You cannot enter the DV lottery today. Registration is not open, and November 1, 2026 is not an entry day. You can still prepare a photo that follows the last written rules, then take a new one if more than six months pass before you submit.
A finished photo is not an entry. It is not a selection. It is not a visa. It is one file you will upload later, on the official form, after the State Department posts dates.
The form is closed because an appeals court paused an order that would have required an opening by November 1. That pause is explained in A court paused the order to open the DV lottery 2027. The State Department notice from November 5, 2025 still says the start date will be announced later. When does the DV lottery 2027 open? collects that status.
Can I enter if my photo is ready?
No. A photo does not open the form. In recent years the entry form was the DS-5501 on dvprogram.state.gov. Do not pay a website that says it can submit a DV-2027 entry before the government posts dates.
A payment for a photo is a payment for a photo. It is not the registration fee. A rule effective September 16, 2025 adds a $1 Diversity Visa lottery registration fee, collected on the government site at registration, in addition to the $330 Diversity Visa application fee. The fee guide walks through both amounts. Pay only what the official site asks for, after it opens.
Which photo rules are already written?
DV-2027 photo instructions are not published yet. Two official texts already use different words for the head. Make a file that meets the last full instruction set. Measure again if the new notice chooses the other rule.
The instructions published October 1, 2024 are the last full set. They were written for DV-2026. A rule effective April 10, 2026 keeps a color JPEG, a straight-on face, and a six-month limit, but it changes the head measurement. It says the head “must cover about 50% of the area of the photograph.” It does not repeat 600 by 600 or 240 KB. It says scanner settings “will be further specified in the public notice.”
Height and area are different rulers. Think of a square window. The height rule measures from the chin to the top of the head, up and down. The area rule asks how much of the window the head covers. The corners are background, not head. A head can be about 60 percent of the height and still cover much less than half the square.
| Item | October 1, 2024 instructions | Rule effective April 10, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| File | JPEG, 600 by 600, 240 KB or smaller | Color JPEG. Pixel size and the 240 KB limit are not restated |
| Head | 50% to 69% of the height | About 50% of the area |
| Age of the photo | Within the last six months | No more than six months before you submit |
| Background | Plain white or off-white | Neutral and light. Not very dark or busy |
| Glasses | Do not wear eyeglasses | No eyeglasses, sunglasses, or anything that blocks the face |
Until a DV-2027 notice picks one set, use the 2024 numbers for the file. They are the only published numbers that give both the pixel size and the head height. The size, file size, and examples pages follow those written rules.
On a 600-pixel square, 50 percent of the height is 300 pixels and 69 percent is 414 pixels. That range is the height rule applied to the published size. The instructions do not print “300 to 414” as a separate rule. Measure from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.
How do I take the photo?
Take it at home. If you scan a print, the 2024 instructions say 2 by 2 inches (51 by 51 mm) at 300 pixels per inch. The 2026 rule says 2 by 2 inches (50 mm by 50 mm) and leaves scanner settings for the public notice.
- Use a plain white or off-white wall. Step back so your shadow does not fall on it.
- Face a window. Do not stand with the window behind you.
- Take off eyeglasses. A hearing device you normally wear may stay, under the 2024 instructions.
- Look straight at the camera. Neutral expression. Both eyes open. Do not tilt your head.
- Wear everyday clothes. No uniform, unless it is religious clothing you wear every day. No headphones.
- Head covering only for daily religious wear. The full face must show, with no shadow on the face. The 2026 rule also rejects tribal, military, airline, and other non-religious headgear.
- Crop a square and center the head. Keep the chin-to-top height inside 50 to 69 percent.
- Save a JPEG at 600 by 600 pixels, 240 KB or smaller.
The phone guide covers a phone photo. The tool on this site exports a 600 by 600 JPEG. dvlotteryphoto.com makes one such JPEG per order, with the background corrected and the file size checked, made to those DV-2026 measurements. That is not State Department approval. It does not submit an entry. It is not the $1 fee. A finished file does not guarantee selection or a visa.
How do I check the file?
Read the file properties first. You want a JPEG, 600 by 600 pixels, and 240 KB or smaller. Then look at the picture: color, sharp, no glasses, a plain light background, and the head inside the 50 to 69 percent band.
Compare the pose with the State Department photo examples and this site’s examples and photo requirements guide.
What problems do the instructions name?
You may be ineligible if the photo misses the rules or has been manipulated. Reusing an earlier year’s photo will make you ineligible. A driver’s-license copy, a snapshot, a magazine photo, a vending-machine photo, or a full-length photo is not acceptable. Do not change your face.
Do family members need their own photos?
Yes. Each person uses the same technical rules. List your spouse unless a court order shows a legal separation. Leaving out an eligible spouse will make you ineligible. Do not list a spouse who is already a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident.
List every living unmarried child under 21, including adopted children and stepchildren. A child who already has that U.S. status does not have to be listed. For a baby, no other person may be in the photo. The baby and child page has the sheet and car-seat setups from the instructions.
How old can the photo be?
The 2024 instructions say “within the last six months.” The 2026 rule says “no more than six months” before you submit.
A photo taken on October 31, 2026 is still in time on April 30, 2027, and too old on May 1, 2027. That count is not an entry date. If the form is still closed then, take a new photo. Do not reuse last year’s photograph. The instructions say that will make you ineligible.
What should you do now?
- Do not submit an entry, and do not pay anyone to submit one. November 1 was a paused court deadline, not an announced opening. A message that says you must pay to hold a place does not match the public record.
- Practice the photo this week. White wall, daylight, no glasses, square crop. Check the file.
- Make one JPEG for each person who must be listed. The photo tool and dvlotteryphoto.com both produce a 600 by 600 JPEG made to the DV-2026 measurements. Neither one submits your entry.
- Write down the day of the photo. If six months pass before you submit, take a new one.
- Read the DV-2027 photo paragraph before you upload. If it keeps these numbers, the checked file can stay. If it uses the area sentence or a new pixel size, export again. Start from the visas-news page and this site’s registration status page.
- Enter once, yourself, on the site the notice names. The April 10, 2026 rule says that if two or more petitions are submitted by or for the same person in one fiscal year, all of them are void. Keep your own confirmation number. The DV-2026 instructions say the Department does not email a selection notice and does not ask you to send money by mail or by Western Union.
This is general information from public government notices. It is not legal advice. How this site labels official records is on the editorial policy.
Questions
Can I enter the DV lottery on November 1, 2026?
No. November 1, 2026 was a deadline in a lower-court order. On October 29, 2026, an appeals court paused that order. The State Department has not announced an entry date. A ready photo does not let you enter early.
What size is a DV lottery photo?
The October 1, 2024 instructions say a color JPEG of 600 by 600 pixels, 240 KB or smaller, with the head at 50 to 69 percent of the image height. A rule effective April 10, 2026 instead says the head must cover about 50 percent of the photo’s area, and it does not restate the pixel size. Use the 2024 file size until a DV-2027 notice says otherwise.
Can I wear glasses in the DV lottery photo?
No. Both written texts say not to wear eyeglasses. The 2026 rule also rejects sunglasses and anything else that blocks the face. The 2024 instructions say a hearing device you normally wear may be worn.
How old can the DV photo be?
No more than six months before you submit. A photo taken on October 31, 2026 is still in time for a submission on April 30, 2027, and too old for a submission on May 1, 2027. If registration is still closed then, take a new photo. Do not reuse an earlier year’s photo.
Do my spouse and children need photos?
Yes, if they must be on the entry. Each photo uses the same rules. Do not list a spouse who is already a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident. A baby’s photo may not include another person.
Does a finished photo mean I was selected?
No. The photo is a file for the entry form. Selection, if it happens later, is permission to apply. It is not a visa. A photo made to the written requirements is not approved by the State Department, and it does not guarantee selection.
Sources
- Diversity Visa instructions for DV-2026, Federal Register, October 1, 2024. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/10/01/2024-22482/diversity-visa-instructions-for-dv-2026
- Visas: enhancing vetting and combatting fraud in the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, effective April 10, 2026. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/03/11/2026-04737/visas-enhancing-vetting-and-combatting-fraud-in-the-diversity-immigrant-visa-program
- U.S. Department of State, “Changes to Entry Period for 2027 Diversity Visa (DV) Program,” November 5, 2025. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/changes-to-2027-dv-program-entry-period.html
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, order granting a stay pending appeal, No. 26-6943, October 29, 2026. https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2026/10/29/26-6943.pdf
- Schedule of fees for consular services, effective September 16, 2025. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/09/16/2025-17851/schedule-of-fees-for-consular-services-department-of-state-and-overseas-embassies-and
- Photo examples page named in the DV-2026 instructions. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/photos/photo-examples.html
DV Lottery Guide is an independent, unofficial guide and is not affiliated with the U.S. government. A photo made to the written DV requirements is not approved by the State Department. Entering the lottery does not guarantee selection or a visa.