Has DV-2028 registration opened?
Short answer: no, and neither has DV-2027. Visa issuance restarted in August 2026 under a court order, which is a different thing. Here is the full picture and what to prepare.
On this page
Status on 9 September 2026
DV-2028 registration has not opened. The State Department has announced no dates. Industry sites predict early October 2026, but that is a forecast, not an announcement.
DV-2027 registration has not opened either. It normally runs in October and did not start in 2025. There is still no published date.
Visa issuance has resumed. The State Department confirmed that from 28 August 2026 it is issuing diversity visas again, to comply with a court order.
How the programme got here
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| December 2025 | The State Department suspended diversity visa issuance to review screening and vetting. |
| 11 March 2026 | DV-2026 selection results opened for checking. |
| 10 April 2026 | A final rule took effect: a passport is now mandatory to enter, and entry costs $1. |
| 24 June 2026 | Selectee families filed Medani v. Trump in the Northern District of California. |
| 28 August 2026 | The State Department resumed issuing diversity visas to comply with the court order. |
| 30 September 2026 | The statutory deadline for DV-2026 visas. Unissued numbers are forfeited. |
Two things are worth separating. Issuance is the step where a selected applicant receives a visa; that has restarted. Registration is the annual entry window; that has not opened.
What it means for you
If you were selected for DV-2026
Issuance resumed on 28 August 2026, but the fiscal-year deadline of 30 September 2026 does not move. A diversity visa not issued by that date is lost, and the deadline cannot be extended. If you have a case in progress, treat every request from the consulate as urgent.
If you are waiting for DV-2027
Registration never opened, and no date has been published. The processing year for DV-2027 selectees is still scheduled to run from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027. Watch dvprogram.state.gov rather than news aggregators.
If you plan to enter the next lottery
Prepare the documents now. The entry window is short — historically about a month — and the two new requirements below take longer to satisfy than the form itself.
The two new rules
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Passport required | You must give a valid passport number, its country of issue and expiry date, and upload a scan of the biographic page. Limited exemptions exist for stateless applicants and for nationals of some countries who cannot obtain a passport. |
| $1 entry fee | Entry is no longer free. The fee is charged at submission, and there are no waivers. |
Why the passport rule matters more than it sounds
In many countries a first passport takes weeks or months. If you do not hold one, that is the task to start today, not the photo. The entry window will not wait for an appointment queue.
What to prepare before the window opens
- A valid passport. Check the expiry date as well. Start the application now if you do not have one.
- A scan of the biographic page. A flat, readable scan, not a photograph at an angle.
- A compliant photo for every family member. Spouse and each child under 21 need their own photo, taken within six months of entry. See our requirements guide.
- A way to pay $1. Confirm your card works for U.S. dollar payments.
- Your confirmation number, stored safely. It is the only way to check results, and it cannot be recovered casually.
Get the photo ready before the window opens
DV Photo checks 32 points based on the published DV photo requirements. It measures 20 of them from the image itself and 8 from the file and its metadata, and tells you which one fails and by how much. The other 4 are reminders you verify yourself. It never retouches your face or replaces the background. Auto-fix only crops, resizes and re-encodes the file, and never adds a pixel: if a crop is not enough, it asks you to retake the photo. All 32 checks and the automatic fix are free and need no sign-up.
Check my photoHow to check the status yourself
- dvprogram.state.gov is the entry site and the only place entries are accepted. If it is not open there, the lottery is not open.
- travel.state.gov publishes the instructions and the news items.
- Treat any site that sells you an entry as a warning sign. Entry is submitted directly and costs $1.
Questions people ask
Is the DV lottery cancelled?
No. The programme is written into U.S. law, and ending it would take an act of Congress. Registration is delayed, not abolished.
When will DV-2028 registration open?
No date has been announced. Industry sites predict early October 2026, but only the State Department can confirm it. Check dvprogram.state.gov.
Visas are being issued again — does that mean registration is open?
No. Issuance applies to people already selected in an earlier year. The entry window is separate and has not opened.
Do I really need a passport to enter now?
Yes, since the rule took effect on 10 April 2026. Limited exemptions apply to stateless applicants and to nationals of certain countries who cannot obtain one.
Can I pay someone to submit my entry?
You can, but you do not need to. Entry is submitted directly on the official site and costs $1. Anyone charging much more is selling you the form.