Status as of September 16, 2026. The Department's page "Changes to Entry Period for 2027 Diversity Visa Program" still carries its November 5, 2025 text: the DV-2027 registration dates and the results-release date will be announced "as soon as practicable." The visa application window for DV-2027 selectees is unchanged — October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Separately, litigation over DV-2026 continues. On August 28, 2026, a federal court in Medani v. Trump granted a preliminary injunction, temporarily vacating the USCIS and State Department pauses and ordering the agencies to resume ordinary adjudication of DV-2026 cases; on September 10 the Department sent cable 26 STATE 88862 rescinding the earlier pause instructions and told posts to prioritize DV-2026 applicants whose interviews had been rescheduled. Since mid-September the Department has been filing status reports with the court on interviews scheduled and visas issued (as of September 16, three times a week, with the schedule being clarified by the court). September 18 is the date set for the parties' joint status report and for the government's response to the plaintiffs' expedited discovery motion; the plaintiffs have separately moved for a contempt finding. The DV-2026 deadline did not move: eligibility to receive a visa or complete adjustment of status ends September 30, 2026.
Registration for the DV-2027 Diversity Visa lottery (the "green card lottery") has not opened as of September 2026: the U.S. Department of State announced a delay on November 5, 2025, and has not published any dates since. No dates have been announced for the next program, DV-2028, either. The only source of registration dates is the Department of State itself — the program page on travel.state.gov, the entry site dvprogram.state.gov, and a notice in the Federal Register.
How the lottery calendar normally works
The lottery follows the U.S. fiscal year, which begins October 1. In a normal year the cycle runs like this: the entry period opens in early October and lasts about a month, closing in early November; results become available in early May of the following year, only through Entrant Status Check on dvprogram.state.gov; selectees then apply for visas abroad or adjust status inside the U.S. during the visa year — October 1 through September 30. For example, DV-2026 registration ran October 2 – November 7, 2024, results opened May 3, 2025, and the DV-2026 visa year ends September 30, 2026.
The program number is the year visas are issued, not the year of registration: under the normal calendar, DV-2027 entries are filed in fall 2025 and visas are issued in fiscal year 2027. That is why searches for "green card lottery 2027" mix two things — a registration that was expected a year ago, and visas that are supposed to be issued starting October 2026.
What changed for DV-2027 and why registration is delayed
The Department of State prepared two new requirements for DV-2027, both adopted by regulation. The first is a registration fee: a final rule effective September 16, 2025 set a non-refundable $1 fee collected at the time of electronic entry; entry had previously been free. The visa application fee for selectees remains separate — $330 per applicant. The second is a passport requirement: a final rule published March 11, 2026 and effective April 10, 2026 requires entrants to provide valid passport information and upload a scan of the passport's biographic and signature pages with the electronic entry form (DS-5501), beginning with DV-2027. Exemptions under 22 CFR 42.2 cover stateless persons, nationals of communist-controlled countries who cannot obtain a passport from their government, and certain individual waivers.
The Department has not given an official reason for the delay; its notice refers only to "implementing certain changes to the Diversity Visa entry process." On top of that, from December 2025 the Department paused DV issuance and USCIS held DV-2026 cases filed inside the U.S.; a court temporarily vacated those measures in August 2026, but the order does not reach the DV-2027 registration calendar. How the program itself works — eligible countries, education and work-experience requirements, the selection process — is covered in the section Green Card Lottery (Diversity Visa).
Where the dates will be published
The Department of State publishes registration dates in three places: the DV Instructions on travel.state.gov, the entry site dvprogram.state.gov, and a Federal Register notice. Selection results are never sent by email or letter — only Entrant Status Check, using the confirmation number, shows them; a reminder email to check the site may arrive, but it does not announce a win. Websites claiming to have "opened DV-2027 registration" ahead of the Department, or charging to "submit an entry," are not affiliated with the U.S. government; the Department issued a specific warning about such claims in November 2025.
When is the DV-2027 green card lottery?
Under the normal calendar, DV-2027 registration was expected in fall 2025, but the Department of State postponed it, and as of September 16, 2026 it has not opened. The Department says it will announce the start date "as soon as practicable." The DV-2027 visa year is unchanged — October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What are the DV-2027 registration dates?
There are no official dates. When they are set, they will appear on travel.state.gov and dvprogram.state.gov; entries are filed only through the electronic DS-5501 form on dvprogram.state.gov, with the $1 fee and a passport scan. Any "DV-2027 entry" offered on third-party sites before the Department's announcement is not part of the program.
When does DV-2028 registration open?
No DV-2028 dates have been announced. In normal years the next program's registration opens in early October and closes in early November, but with DV-2027 still unopened, that pattern cannot simply be carried over to DV-2028 — the Department of State will set the calendar.
Is the green card lottery free to enter?
Since September 16, 2025, registration costs $1 — a non-refundable fee collected at electronic entry. Selectees later pay $330 to have the visa application processed — per applicant, including a spouse and children; for adjustment of status inside the U.S. this DV fee is charged separately from USCIS fees. There are no other official charges for entering; a fee "for help with the entry" is a middleman's service, not a government fee.
This material is informational and is not legal advice. DV program dates are set by the U.S. Department of State; an individual applicant's situation is a matter for a licensed immigration attorney.