Passport Requirements

The passport rule of the official Green Card Lottery has been lifted. Learn how this happened and why it's good news!

What kind of data must be entered?

The US authorities raffle off more than 55,000 Green Cards annually, which allow winners from all over the world to live and work in the US indefinitely.

Since 2019, in addition to name, gender, place, and date of birth, address, email address, education level, passport photo, marital status, and data of spouses and children, a passport number and passport expiration date had to be included in the application.

The passport obligation ends

The requirement to have a valid passport for the Green Card Lottery was peplealed in 2022 because a court declared it invalid due to a technicality.

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Why was there a passport regulation?

According to the former Trump administration, the reason for the introduction of the passport rule in 2019 was fraudulent or unauthorized registrations in the Green Card Lottery. Some countries saw an increase in cases of data being submitted without the knowledge of the affected person in order to extort substantial fees in the event of a win.

A passport is usually not freely available to fraudulent third parties. Providing passport data was supposed to address this weakness in the existing application process and better verify the identities of applicants.

The Green Card Lottery, also known as the DV Program (short for Diversity Visa Program), was severely curtailed by the introduction of the passport rule as its original purpose was to ensure diversity of cultures in the US and give individuals a chance to live in the United States who would otherwise have little chance to immigrate.

However, the introduction of mandatory passports in 2019 excluded precisely those for whom it was difficult to obtain a passport (e.g., for political reasons). The fact that now almost everyone is again allowed to participate in the Green Card Lottery is good news and brings back the meaning of the DV Program: freedom, diversity, and opportunities for all!

A flawless entry is more important than ever!

The revised US Government regulation clarifies that all applicants for the Green Card Lottery who submit incomplete or inaccurate data will be disqualified without exception.

The US authorities have, in fact, been excluding incorrect applications from the Green Card drawing without comment for many years now. So the participants can’t find out if and why they have been disqualified.

This is one of the reasons for The American Dream's much-used services, which include thorough double-checking of applications. We are the only agency in the world that employs government-licensed immigration consultants, according to §1 AuswSG.

For almost 30 years, we have been guaranteeing our clients' error-free participation in the official Green Card Lottery, as we only submit all applications to the US authorities in due form and time after the most thorough examination.

Can I participate in the Green Card Lottery now?

Yes! With The American Dream, you can register for the Green Card Lottery right now with just a few clicks and add a photo later to your customer account. Adding data and photos later is not possible if you participate without the help of The American Dream!

Please note that we must receive your photo by October 19th, 2025, at the latest.