Editorial and sources policy
Updated . DV Lottery Guide editorial team.
Facts on this site are taken from U.S. government publications. Dates that come from news reports are labeled as reported and are not treated as the entry form.
What we treat as official
- dvprogram.state.gov — the only official entry site.
- travel.state.gov Diversity Visa pages — program instructions and news.
- DV-2026 plain-language instructions (PDF) — photo rules, including 600×600, 240 KB, and no eyeglasses. Used until DV-2027 photo instructions are published.
- November 5, 2025 State Department notice — DV-2027 visa processing is October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
- Federal Register 2025-17851 — the $1 electronic diversity visa fee.
- Federal Register 2026-04737 — passport information and the biographic page upload for DV-2027.
What we label as reported
Court dates and news articles, including the October 17, 2026 report on the revised registration order, stay on the status page with an updated date. They are not a substitute for instructions on travel.state.gov.
Corrections
When a government page changes, the affected guide page should change and show a new updated date. The status page is meant to be edited from src/data/dv2027-status.ts.
Advertising and the photo service
Links to the DV Photo Maker are commercial. They are not official entry links. The guide does not invent prices, ratings, or review counts for that service.