United States | State Department mandates $1 registration fee for Diversity Visa lottery

The State Department has published a final rule establishing a $1 registration fee for the Diversity Visa (DV) lottery program, effective Sept. 16, 2025.

Key Points:

• The fee will be collected electronically at the time of registration through an authorized U.S. government payment portal.
• Per the Federal Register, 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 registrations.”
• The $1 registration fee will be charged to all DV registrants at the time of registration. Successful registrants who are selected for the DV will also be required to pay the $330 visa application fee.
• The rule also amends regulatory language to remove language stating that no fee is collected at registration and to clarify that the new fee applies at the time of electronic submission.

Additional Information: There is a limited period when applicants can register for the DV Program during each fiscal year. Each year, the State Department publishes detailed instructions for entering the DV Program, including the registration period dates. More program details can be found here.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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