Diversity‑Visa delay adds passport rule
The U.S. Diversity Visa 2027 registration period has been delayed by more than six months, and when it opens officials will require a passport as part of the application. (NEPYORK: passport requirement added as Diversity Visa 2027 registration delayed) (nepyork.com). The report indicates documentation requirements for that program are tightening rather than loosening in the near term. (NEPYORK) (nepyork.com).
The United States has pushed back the Diversity Visa 2027 entry period, and when registration opens, applicants will need a valid passport and a passport scan to enter. (travel.state.gov, federalregister.gov) The State Department said on November 5, 2025 that it was changing the Diversity Visa entry process and would announce the start date for the Diversity Visa 2027 registration period “as soon as practicable.” It also said the visa application window for people eventually selected for Diversity Visa 2027 would still run from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027. (travel.state.gov) In a final rule published March 11, 2026, the State Department amended the program’s regulations to require each entrant to provide valid, unexpired passport information and upload a scan of the passport’s biographic and signature page, unless the entrant qualifies for a limited exemption. The rule took effect on April 10, 2026. (federalregister.gov) The Diversity Visa program is the green card lottery for people from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. The Department of State says the program makes up to 55,000 immigrant visas available each year, and entries must be filed online during a fixed registration window. (travel.state.gov, uscis.gov) The delay leaves would-be applicants without the usual fall timetable. For the previous cycle, Diversity Visa 2026 registration opened on October 2, 2024 and closed on November 7, 2024, but the State Department has not posted comparable entry dates for Diversity Visa 2027. (travel.state.gov, travel.state.gov) The passport rule marks a reversal from recent practice at the entry stage. The current State Department entry page still says registration is free, online only, and limited to one entry per person, but it does not yet list a live Diversity Visa 2027 application window. (travel.state.gov) The State Department said the new passport requirement is meant to “improve the integrity of, and combat fraud in,” the program. In the rulemaking docket, the department said it received 401 comments on the proposal before finalizing it. (federalregister.gov, regulations.gov) The tougher entry rules arrive while the broader program is under extra scrutiny. Since December 23, 2025, the State Department has said it is pausing all diversity visa issuances while it reviews screening and vetting protocols, though applicants may still submit visa applications and attend interviews. (travel.state.gov) For applicants, the immediate change is practical: no announced registration date yet, and no entry without passport details once the window opens. The agency says it will publish the start date and the later selection-results date when it is ready. (travel.state.gov)
