United States: State Department Publishes Final Rule to Add Passport Requirement to the Diversity Visa Program

The State Department has published a final rule to amend the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (“DV Program”) effective April 10, 2026.  
 
The rule’s key amendment to the DV program requires registrants to include valid, unexpired passport information as part of their electronic entry form, or otherwise indicate that they are exempt from this requirement, in order to properly submit a diversity lottery entry form.  Registrants will need to upload a scan of the biographic and signature page(s) of their passport as part of the entry form. Additional amendments in the final rule impact the guidance and instructions for the DV Program, including replacing the term “gender” with “sex”, and replacing the term “age” with “date of birth” to accurately reflect the information collected.  

The rule notes that these amendments will be implemented with the 2027 Diversity Visa (“DV-2027”) Program. The State Department has delayed the start of the DV-2027 program and has not yet confirmed the start date for the registration period.  

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.