How To Fill DV Lottery Entry Form For FY 2025? (Updated)

The DV lottery entry period for FY 2025 is open from Wednesday, October 4, 2023, at 12:00 PM EDT until Tuesday, November 7, 2023, at 12:00 PM EST. If you are not sure how to fill DV lottery entry form for FY 2025 correctly, we provide all the necessary steps here for you.

This Dbd guide tells you how to fill DV lottery application for FY 2025. We also show you how to avoid common mistakes that could disqualify your entry from being considered on this green card lottery program.

The Diversity Visa (DV) program allows 55,000 people to immigrate to the US each year. They are randomly chosen from countries with low rates of immigration to the US in the past five years.

If selected as a winner in the DV lottery, you and your dependents will be granted permanent residence in the United States.

You can enter yourself or any family members, including spouses and children, into the fiscal year 2025 DV lottery program. There is no fee required for entering for DV lottery.

Note that only one entry per person is allowed each year. The entrant will be automatically invalid if more than one entry is submitted.

Under the DV lottery program, each qualified entry is assigned a random selection number for the drawing. Later on, you can use that unique confirmation number to check the DV result online.

If you are from the DV lottery 2025 eligible country, follow these instructions and start filling out your entry form online today!

How to fill DV lottery application entry form for FY 2025?

All interested entrants must submit a DV lottery entry form online. You can do so from the DV lottery official website of the US Department of State at https://dvprogram.state.gov/. Any entries outside of this DV lottery official website are not valid.

Before you start your application form, make sure that you meet all eligibility requirements for the DV lottery 2025 program.

1. Visit DV lottery official website

The very first step in applying for DV lottery 2025 is visiting the DV lottery official website at: https://dvprogram.state.gov/.

2. Select “Begin Entry”

You will see four options on this page: “DV Instruction”, “Photo Examples”, “Begin Entry” and “Check Status”.

Click on the “Begin Entry” option and you will be directed to: https://dvprogram.state.gov/application.aspx.

3. Enter Authentication Code

You will now see a screen with the heading “Authentication Code”.

Enter the authentication code as you see on the screen in the text field just below the authentication code picture box.

4. Fill primary entrant Full Name

Once you are done with the authentication code, you will see the screen with “Part One – Entrant Information”. Here is where you have to fill in the primary entrant information.

Enter the primary applicant’s Last Name, First Name, and Middle Name if any in each box as it appears.

5. Selecting Gender

As of now, you will have an option for selecting either Male or Female. Select your gender by clicking the radio button as appears on the screen.

6. Entering your date of birth

Now you will have to enter your full date of birth. Please make sure that the day, month, and year are correct as per your records in your passport.

7. Enter the city where you were born

Type the city where you were born. You have to select the “Birth City Unknown” checkbox if you do not know your birth city information.

Do not enter district, provenience, state, or county details here.

8. Select the country of birth

Select the country of your birth using the drop-down menu. If your country name has changed after your birth, select the new name for your country.

9. Claiming eligibility for DV program based on the country you were born

If you were born in the diversity visa lottery 2025 eligible country and claiming your eligibility for the DV program from the same country, select “Yes” for this option.

If you were born in a different country but you are claiming your eligibility from one of the DV 2025 eligible countries. Select “No” and choose the country from the drop-down menu. 

Most of the entrants fall under the “Yes” option for this question.

10. Upload a valid primary entrant photograph

Diversity visa lottery program has some strict rules regarding the photograph. You must upload a new photograph that meets the DV lottery 2025 photo requirements. Some of them are as follows:

• Photograph should be square from 600*600 pixels to 1200*1200 pixels
• Photograph should be in JPEG format
• Image size should be less than or equal to 240 Kb
• Background should be plain white or off-white with no shadow

Do not mistake uploading the photograph that you used in your previous year’s diversity visa lottery application. The photo should be new and just taken recently.

Once you have your photograph ready, click on the “Choose New Photo” button and upload your photo.

11. Entering the mailing address

Enter the following information about your mailing address.

1. In Care of (optional): Enter a name in this field if someone other than you will be receiving a mail on your behalf.
2. Address Line 1: This is the street name of your mailing address.
3. Address Line 2 (optional): Enter additional information about the address, such as suite number or apartment number.
4. City/Town: Enter the name of the city or town if you are not mailing with a P.O. Box address.
5. District/County/Province/State: Enter the name of district or county or province or state in which your mailing address is located.
6. Postal Code/ZIP Code: Enter the postal or ZIP code for your mailing address. Select “No Postal Code /Zip Code” Check box if your mailing address does not have any.
7. Country: Select the country of your mailing address from the drop-down menu.

12. Selecting the country you are living in today

Select the name of the country where you are living right now, where you are physically located while filling this DV lottery form.

Even if you are currently living outside of your country of birth, it will not affect your eligibility for a diversity visa.

13. Entering your phone number

Enter your phone number in this field. This is an optional question.

If you do not wish to provide your phone number, leave this field empty.

14. Entering your email address

In this field, type your email address. Confirm it by retyping it in the field below.

15. Selecting your highest level of education

Select the highest level of education that you have achieved.

To be eligible for the DV lottery, you must have at least a high school diploma. If you have not graduated from high school, you should work in a job that requires at least two years of training or experience.

16. Select your current marital status

Select your current marital status at the time of filling this form.

17. Enter your number of children

Enter the number of children you have at the time you are filling this form.

18. Select “Continue” to proceed on part two

Select the “Continue” button to proceed to the next part where you are going to fill in your spouse and children’s information.

If you are unmarried and do not have any children, you can skip to step 22.

19. Entering your Spouse information

Enter the following information about your spouse.

• Last/FamilyName: Your spouse’s last name.
• First Name: Enter the first name of your spouse.
• Middle Name: Enter the middle name of your spouse if any.
• Birth Date: Enter the birth date of your spouse.
• Gender: Select “Male” or “Female” based on your spouse’s gender.
• City where your spouse was born: Enter your spouse’s city of birth.
• Country where your spouse was born: Select the country of birth from the drop-down menu.
• Spouse photograph: Your spouse’s picture should be taken against a plain white or off-white background. The photo should be new and just taken recently. To upload the photo, click on the “Choose New Photo” button and upload your photo.

20. Entering your children information

Enter the following information about your unmarried children. The age of your children must be less than 21 years at the time of DV lottery form submission.

• Last/FamilyName: Your child’s last name, from birth or adoption.
• First Name: Enter your child’s first name.
• Middle Name: If your child has a middle name, enter it in this field.
• Birth Date: Enter your child’s birth date in this field.
• Gender: Select “Male” or “Female”.
• City where your child was born: Enter the name of the city where your child was born.
• Country where your child was born: Select the country where your child was born from the drop-down menu.
• Child photograph: Your child’s photo should be taken against a plain white or off-white background. The photo should be new and just taken recently. To upload the photo, click on the “Choose New Photo” button and upload photos.

21. Select the “Continue” button to review the entry form

Select the “Continue” button to proceed to the next part where you are going to review and submit your DV lottery entry form.

22. Submit after reviewing your application

If all the information provided in this form is true and correct, click on the “Submit” button to complete your DV lottery application form.

If you want to make any change in your application, select the “Go Back to Part 1” or “Go Back to Part 2” button.

23. Getting a confirmation number

After submitting your DV lottery entry form you will redirect to a confirmation page where you will get a confirmation number. Save this confirmation number or print the confirmation screen page for your records. You will need this unique confirmation number to check the status of your entry.

This completes the process of filling the DV lottery entry form for FY 2025. We hope you know now how to fill DV lottery application for FY 2025.

Related: Check Your DV Result Now

What are the eligibility requirements for DV lottery 2025?

Every year, the US Department of State operates an electronic diversity visa (EDV) program widely known as the green card lottery. 

Under this program, the Department of State distributes 55,000 diversity visas every year. It is available for people from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. People who are selected under this program are given an immigrant visa to permanently live and work in the USA. 

To be eligible for this DV lottery program for FY 2025, applicants must meet the following criteria:

1) Applicants must not be a native of one of these listed countries. Because more than 50,000 people from the countries listed below immigrated to the United States in the previous five years. Natives of these nations are not eligible to take part in the diversity visa program (DV) for 2025.

• Bangladesh
• Brazil
• Canada
• China (including Hong Kong SAR)
• Colombia
• Dominican Republic
• El Salvador
• Haiti
• Honduras
• India
• Jamaica
• Mexico
• Nigeria
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• South Korea
• United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland)
• Venezuela
• Vietnam

Natives of Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible for FY 2025 DV lottery program.

If you were born in one of the above-listed non-qualifying DV 2025 countries, you can still apply for FY 2025 DV lottery program. But one of these situations should apply to you:

1.a) If your spouse was born in a country that is eligible to apply for DV lottery.

In this situation, you may use your spouse’s country of birth as the basis for qualifying for the DV lottery. Your spouse must also be qualified for and receive an immigrant visa in order for you to be issued one.

For example: Let’s say you were born in India (FY 2025 DV lottery non-eligible country) and your spouse born in Egypt (FY 2025 DV lottery eligible country). You can apply for the DV lottery program based on your spouse’s country of birth.

1.b) If either of your parents was born in a country that is eligible to apply DV lottery.

In this situation, if your parents were not residents of the country where you were born at the time of your birth, you may use your parent’s country of birth as the basis for qualifying for the 2025 DV lottery program.

For example: If you were born in Mexico and one of your parents was born in Nepal, an eligible country for this year’s diversity visa program. You may apply for the DV lottery program on the basis of your parent’s country of birth. However, your parents both must not be Mexican citizens at the time of your birth.

2) Applicants must have either a high school degree or equivalent. Or two years of work experience within the past five years in DV lottery-qualifying jobs.

FAQs about filling diversity visa lottery application

Final thoughts

We hope after reading this Dbd guide, you now know how to fill DV lottery entry form for FY 2025. You can confidently fill out the DV lottery form online and submit it following the instructions above.

However, for a valid entry, you also need to be qualified for the program. The eligibility criteria are clearly outlined above. Make sure you meet these criteria before filling the DV lottery application.

Please share this information with your friends and family if you found it useful. They will also know how to fill DV lottery form online without difficulty.