Starting this year, applicants for the United States Green Card lottery will be required to pay a $1 (Sh129) registration fee. The US Federal Register explained that the small charge is designed to cover the basic operational expenses involved in running the annual Diversity Visa program.
These expenses include updating and reviewing systems for collecting entries, securely storing data, conducting the automated random selection of winners, and carrying out security checks.
The Diversity Visa application fee of $330 (Sh42,570) will still cover all other costs related to the program.
According to the Federal Register on Wednesday, the $1 charge ensures that the costs of managing the lottery are shared fairly among all applicants, rather than being borne only by those who are selected.
The Department of State has amended its regulations to collect this electronic registration fee at the time entries are submitted through an authorized government portal.
“This move will more fairly place the burden of the lottery registration on individuals seeking the benefit of gaining access to the DV application process,” the Federal Register noted.
The new fee has been added to Item 33 of the Schedule of Fees, complementing the existing $330 Diversity Visa application charge.
The registration fee will not be refunded, regardless of the lottery outcome, and it cannot be transferred to future lottery years. The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program grants up to 50,000 visas annually to applicants from countries with low immigration rates to the US.
Most winners reside outside the United States and go through consular processing to obtain a visa. Selected applicants must complete the adjustment of status process by September 30 of the lottery’s fiscal year, as visas cannot be carried over.
This update comes ahead of the 2027 DV lottery, which opens for registration in early October.