New rules for the American Lottery: Passport becomes mandatory and application fee is added
The popular American Lottery program will see significant changes starting with applications for DV-2027. The United States Department of State has published a new rule in the Federal Register, which aims to combat fraud and false applications in the Diversity Visa program.
The new rule goes into effect on April 10, 2026, approximately 30 days after official publication, and is expected to apply to DV-2027 program applications.
The main change is the requirement for a valid passport when applying. Applicants will need to enter their passport details and upload a scan of the biographical page and signature page of the passport online. The document must be in JPEG format and with a maximum size of up to 5 MB. In case the passport is expired or the document is not uploaded, the application will be automatically rejected.
Another innovation is the introduction of a symbolic fee of around $1 per application, which aims to reduce the number of mass applications and abuses of the system.
According to the United States Department of State, millions of fraudulent or duplicate applications are discovered each year, often carried out by third parties without the knowledge of the applicants. In one program alone, an estimated 2.5 million duplicate applications have been identified.
US authorities emphasize that the passport and document verification requirement will help accurately identify applicants, reduce duplicate applications, and combat fraud by criminal agencies or networks.
For persons planning to apply for DV-2027, it is recommended to have a valid passport, scan of the document ready, and apply only once, as double applications lead to disqualification.
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