US introduces Sh129 registration fee for Green Card lottery starting October 2025
According to the Department, the new fee is intended to more fairly distribute the cost of the programme.
Applying for the United States Diversity Visa (DV) lottery, also known as the Green Card, will no longer be free as the US Department of State has introduced a $1 (Sh129.15) electronic registration fee starting October 2025.
Kenyans are among other nationals who will be required to pay.
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The DV lottery is a United States government programme that makes 55,000 immigrant visas available each year, enabling individuals and families to get a Permanent Resident card in the country, even if they don’t have family or employment ties. These visas are awarded randomly to people from countries with historically low immigration rates to the United States.
Starting with the DV-2027 programme, applicants will pay a $1 electronic registration fee when submitting their entries.
“The Department of State (‘Department’) proposes an adjustment to the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services of the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs (‘Schedule of Fees’ or ‘Schedule’) to establish a $1 fee to register for the Diversity Visa lottery programme,” reads part of a summary by the Federal Register.
According to the Department, the new fee is intended to more fairly distribute the cost of the programme. Instead of charging only a small percentage of successful applicants for administering the lottery, the fee ensures that all individuals seeking to enter the DV application process contribute to its operational costs.
“This change will more fairly place the burden of the lottery registration on individuals seeking the benefit of gaining access to the DV application process instead of charging only the small percentage of successful registrants for the costs associated with administering the lottery program for all registrants,” it said.
The rule was published in the Federal Register in September 2025, but the Department of State confirmed that the payment requirement will only be enforced beginning with the next registration period, which is in October. DV-2026 and earlier lotteries remain unaffected.
To effect this change, the Department is amending 22 CFR 42.33(b)(3) by deleting the sentence: “No fee will be collected at the time of submission of a petition, but a processing fee may be collected at a later date, as provided in paragraph (i) of this section.”
Additionally, 22 CFR 42.33(i) is updated to require a registration fee through an authorised U.S. government payment portal at the time of registration, before submitting and completing the application.
To be eligible for the DV-2027 programme, applicants must be natives of countries with historically low immigration rates to the US.
Alternatively, those not from eligible countries may qualify if their spouse or one of their parents is a native of an eligible country.
Each applicant must also have a high school education or at least two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience.
There is no minimum age requirement, but education and work experience requirements effectively disqualify most individuals under 18. Married applicants must include their spouse’s name, and all unmarried children under 21 must be listed.
Applications must be submitted electronically on the official Department of State DV Programme website between October 1 and November 1, 2025. Only one entry per person is accepted, and multiple entries will result in disqualification.
After submission, applicants usually receive a confirmation screen with their name and unique confirmation number, which must be saved. Starting May 2026, applicants can check the status of their entries on the DV-2027 website to see if they have been selected.
“The Department is creating a $1 fee to register for the DV lottery programme. This fee reflects the operational costs of running the annual DV lottery, including system updates, data storage, automated random selection of lottery winners, and associated security reviews,” the State Department explained.
It added that the $330 Diversity Visa application fee will continue to cover other costs associated with administering the programme.
“Separating the lottery registration from the DV application ensures that the cost of managing the lottery is borne by registrants rather than only the small percentage who eventually succeed,” it said.
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