Diversity Visa (DV, "green card lottery")

This page is for those who want to participate in the diversity visa lottery (Diversity Visa, DV) held annually by the United States and those selected in the lottery. It explains the current status, who can participate, the registration steps, how to learn the result, what awaits you in Ankara if you are selected, and fraud traps. Turkish citizens may apply; Türkiye is in the Europe region for the lottery.

• The DV-2027 registration period has not yet opened. The U.S. Department of State announced that it made changes to the registration process in November 2025 and would announce the DV-2027 registration dates "as soon as practicable." As of October 16, 2026, the official DV instructions page still contains the DV-2026 instructions.
• For those selected for DV-2027, the visa application period is October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027.
• The deadline for DV-2026 selectees was September 30, 2026; that date has passed.
• The suspension of DV visa issuance that began in December 2025 was lifted on August 28, 2026, by court order.
• New rules: A $1 registration fee was introduced in September 2025, and a passport requirement was introduced in April 2026. The registration period has not yet opened after these rules took effect. Details are below.

• The program provides up to 55,000 immigrant visas each year to citizens of countries that have sent relatively few immigrants to the United States in recent years. Selection is made randomly by computer.
• Visas are distributed among six geographic regions. No single country may receive more than 7% of the annual visas.
• Requirement 1, eligible country: The relevant country is generally the country where you were born, not your citizenship or place of residence.
  • If you were born in an ineligible country, you may use your spouse's country of birth or, in some circumstances, your mother's or father's country of birth.
• Requirement 2, education or work experience (only for the principal applicant):
  • at least a high school education: education equivalent to 12 years of formal elementary and secondary education in the United States. Equivalency examination certificates, such as GED certificates, are not accepted.
  • or, within the last 5 years, 2 years of work experience in an occupation requiring at least 2 years of training or experience. The occupation must be classified as "Job Zone 4 or 5" with an SVP of 7.0 or higher in the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET database.
• Your spouse and children do not need to meet the education requirement.
• Do not apply if you do not meet these two requirements. Even if you are selected, you will not be able to obtain a visa, and the fees you paid will not be refunded.

1. Registration is conducted online only at dvprogram.state.gov, between the announced dates (Form DS-5501). Paper or late applications are not accepted.
2. Each person may submit only one application in a registration period. All applications submitted by a person who submits more than one application will be disqualified.
3. If both spouses meet the requirements, each may submit one separate application. If one is selected, the other may apply through that person's case.
4. Passport information: Since April 10, 2026, you must enter the number, issuing country, and expiration date of your valid, unexpired passport and upload a scan of the passport's identity and signature page. The scan must be in JPEG format and no larger than 5 MB; PDF files are not accepted. For passport information, see 1.10 Passport and documents.
5. Enter your name exactly as it appears in your passport.
6. Photographs: recent photographs, taken within the last 6 months, of you, your spouse, and all your children. Photographs must comply with U.S. visa photo rules: color, white or off-white background, no eyeglasses, and a full front-facing view. Re-uploading a photograph used in previous years will lead to disqualification.
7. Spouse: If you are legally married, you must list your spouse even if you live separately or plan to divorce. You do not list your spouse only if there is a legal separation by court order or your spouse is a U.S. citizen or green card holder.
8. Children: List all unmarried children under 21. This includes biological, adopted, and stepchildren, even if they do not live with you or will not immigrate with you.
9. Registration fee: The principal applicant pays $1 during registration.
10. After completing the application, your name and confirmation number appear on the screen. Print this page and keep the number safe. If you lose it, it will not be reissued and you will not be able to learn your result.
11. You must be able to access the email account entered in the application at least until May of the following year. If you are selected, the Department of State will send subsequent correspondence to this address.

• The result is available only through the Entrant Status Check section at dvprogram.state.gov, using your confirmation number.
• The Department of State does not send letters or emails to selectees. U.S. embassies do not provide the list of selectees.
• Those not selected can also learn the result only through the same section.
• In the previous period (DV-2026), result checking opened on May 3, 2025, and remained open at least until September 30, 2026. The Department of State will announce the DV-2027 dates.
• Check the result yourself; do not leave it to someone else.

1. Selection does not guarantee a visa. Usually, more people are selected than the number of visas available. Act quickly.
2. DS-260: Complete the immigrant visa application form (DS-260) online. An interview will not be scheduled until the form is completed.
3. Documents: Prepare civil registry records, marriage and divorce documents, criminal records with archival records, and diploma or work-experience documents. For documents obtained from Türkiye, see 3.2 Green card through family.
4. Interview appointment: The Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) will notify you of the interview date by email. Appointment information also appears in Entrant Status Check.
5. Interview location: The U.S. Embassy in Ankara handles all immigrant visas in Türkiye, including DV visas.
6. Medical examination: You must have the examination at a physician authorized by the Embassy at least 15 days before the interview. See 3.9 Immigrant visa interview (Ankara).
7. Deadline: You and your family must obtain the visa by the end of that program year (September 30). No visa can be issued after this date; family members cannot join later.
8. After the visa: Pay the USCIS immigrant fee ($235) and enter the United States. The card will arrive by mail.
9. If you are in lawful status in the United States when selected, you may apply to USCIS for adjustment of status using Form I-485. This application must also be completed by September 30.
10. If your child turns 21 during this process, see 3.3 How to read the Visa Bulletin for the CSPA age calculation.

• Registration fee: $1 (principal applicant only, during registration).
• DV visa application fee: $330 per person for each selectee who applies for a visa. It is not refundable if the visa is refused.
• USCIS immigrant fee: $235 (after obtaining the visa, for the card).
• Medical examination: For the fee in Ankara, see 3.9 Immigrant visa interview (Ankara).

• The Department of State does not notify you by email that you have been selected. Emails and websites saying "You won, pay a fee" are fake.
• The Department of State has only one Kentucky Consular Center. Organizations using similar names are not affiliated with the Department of State.
• U.S. government email addresses and websites end in .gov.
• USCIS will not ask you to send money to an individual and does not accept payment by Western Union, MoneyGram, PayPal, Venmo, or gift card.
• Complete your application yourself. If someone helps you, stay with them; keep your confirmation page and confirmation number yourself. Some agents withhold the confirmation number and later demand money.
• In the United States, "notarios" or notaries cannot provide legal services concerning immigration.
• If you believe you have been the victim of immigration fraud, report it to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or your state's consumer protection office. Also see 1.12 Fraud warnings.

• Electronic DV site (E-DV) — registration and result checking
  • Web: dvprogram.state.gov
• Kentucky Consular Center (KCC), Williamsburg, Kentucky — administers the program and schedules interviews for selectees
  • KCC has no public application channel for case-status questions. You can learn your status only at dvprogram.state.gov.
• U.S. Embassy Ankara — all immigrant visa interviews, including DV
  • Address: Çukurambar Mahallesi, 1480 Sokak No: 1, 06530 Çankaya / Ankara
  • Phone: +90 312 294 00 00
  • Immigrant visa questions: Embassy inquiry form
• Visa Information Hotline — arrangements for submitting missing documents after the interview
  • From Türkiye: +90 850 390 1950
  • From the United States: +1 313 572 0883
• USCIS Contact Center — selectees adjusting status from within the United States
  • Phone: +1 800 375 5283 (TTY +1 800 767 1833), from outside the United States +1 212 620 3418

• Submitting more than one application; all applications are disqualified.
• Failing to list a spouse or child; forgetting a spouse who lives separately or stepchildren.
• Uploading the previous year's photograph or an edited photograph, or one showing eyeglasses.
• Losing the confirmation number or leaving it with someone else.
• Waiting for the result by email.
• Applying without completing high school or without qualifying work experience.
• Delaying the DS-260 after selection and missing the September 30 deadline.
• Providing information or money to websites accepting applications before the registration period is announced.

• Can I apply for DV-2027 now? No. As of October 16, 2026, the registration period has not opened. The dates will be announced on the official pages of the U.S. Department of State.
• Can a Turkish citizen who does not live in Türkiye apply? The relevant factor is the country of birth, not the country where you live. If you were born in Türkiye, you apply through Türkiye.
• Can my spouse and I apply separately? Yes. If you meet the requirements, each of you may submit one application. You must list all family members on both applications.
• I am a university student; is my high school diploma sufficient? High school graduation (12 years of formal education) meets the education requirement.
• How much is the registration fee? The principal applicant pays $1 during registration. If selected, a $330 visa application fee is paid per person.
• I am a student in the United States; if selected, must I return to Türkiye? If you are in lawful status, you may apply to USCIS using Form I-485. Consult an immigration attorney about your situation.
• Are the instructions available in Turkish? The only official text is the English instructions. For DV-2026, unofficial translations in some languages are available on the official page; as of October 16, 2026, there is no link to a Turkish translation.

• Electronic DV site: registration and Entrant Status Check
• DV-2026 instructions and frequently asked questions (PDF)
• DV application steps infographic (PDF)
• U.S. Department of State – DV instructions page
• U.S. Department of State – DV program steps
• Free visa photo cropping tool
• O*NET occupational database (for the work-experience requirement)
• Visa Bulletin (DV rank-number limits)
• U.S. Embassy Türkiye – Diversity Visa
• USCIS – Applying for DV from within the United States
• Federal Register – DV passport requirement
• USCIS – Common scams