(By Richard T. Herman, Esq. | Herman Legal Group)
Quick Answer
Beginning with DV-2027, the U.S. Department of State will charge a $1 registration fee for each Diversity Visa Lottery entry. The next lottery cycle (DV-2027) is the first to implement this change, meaning the DV lottery registration process is no longer completely free. Officials describe it as modernization and fraud deterrence —but many see it as the first step toward tightening legal-immigration access.
Background — Three Decades of a Free Lottery
For more than 30 years, the Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery has offered up to 55,000 green cards annually to people from countries with low U.S. immigration rates. It was created under the Immigration Act of 1990 to promote diversity in legal immigration. Eligibility requirements are outlined on the USCIS Green Card Through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program page.
For decades, registration was entirely free through the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) Lottery portal on the U.S. Department of State’s Travel website. That “free entry” principle became synonymous with U.S. accessibility — anyone meeting education or work requirements could participate without cost. Only eligible individuals from qualifying countries could participate in the annual lottery, which is a government-managed event held each year on a set schedule. Participants previously incurred no fees for registering for the DV lottery, apart from the application fee due later if selected.
Key Perspective
“The DV Lottery has always been America’s equal-access doorway,” says Richard T. Herman, Esq. “Once you attach a price to the door, no matter how small, you’ve changed the message of who belongs.”
A Historic Shift — The DV-2027 $1 Fee Rule
In September 2025, the State Department issued a rule in the Federal Register — Schedule of Fees for Consular Services introducing a $1 electronic registration fee for DV-2027 entries. Starting in October 2025, all individuals completing the lottery registration process for the Diversity Visa Lottery must pay this fee.
According to the State Department announcement, the fee must be paid electronically during the registration period and is non-refundable, even for non-selectees. This payment requirement is now a mandatory step for all applicants and must be completed to validate the lottery registration. This means applicants will not get their $1 back regardless of the lottery outcome. The change comes in response to significant administrative costs incurred by the government due to high entry numbers.
In addition to administrative costs, the fee helps cover operational costs such as system upgrades, security reviews, data collection, and automation processes necessary to maintain the DV lottery system.
The exact dates for the lottery registration period are announced by the State Department each year and must be closely followed by applicants.
Legal Perspective
“When immigration becomes a pay-to-play system — even at a dollar — it’s the principle, not the price, that tests our values,” notes Immigration Attorney Richard T. Herman. “It may look harmless, but every fee becomes a filter.”
Why the Dollar Matters Globally
Cost Recovery vs. Symbolism
Officials frame the fee as funding for the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) System, covering staff and cybersecurity costs amid tens of millions of entries. The estimated $25 million in annual revenue will fund system maintenance, upgrades, and enhanced security measures. The fee also supports system upgrades and secure data storage for applicant information, both of which are essential operational costs for maintaining and improving the lottery system. Symbolically, it ends the era of a no-barrier lottery and adds an economic threshold to a program rooted in accessibility. Additionally, the Department of State expects that the new fee structure will help distribute program costs more evenly across all registrants.
Fraud Deterrence or Access Barrier?
The fee is meant to limit duplicate entries and bot abuse by requiring verified payments. It also aims to reduce fraud by discouraging fake or duplicate entries, helping to ensure the integrity of the program. Yet in many countries without stable digital banking, a mandatory card transaction is not trivial. For rural entrants in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean, the payment step could exclude those lacking bank access. The $1 fee introduces a new logistical hurdle, especially for applicants in low-income countries or those with limited access to electronic payment methods. Genuine, eligible applicants may have slightly better statistical chances of being selected due to a potential reduction in total entries. Furthermore, the $1 fee can help discourage fraud by discouraging third-party scammers from submitting multiple fake entries.
Many have already warned that the fee undermines the Lottery’s “equal chance for all” ethos. The new $1 registration fee creates a financial barrier for some applicants from economically disadvantaged countries. However, the fee helps focus the process on serious applicants and supports fraud prevention efforts by making it harder for non-genuine participants to submit entries. By reducing the number of non-genuine entries, the administrative burden on officials is eased, benefiting both the system and DV lottery participants.
Pro Insight:
“The DV Lottery was built on equal access,” Herman adds. “Once you introduce a technical or financial filter, you begin to reshape who gets to dream.”
Modernization or Managed Delay?
The State Department claims the fee will fund a new E-DV technology interface. The registration process now includes additional security reviews and eligibility checks, aiming to prevent fraud and ensure only qualified applicants proceed. In practice, that “modernization” could justify delays in opening or processing DV-2027 entries.
A shortened registration window compresses the time for winners to complete visa interviews — all of which must be issued by September 30, 2026, per the Diversity Visa Program Statutory Deadline. Each lottery cycle, such as DV-2027, has a defined period for entry and processing, and any changes to the process or fees can impact the timing and accessibility of that cycle. After registration, lottery results are typically announced the following May, and if selected, applicants must complete a DS-260 form and pay processing fees.
If the portal opens late or undergoes a “technical upgrade,” thousands could lose their chance to adjust status or secure consular appointments before the deadline. This plays into the broader agenda outlined in Project 2025 (Immigration Section), which calls for eliminating the DV Lottery and sharply reducing legal immigration.
Specialist Commentary
“Barriers rarely arrive all at once,” Herman warns. “They arrive in increments — a fee here, a delay there — until the door looks open but no longer lets people through.”
Symbol of a Larger Shift in U.S. Immigration Philosophy
The $1 fee fits a pattern of transforming legal immigration into a fee-funded transaction. Under the Trump-Vance vision and Project 2025 guidelines, “random lotteries” are to be phased out in favor of “merit and skills.” A micro-fee normalizes the idea that applicants should pay for access — a quiet cultural shift with major policy implications. These changes directly impact the overall immigration system, affecting its efficiency and accessibility, and are shaped by ongoing developments in immigration law. The new registration fee aligns with a broader trend of increasing fees across U.S. immigration services, placing more financial responsibility on applicants. Prospective immigrants must now navigate a more complex and costly process.
Political Drivers — J.D. Vance, Project 2025 & Donald Trump’s Past DV Lottery Efforts
The introduction of the $1 registration fee coincides with a new wave of calls to slash legal immigration. The U.S. government implemented this change to support the sustainability of the DV program, with the fee helping to cover administrative costs, improve security, and prevent fraud. Senator J.D. Vance recently stated that legal immigration should be “way, way down,” arguing that America must “build a sense of common identity … before admitting more immigrants.” (Associated Press)
Meanwhile, the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 policy blueprint explicitly calls for eliminating or dramatically reducing the Diversity Visa Lottery, arguing that it “lacks merit-based rationality” and “should be phased out entirely.” It is crucial for applicants to use the official U.S. government website for all DV program information and payments, as only the official U.S. government system is authorized to process lottery applications and registration fees.
Former President Donald Trump tried to end the program in 2017, declaring “I am today starting the process of terminating the diversity lottery program,” and repeatedly used budget and security justifications to delay DV processing and consular interviews during his term.
Together, these political signals show that the fee is not merely administrative. It is consistent with a broader ideological agenda to reduce lawful immigration by adding financial and procedural barriers to entry.
Insider Take
“When policy shifts happen slowly, they can escape attention —but the outcome is still tectonic,” says Richard T. Herman, Esq. “The $1 fee may be the smallest of barriers, but it sets the tone.”
Comparative Perspective — Global Entry and Screening Fees
| Country / Program | Entry or Screening Fee | Objective |
|---|---|---|
| Canada – Express Entry | ≈ $850 | Cost recovery & merit assessment |
| EU – ETIAS | €7 | Security screening |
| Australia – SkillSelect | Tiered fees | Cost recovery |
| U.S. – DV-2027 | $1 registration fee | Modernization / symbolic shift |
The amount is nominal — the precedent is not. For the first time, the American lottery door requires payment to enter. The U.S. green card lottery process now includes both a small fee at registration and a visa application fee for selected applicants, reflecting a significant change in the diversity visa program.
Applicant Checklist — Staying Safe and Prepared
- Use the official government portal only: Complete your diversity visa lottery registration and pay the $1 fee via the DV Lottery Entry Page on travel.state.gov, the secure government portal.
- Read and follow the official instructions carefully: Review the official instructions provided by the U.S. Department of State to ensure your application is valid and to avoid disqualification.
- Prepare for electronic payment: card required; no cash or paper options.
- Save your confirmation number: needed to check status after the DV Results Announcement.
- Watch for portal updates: follow the Visa Newsroom.
- Avoid scams: review the State Department’s Fraud Warning page.
- Complete the entry form carefully: The application process for the DV Lottery includes filling out an online entry form and uploading a photograph that meets official specifications. Only one entry per person is allowed in the DV Lottery to avoid disqualification for multiple entries.
Hopeful immigrants should stay informed and vigilant throughout the diversity visa lottery registration process.
For professional guidance, visit the Herman Legal Group Book Consultation page. Fraudsters may create fake websites to charge higher fees, preying on individuals trying to pay the official registration fee.
Social and Symbolic Impact
The DV Lottery has been a quiet statement of U.S. soft power — a promise of inclusion. Turning it into a fee-based transaction erodes that message. For many communities, the difference between a free form and a paid one is not just a dollar — it’s trust. The introduction of a registration fee starting with the DV lottery 2027 marks a turning point for prospective immigrants seeking opportunity in the U.S., as it changes both the perception and accessibility of the process.
Each added “modernization step” signals that opportunity in America is no longer free, even when decided by lottery.
Law Firm Perspective Comparison
| Firm | Focus | Core Message |
|---|---|---|
| Herman Legal Group | Immigrant advocacy & access | Defend equal access and challenge barriers to legal immigration. |
| Corporate Benchmarks | Regulatory compliance | View fee as routine cost recovery. |
| Regional Practices | Procedural support | Assist clients with payment and timeline issues. |
Final Thoughts — Administrative Necessity or Value Shift?
Whether the $1 fee is about upgrading servers or redefining who deserves a chance, its symbolism is clear: a door once free to knock on now requires a coin to enter. This new fee structure impacts all participants in the DV lottery program, including lottery winners, who must now navigate these changes as part of the process.
Industry Take
“Today it’s a dollar,” Herman reflects. “Tomorrow it might be a tier system or a technical requirement that only some can meet. If we don’t guard the principle of equal access now, we won’t recognize it later.”
The fee may finance technology, but it also reveals intent: to quietly narrow legal pathways while publicly claiming modernization. In that sense, the DV-2027 fee is both an accounting change and a moral mirror — reflecting how far America is willing to charge for the chance to belong.
Key Takeaways
- DV-2027 introduces a $1 lottery registration fee — the first time the annual lottery requires payment to enter, starting with the next lottery cycle.
- Framed as modernization and fraud deterrence but may enable delays reducing visa issuances before September 30, 2026.
- “Modernization” may serve as policy cover for slower processing and restricted access.
- Aligned with Project 2025 and J.D. Vance’s call to reduce legal immigration.
- Donald Trump’s past efforts to end the DV Lottery established this trajectory.
- Applicants should use the official State Department portal for lottery registration, prepare for electronic payment, and retain records.
- Herman Legal Group urges vigilance to defend equal access in lawful immigration pathways.
