New Passport Requirement for Annual “Green Card” Lottery

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Effective June 5, 2019, applicants for the annual Green Card lottery will be required to provide information from a valid, unexpired passport on their electronic visa entry form.  The new passport requirement only applies to the principal applicant on the entry form, and not to his or her accompanying dependents.  Failure to provide accurate information on the application form will result in disqualification from the lottery.


According to the Department of State, the reason for the new passport requirement is to counter fraudulent entries by criminal groups who submit entries on behalf of individuals (often without their knowledge) and then extort them for money when the entry is selected.  Collecting passport information also will allow the Department to verify and match the identity of those selected in the lottery.


Public comment on any increased burden imposed by this requirement will be accepted until July 5.


The Green Card lottery, formally known as the Diversity Visa (“DV”) Lottery, grants 50,00 immigrant visas each year to nationals from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the U.S.  It is administered by the Department of State. Entries are normally accepted in the month of October and selections are announced the following May.

This alert is for informational purposes only.  If you would like to discuss this development further, please contact us.


Nadia Yakoob