The Department of State is pleased to announce the beginning of the Diversity Visa lottery program 2018 (DV-2018), commonly known as the “Green Card Lottery.” The registration period will run from 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), on October 4, 2016, through 12:00 noon, EST, on November 7, 2016.
During this registration period, applicants may access the electronic Diversity Visa entry form (E-DV) at www.dvlottery.state.gov. Paper entries will not be accepted.
Important change: Applicants must submit a recent photo taken within the last six months. Entries that include the same photo from the last DV year (DV-2017) will be disqualified.
There is no charge to complete the electronic Diversity Visa entry form. Entrants will receive an official confirmation number when they register. It is very important to keep that number until at least September 30, 2018. This confirmation number will be the sole means by which applicants can find out if they have been selected for DV-2018. All entrants, including those not selected, will be able to check the status of their entry through the Entrant Status Check available at www.dvlottery.state.gov as of May 2, 2017. Selected individuals who respond to the notification instructions provided on the E-DV selectee confirmation page on Entrant Status Check also will receive notification of their scheduled immigrant visa appointment through Entrant Status Check. DV-2018 data will be available through Entrant Status Check until at least September 30, 2018. Notifications will NOT be sent by e-mail or regular mail to those selected.
Entrants may prepare and submit their own entries or have someone submit the entry for them, but the entrant remains responsible for ensuring that the information is correct and complete.
The law allows only one entry for each person during each registration period. Individuals with more than one entry will be disqualified. However, a husband and a wife may each submit a separate entry, listing the other as a derivative dependent, if each meets the eligibility requirements.
Please note that any person who receives a letter or email that states that he or she has been selected in the Diversity Visa program or promises a Green Card should consider the contents illegitimate and fraudulent. Furthermore, there are no third-party payments in the Diversity Visa process. The only required payment is the visa fee itself, which is paid at the U.S. Embassy.
Instructions for the DV lottery are posted in both English and Bulgarian on the Embassy’s website. If you have any additional questions after reading the instructions, please send us an email at iv_sofia@state.gov or call the Immigrant Visa Section at 02-937-5100 each business day between 9:00 – 12:00.
