This is guide on how to properly fill out the DV Lottery Application Form (DS-5501) and win Green Card.
DV Lottery Application Form: Applicants must submit entries for the 2025 Diversity Immigrant Visa lottery program electronically between first week of October 2023 and November 2023.
Do not wait until the last week of the registration period to enter, as heavy demand may result in website delays. No late entries or paper entries will be accepted. The law allows only one entry per person during each entry period.
There are so many mistakes many people do and these mistakes are divided into too many parts. There are mistakes people are doing which will cause them to be automatically rejected, and there are some of the mistakes, despite of those mistakes, you will be selected, you will become the winner, but you will be denied the visa.
If you are filling the DV lottery application by yourself or if someone is filling this form for you, avoid these mistakes, which will be point out as we proceed, learn now on how to properly fill this diversity visa lottery application.
This form is famously known as the DS-5501, the electronic diversity visa application form or entry form. The form has main part (part one) and Part two, which will depend on some of the information you’ll be filling.
Part one is the most crucial one because it has the information of what is call the information of the main applicant, or rather the person who will be selected as the winner.
Part two will depend if the main applicant has derivative. Derivative means dependence. So part two will depend if the person has dependence, if the person either has children or the person has got married in that particular way.
If you are married or if you have children, party two is open for you. But if you are not married, if you don’t have children, that means you apply as unmarried with no dependence, you will fill just part one, not part two.
In order to fill this form, few things we should note.
There are no any documents which are needed to do the application. You need to make sure that certain information are correct, but there is no uploading of any documents, exception is on the DV lottery photo, which has been explained very well here.
If you want to go with your passport is up to you, but there is no requirement which needs you to fill the DV lottery application form with the passport.
There is no passport requirement in the DV-2025 lottery application. What is required is passport photo, not passport as a traveler. There are no place to put your ID number. But if you want to give someone who is helping to fill to look the names on the passport or to look at the name of your ID, so that they can match correctly spelling, that’s okay.
But there are no place to upload any documentation.
How to Properly Fill Out the DV Lottery Application Form (DS-5501)
Part One: Entrant Information
All application must done at dvprogram.state.gov. If you open this form, it starts with the following:
1. Name: The names are arranged as follows. It starts with the last name or family name. Then it comes with the first name, then the middle name. The biggest mistake people are doing, they are assuming the names are arranged this way, they start at first, the middle, and the last. That is incorrect arranging of your names.
Make sure the names are arranged orderly. You start with your last name (i.e your Surname), your own first name and then your middle name.
Incase you don’t know what is your last name. Surname is the last name, your family name.
First name: Some people have two first names or two middle names. Some people don’t have middle name. So it will be last name and first name. You will tick no middle name.
Also, some people have four names or more than four names. You have to know which one are two first names or if you have two middle names, make sure you arrange it correctly. Because how you arrange these names, when you win, the names will appear that way, and that will be able to guide you on getting the visa.
But if you make a mistake on arranging the names, they are not going to affect anything, whether you’re going to win or not to win. It doesn’t affect you. You can fix that one after winning, but you cannot fix it after submitting the form.
Find out more about Names filling on DV lottery Application and DS-260 Form
2. Gender: Male or Female, you select one.
3. Birthday: You start with month, day, and year. Make sure you start with the month.
4. City Where You Were Born (Place of birth): Enter birth city only. Do not enter district, country, province or state. If you using your passport to fill the form, write what it is written on your passport.
5. Country where you are born: This is one important part. If you make a mistake on the place you were born, there is no problem. But if you put a mistake on the country of birth, that can cause you to be denied the visa.
Because the eligibility to participate in the diversity visa lottery depends on the place of birth, not citizenship. For example, you can be born in Ghana, but currently you are a citizen of Canada. Canada is not eligible country. Fill in your country of birth.
Find out more about eligibility country for DV Lottery.
According to the instruction for the DV lottery, listing an incorrect country of eligibility or changeability will make you ineligible, meaning you’ll be not eligible because of wrong filling. So be careful when you put the country of birth, because that is going to be used.
6. Country of Eligibility for the DV Program
- For DV-2025, natives of the following countries and areas are eligible to apply…..view list
- For DV-2025, natives of the following countries and areas are not eligible to apply…..view list
7. Entrant Photograph (Photo): This is a very important part you need to do correctly.
Find out more about Photo Requirements for DV Lottery.
Note: The photo of the derivative can cause the entire family to be disqualified, because it did not to meet the requirements.
8. Mailing address: You can put address where you receive physical mail, maybe post office. Mailing address will not cause you not to win the DV lottery.
9. Country where you live today: Type in the country are you currently in.
10. Phone number (is optional): Whether you put a phone number, or you don’t put, means nothing, there is no problem.
11. Email Address: It is important. You must put the email address. Make sure you use your correct email address. If you want to use the email of a person, make sure you know the person. If you don’t have email, you can use your wife, your husband or your brother email, it’s better to use your close relative or the person you trust.
Email address is very important because this email will be used to provide additional information if needed. When selected, you’ll be using this email address.
12. What is the highest level of education you have achieved, as of today?
You must have a minimum of a high school diploma reflecting the completion of a full course of study or be a skilled worker in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to qualify for a Diversity Visa.
Find out more about filling Education and work experience.
13. What is your current marital status?
Fill in your marital status correctly.
14. Number of Children
Fill in the number of children you have correctly.
Proceed to PART TWO: DERIVATIVES SECTION>>>
If all parts are completed successfully, the entry will be submitted to the DV-2025 Processing Center. After you submit a complete entry, you will see a confirmation screen containing your name and a unique confirmation number. Make sure you print this confirmation screen for your records.
You must use your confirmation number to access the Entrant Status Check available on the E-DV website at dvprogram.state.gov from May 4, 2024, through September 30, 2025.
DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.