; (*) Proofs the applicant’s citizenship, which is a key requirement for application.

As the passport itself wasn’t a part of the application, you do not need to worry if you changed your passport during the time period between lottery entrance and announcement. What’s important is that your passport is valid when you get your visa.

If your passport change includes a change of name, which means that the name on your passport differs from application, you will need to provide paperwork that you’ve done this procedure and prove your identity.

The answer depends on which photo exactly you are referring to.

The photo used for DV lottery applications must be no older than six months and of high quality. If your passport photo is older than that, it can’t be used for application. If you’re referring to a scan of the portrait on your passport, then you shouldn’t use that either, as scans tend to be low quality.

Either way, passport photos from different countries have different requirements, so the passport photo from your country may not comply with the US specifications.

The question isn’t whether your passport photo is usable, the point is in whether it fully complies with the parameters. You can validate your DV Lorrery photo for free online here: https://dvlottery.me/dv-lottery-photo-checker