The United States Diversity Lottery has opened for 2026. Nationals of different countries can participate in this lottery for a chance to get permanent residency in the United States of America. For shorter visits to the USA, many travellers can use an ESTA.
United States Diversity Visa Program
The US Diversity Visa Program is often called the Green Card Lottery. The lottery was introduced initially to stimulate cultural diversity in the USA. Through this program, the US authorities focus on nationalities that are underrepresented in the American society. The program is available for nationals of countries from which fewer than 50,000 people migrated to the United States in the previous 5 years. The aim of the program is to make the migrant population in the USA more diverse.
People who are drawn get the chance to receive a permanent residency permit for the United States, also known as a Green Card. The United States Diversity Visa Program makes permanent residency more accessible to people who would otherwise be ineligible. However, the chance to be drawn is relatively slim. Millions of people register each year, while the program only makes 55,000 visas available. Candidates are chosen at random, but the US authorities consider the geographical distribution. A country may receive no more than seven percent of all available Diversity Visas.
Eligible nationalities
Citizens of all except for 19 countries may register for the 2026 Diversity Visa Program. Citizens of all European countries are eligible. The 19 countries whose citizens are not eligible for the program in 2025 are Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong, but citizens of Macao and Taiwan are eligible), Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela and Vietnam. More than 50,000 citizens of these countries migrated to the USA in the past 5 years. Therefore, they are excluded from the lottery. Cuban citizens were able to register for the Diversity Visa Program for 2025.
Requirements and registration
You must not only have the right nationality, but you also have to meet a few other requirements to be able to register for the Green Card Lottery. Candidates must have finished high school. If you do not have a high school diploma, you may also be eligible if you have at least two years of work experience at a job that requires at least two years of training or experience.
You may register for the US Diversity Visa Program from 2 October until 5 November 2024. If you are interested, you can register online by filling in a form on a US government website. The registration is free of charge, but if you are drawn, you must pay the application cost. The results will be announced in May 2025.
ESTA for a temporary stay in the USA
If you do not want to stay in the USA permanently, but only for a holiday, business trip or to visit friends and family in the country, you can usually use an ESTA USA. There is no lottery for ESTA applications. You start your ESTA application by filling in a digital application form, where you are asked about your passport details and some details about your trip to the USA. The US authorities use the ESTA to check whether a traveller could pose a threat to the national security. If you meet all ESTA requirements, you will receive your travel authorisation most likely within 3 days by e-mail.