The Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery is a U.S. government program that allows people born in eligible countries, including Nepal, to enter a free lottery for a chance at a U.S. immigrant visa. Entries are submitted only through the official Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website, and being selected does not guarantee a visa, it only allows you to proceed with further processing.
As of the date shown below, the U.S. Department of State has not yet announced the next DV registration period's opening date. This guide explains exactly where things stand, how to apply once registration opens, the official photo specification, how to check your result safely, and what happens at every stage after selection, so you can return to this same page throughout the entire cycle instead of searching again each time.
DV Lottery Nepal: Current Status
| Registration | Not yet announced (DV-2027). The Department of State's official notice, last updated 5 November 2025, states the start date will be published "as soon as practicable." |
| Current DV program | DV-2026 selectees are finishing processing; the DV-2026 visa issuance window closes 30 September 2026. DV-2027 registration has not opened. |
| DV-2027 visa issuance window | Already fixed at 1 October 2026 through 30 September 2027, regardless of when registration opens. |
| Entry fee | Free |
| Official application | Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website only |
| Result method | Entrant Status Check (ESC) on the E-DV website, the only official notification method |
| Last checked | 6 August 2026 |
If registration is not yet open when you're reading this, the Department of State has not yet announced dates, and you should never trust a specific date from an unofficial site claiming otherwise. We update this box as soon as the Department of State publishes new information, on this same permanent URL, rather than publishing a separate page for each new DV year.
Useful tools before you apply for DV Lottery
Prepare dates, age details and cost estimates before filling the EDV form or planning the next steps after selection.
DV Program Years, Explained
A DV program's number generally refers to the U.S. government fiscal year in which visas are issued, not the calendar year you submit your entry in. DV-2026 entries were registered in October-November 2024, results appeared from May 2025, and visa issuance for those selectees runs through 30 September 2026. DV-2027 registration has not opened yet, but its visa issuance window is already fixed at 1 October 2026 through 30 September 2027.
Registration
DV-2027: not yet announced
Confirmation Number
Saved immediately after you submit
Result
Checked via Entrant Status Check
DS-260
Immigrant visa application, if selected
Visa Bulletin
Tracks when your case becomes current
Interview
At the appropriate U.S. Embassy
Visa Decision
Consular officer's final determination
Never mix the application year, the result year, the interview year and the visa fiscal year, they are frequently different from each other and confusing them leads to wrong assumptions about deadlines.
What Is the DV Lottery?
Selection only allows you to proceed with further processing. It does not guarantee that a visa will be issued. You must still meet every eligibility requirement under U.S. immigration law, and a consular officer decides your case at interview.
Is Nepal Eligible for the DV Lottery?
DV eligibility is based primarily on your country of birth, not your citizenship or where you currently live. If you were born in a country that is not eligible but your spouse was born in an eligible country like Nepal, limited cross-chargeability rules can sometimes let you be charged to your spouse's country of birth instead, provided you list each other correctly. Always confirm the current year's eligible-country list on the official DV instructions once published, rather than assuming a past year's list still applies.
Who Can Apply for DV Lottery From Nepal?
Country-of-Birth Eligibility
You generally must have been born in an eligible country. There are limited exceptions involving a spouse's or parent's country of birth, explained in the official DV instructions for cross-chargeability.
Education Requirement
You must have a high school education or its recognized equivalent, defined in DV instructions as successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education. Whether a specific Nepali school qualification meets this standard can depend on the exact program completed, so if your education history is unusual, review the current official instructions carefully rather than assuming.
Work-Experience Alternative
If you do not meet the education requirement, you may still qualify with at least two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to perform. The Department of State uses the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET occupational database to determine which occupations qualify, specifically occupations classified in Job Zone 4 or 5 with a Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) rating of 7.0 or higher. Look up your specific occupation on O*NET rather than assuming a job title qualifies just because it sounds skilled.
Family Members You Must Include in the DV Entry
This applies to biological children, legally adopted children, and certain stepchildren, subject to the specific relationship and age rules in the current DV instructions.
These scenarios are exactly where mistakes happen most often. When in doubt, read the current official DV instructions section on who must be included rather than relying on general advice, since a wrongly omitted family member can affect the entire case.
How to Apply for DV Lottery From Nepal
Save Your DV Confirmation Number
Is the DV Lottery Application Free?
Cyber cafes or agents may separately charge for their assistance filling out the form, that is their own service fee, not a government charge. Being selected can later involve legitimate visa-processing costs such as the DV fee, medical exam and USCIS Immigrant Fee, covered below. Paying someone extra to submit your initial entry does not improve your odds of being selected, the selection process is random.
DV Lottery Photo Requirements
| Requirement | DV Photo Rule |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 600 x 600 pixels for the online DV entry |
| Shape | Square (height must equal width) |
| Format | JPEG (.jpg) |
| File size | 240 KB or smaller |
| Color | Full color, not black and white |
| Background | Plain, light-colored background with no pattern or texture |
| Glasses | Generally not permitted in the photo unless required for medical reasons; check current guidance |
| Digital editing | Not permitted to alter your appearance in any way |
If you are selected and proceed to a consular interview, you separately bring two identical physical photos measuring 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), scanned or printed at a resolution of 300 pixels per inch. This is a different specification from the online entry photo, don't assume one photo automatically works for both.
Photo Composition
Beyond the technical file specification, an acceptable DV photo needs a full front view of your face looking directly at the camera, a neutral expression with both eyes open, no shadows on your face or background, no head covering unless worn daily for religious reasons (with your full face still visible), and ordinary clothing without a hat, uniform or camouflage pattern. The image should be sharp and in focus, not blurry, pixelated or over-compressed. Use official guidance rather than rules copied from a passport-photo shop, since visa-photo composition rules can differ from ordinary passport-photo conventions.
DV Photo Rules for Babies and Children
For infant and young-child photos, no other person, including a parent's hand or arm, should be visible in the frame. Use a plain background, and the child's face should be clearly visible without a pacifier, toy or head covering blocking it. Follow the current official State Department infant-photo guidance closely, since this is one of the areas parents most often get wrong when preparing an entry for a child.
Can You Reuse Last Year's DV Photo?
Check the current year's official DV instructions before reusing any earlier photo. Past DV instructions have specified how recent a photo must be, and reusing an old or previously submitted photo has been treated as a compliance risk. The safest approach is always to take a new photo specifically for the current entry rather than assuming an old one still qualifies.
Can I Take a DV Photo With a Mobile Phone?
A phone camera itself is not automatically a problem, the resulting photograph simply has to meet every official requirement above. What does cause problems: beauty filters, automatic background replacement, AI retouching, facial smoothing, and portrait-mode effects that subtly alter your appearance. Merokalam will not recommend any AI-generated or heavily edited photo for a DV entry, since altered photos risk rejection or worse at later stages.
DV Photo Checker
Checks only technical properties of a photo on your own device. Nothing is uploaded or stored, the check runs entirely in your browser.
Choose a JPEG photo above to check its dimensions, aspect ratio and file size against the DV online-entry specification.
How to Check DV Lottery Result
Check Your DV Result
Use the official source directly. Merokalam does not process, store or need your result.
- Open the official Entrant Status Check on the E-DV website.
- Enter your confirmation number exactly as saved from your entry.
- Enter the required personal information used during entry.
- Complete any authentication step shown.
- View your result on screen.
DV Lottery Does Not Email You a Winning Notice
The Department of State does not send emails, letters or phone calls announcing DV selection. If you receive a message claiming you won, through email, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or a call from someone claiming to be a "U.S. Embassy officer," treat it as a scam. Common patterns include a fake winner email with an attached "certificate," a request for an upfront processing payment before showing any result, and fake U.S. Embassy social media accounts. The only legitimate result is the one shown on Entrant Status Check.
I Lost My DV Confirmation Number, What Can I Do?
Use the official confirmation-number recovery option on the E-DV website if it is currently available for your program year, which generally asks for identifying information matching what you entered originally, such as your name and date of birth. Do not pay an agent or third party to "recover" your confirmation number, this is something you handle directly through the official site.
What If Your DV Result Says "Has Not Been Selected"?
This means you were not selected based on the current status shown for that entry. Selection is random among qualified entries submitted for that specific program year, checking the result page repeatedly does not change the outcome, and there is no pattern or myth (time of day, device used, number of checks) that affects a result already determined. If you plan to try again in a future program year, keep your confirmation information for your own records during that result period where relevant, and apply again once a new registration period opens.
Selected for DV Lottery, What Happens Next?
- Carefully read the selection instructions shown on Entrant Status Check.
- Confirm you still meet all eligibility requirements.
- Understand your case number and how it relates to the Visa Bulletin.
- Complete the online DS-260 immigrant visa application at the appropriate stage.
- Gather civil documents (see the Documents section below).
- Follow the monthly Visa Bulletin for your case's availability.
- Schedule and complete a medical examination with an approved panel physician.
- Prepare thoroughly for your consular interview.
- Attend the interview at the appropriate U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
- Await the consular officer's visa decision.
What Is a DV Case Number?
A DV case number is the identifier assigned to a selected entry, generally following a regional numbering format, used together with the monthly Visa Bulletin to determine when your case becomes eligible for interview scheduling. It is different from the confirmation number you saved when you first submitted your entry, so don't confuse the two.
Is My DV Case Number High or Low?
Merokalam will not predict whether a specific case number is "good" or "bad." Case progression depends on your region, the current Visa Bulletin, how many people were selected that year, how many diversity visas remain available, overall processing pace, and the fixed fiscal-year limit. If you compare your number to historical patterns, treat that only as historical context, not a prediction, since conditions genuinely change year to year.
How to Read the Visa Bulletin for DV Cases
Each month, the Visa Bulletin publishes a cut-off number for each DV region. If the Bulletin's cut-off number for your region is at or beyond your case number, your case is "current" and eligible for interview scheduling that month. For example, if the Bulletin lists a cut-off of 14,500 for your region and your case number is 12,300, your case is current; if your case number is 16,000, it is not current yet and you wait for a future month's Bulletin. This is a simplified illustration to explain the mechanic, always read your specific month's actual Bulletin for your real cut-off number.
How to Complete DS-260 After DV Selection
DS-260 is the official online Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application selectees complete once their case is ready to move forward. At a high level, it asks for your personal and biographic information, current and past addresses, family details, education and work history, and a series of standard eligibility and security questions. Accuracy matters throughout, since inconsistencies between your DS-260 and your original DV entry or supporting documents can slow down or complicate your case. This overview is intentionally high-level; Merokalam plans a dedicated DS-260 walkthrough for Nepali selectees as a separate, deeper guide rather than duplicating that detail here.
Documents DV Selectees From Nepal May Need
Exact document requirements come from official State Department and U.S. Embassy instructions issued with your specific case, and can include: a valid passport, birth record, marriage or divorce documents where applicable, police clearance certificates, evidence supporting your education or qualifying work experience, and military or court records where applicable. Merokalam will not invent a Nepal-specific document beyond what official instructions actually request; always confirm the exact list shown in your case's own instructions before your interview.
DV Interview for Nepali Selectees
Selectees interview at the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu. Before your interview, you typically register online so the embassy can return your documents afterward and so you can reschedule if needed, and you create a profile at the official ustraveldocs.com/np site once you receive your appointment letter. As soon as you have an interview date, schedule your medical exam in Nepal with one of the embassy's listed accredited panel physicians, only an accredited physician's exam is accepted. Bring every original document from the embassy's own checklist, along with certified translations where required. All of these specifics can change, confirm them against your own appointment instructions and the embassy's current checklist rather than an older guide.
Medical Exam
Only a physician accredited by the U.S. Embassy in Nepal can perform the required medical examination for your case. Do not use a random clinic hoping it will be accepted, an exam from a non-accredited provider will not satisfy the requirement and can cost you valuable processing time.
DV Costs After Selection
| Item | Who Pays It | Approximate Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Initial DV Lottery entry | Every entrant | Free |
| DV immigrant visa processing fee | Selectees who proceed to processing, per person | Around $330, verify on the official fee schedule |
| Medical examination | Selectees before interview | Set by the panel physician, varies |
| USCIS Immigrant Fee | Selectees after visa issuance, before travel | Around $220, verify on the official USCIS page |
| Document-related costs | Selectees, as needed | Varies by document |
| Travel to the U.S. | Selectees | Varies |
Fees verified: 6 August 2026, against publicly published fee information. Always confirm the exact current amount on the official Department of State and USCIS fee pages before paying anything.
What Are the Chances of Winning DV From Nepal?
Merokalam will not invent a "1 in X" probability for a future program, since odds change every year based on how many people apply, how many are selected, and how many visas remain available. As one clearly labelled historical data point: for DV-2024, approximately 3,863 Nepali entrants were selected, the third-highest total in Asia behind Iran and Afghanistan. That figure describes DV-2024 selectees specifically, it counts entrants selected, not visas actually issued, and it does not predict odds for any future program.
One Entry Rule and Married Couples
A husband and wife may each submit their own qualifying individual entry and list the other spouse where required, as long as each entry independently complies with the rules. This is a legitimate, explicitly permitted approach, not a trick to beat the lottery, since the underlying selection process for each independent entry is still random.
DV Lottery Mistakes That Can Cause Problems
Applying Through a Cyber Cafe or Agent
Getting help filling the form is common in Nepal, and that's fine, but the entrant remains fully responsible for the accuracy of every answer. Be physically present while the form is completed, personally review every field, verify your spouse and children are listed correctly, verify the photo actually meets specification, obtain your confirmation page immediately, and never let anyone else keep the only copy. Know exactly which email address and contact information was used to submit the entry. No agent or cyber cafe has special access that improves your selection odds, no matter what they claim.
DV Scams in Nepal
Watch for these recurring patterns: promises of a "guaranteed DV" or "priority selection," offers of paid result checking on unofficial sites, fake calls claiming to be from a U.S. Embassy, fake winner emails or messages, fake visa agents who ask for payment before showing you any real result, and requests for money before revealing a status. Report suspected fraud through official U.S. government fraud-reporting channels rather than confronting a scammer directly, and never share your confirmation number, passport details or payment information with anyone making these claims.
Article Checked Against
We update this box, and the Current Status box near the top of this guide, whenever the Department of State publishes new DV-2027 information, rather than publishing a separate new article each year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Merokalam Verifies DV Lottery Information
We check the U.S. Department of State's official Diversity Visa pages, the E-DV website, and current DV Program Instructions directly, and cross-check newly reported problems or user questions using U.S. Embassy Nepal announcements where relevant. Where a date has not yet been officially announced, we say so directly instead of estimating one, and we never present a historical statistic as a prediction of future odds. This guide keeps a permanent URL and is updated in place, so it should remain the version worth bookmarking through the entire DV cycle: before application, while preparing your photo, during submission, when checking results, and after selection.