Participation in the Green Card lottery begins by filling out an application form on the official website. The registration process is completely free. The questionnaire itself is quite simple, but there are a number of nuances to be followed: if you make a mistake, your application may be disqualified. Here are detailed instructions on how to complete the DV Lottery application form, so you can be sure that you are doing it correctly!
Before the start
You can fill out the official Green Card Lottery form only at https://dvprogram.state.gov . All other sites offering to fill out the application are not the official DV Program (Lottery) services. The form is available only when the Lottery is open. Note, there is a full copy of the official form translated into all languages at https://dvlottery.me/ds-5501-edv-form , it is free, it works the same way, and it is available all year.
The form must be filled out in English letters.
You have one hour to fill out the form. If you are not active for 20 minutes, the application would be reset and the entered information would be lost.
To get ready in advance, use our free DV Lottery training (https://dvlottery.me/ds-5501-edv-form), it contains all the Green Card Lottery questions.
DV Lottery application instructions
The Green Card Lottery questionnaire consists of several parts. The first part includes 15 personal information questions.
1) Name
The first and last names must be written as they appear in the passport.
If you have several valid passports (for example, of different nationalities), you can choose the spelling from any of them. But if one of them has the same spelling as the birth certificate - use that one, not the others.
Middle Name is worth indicating only if it is spelled in English letters in your passport.
2) Gender and 3) Birth date
In the next columns, you must enter your gender and date of birth.
DV Lottery answers: example
4) City Where You Were Born
Enter the information from your birth certificate. Find the official spelling of the city's name in English. If your hometown has changed its name, it is best to use both the old and new versions, hyphenated (for example, Bombay - Mumbai).
If your place of birth is unknown and not listed on your birth certificate, indicate it in the form.
5) Country Where You Were Born
Select your country of birth from the list. If you were born in the USSR or, for example, Yugoslavia, you should specify the modern name of the country: Russia, Slovenia, Belarus.
Important: Applicants born in Crimea must select Ukraine as their country of birth. The U.S. does not recognize Crimea as part of Russia.
6) Country of Eligibility for DV program
If you were born in a country whose citizens are eligible to participate in the lottery, this section is exempt. If your country is not on the lottery eligibility list, there are 2 options: (*) Assign yourself to either parent's country of birth; (*) Assign yourself to your spouse's country of birth. If you win, both spouses must arrive for the visa interview.
The list of countries eligible for the Green Card Lottery is subject to change each year. Natives of the following countries are EXCLUDED from entering the DV-2023 program which is held in 2021: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (Including Hong Kong). Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland), Vietnam.
7) Passport
Enter the data of a valid international passport.
8) Entrant Photograph
You must upload a compliant DV Lottery photo here. Use DV Lottery Photo Checker to check if your image is matching the requirements: https://dvlottery.me/dv-lottery-photo-checker .
It is desirable to choose the address of your primary residence. If you do not have your own address at the moment, you can enter the data of your relative or friend (in this case, write your name in the In Care of field).
10) Country Where You Live Today
Provide up-to-date information.
11) Phone number
This box is optional.
12) E-mail Address
Be very careful when you enter your email address. That is where the Confirmation number will come, without which you will not know about your winnings. So, indicate a valid email address, which you are going to use for at least one more year. We recommend that you copy and paste this address or use your web browser autocomplete feature, do not manually enter it.
13) Education
You should indicate only your completed education and its level. If you have a secondary vocational or technical education, indicate how many grades you have completed. If you win, you will need to provide all diplomas and certificates.
14) Marital Status
Provide a legally documented marital status at the time of application. Single/unmarried status is indicated only if there are no previous marriages.
15) Number of Children
You must list all of your unmarried children under the age of 21, regardless of where they live or their intention to immigrate to the United States.
This is the end of the Green Card DV lottery application form for those who do not have a spouse and children.
If you indicated a spouse or children, then the second part of the application will open.You will need to consistently provide photos and data on each of the family members.
After carefully checking all the entered data, click the Submit button at the bottom.
Once you receive the Confirmation Number, keep it safe until the results appear.
Should I use an intermediary to submit my application?
You can get help in filling out the application, but it's better to do it personally. Intermediaries have no way to influence the choice of winners, as they are determined by the software.
Also, an unscrupulous agent can write his own email instead of yours. In case of winning you may need to pay a large sum of money for the confirmation number.
And one more extremely important point: each participant can submit the Green Card Lottery entry form only once! Even if you have two passports and you create two applications based on them in order to increase your chances of winning, this will not work. Your application will either be disqualified automatically or you will be denied a visa even if you win.
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