The U.S. Department of State has announced new rules for the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, widely known as the Green Card Lottery, introducing several changes that will take effect on April 10, 2026 and apply starting with the DV-2027 cycle.

One of the main changes is a new passport requirement. Under the updated rule, all applicants must include information from a valid passport in the electronic application form when registering for the lottery. Only applicants who can prove they qualify for an exemption will be allowed to apply without a passport.

In addition to entering passport details, applicants will also be required to upload a scan of the biometric page and the signature page of their passport as part of the registration process.

Another notable change is the introduction of a $1 registration fee for all applicants entering the Diversity Visa Lottery. This symbolic fee will begin with the DV-2027 program cycle.

The regulation also updates some terminology used in the program’s guidelines. The term “gender” will be replaced with “sex,” while “age” will be replaced with “date of birth,” to better reflect the specific information collected from applicants.

According to the official notice from the U.S. Department of State, these changes will apply to the DV-2027 Diversity Visa Program.

Meanwhile, the Department has also announced that the start of the DV-2027 program has been delayed, and the exact date for the opening of the registration period has not yet been confirmed.