The confirmation number is the only key to Entrant Status Check, the tool that shows whether a Diversity Visa entry was selected. The Department of State warns that some unscrupulous facilitators keep the confirmation page and then demand money or other favors in exchange for the number.
Quick answer
- The confirmation number appears on the confirmation screen at the end of the entry.
- Without it, an entrant cannot check the result.
- Keep a personal printout and a personal copy of the number. Do not leave them with a helper.
- Use an email account that only the entrant controls.
What the instructions say
The Department of State instructions for DV-2026 strongly encourage entrants to complete the entry form themselves, without a “visa consultant,” “visa agent,” or other person who offers to help. If someone does help, the entrant should be present when the entry is prepared, so that the entrant gives the correct answers and keeps the unique confirmation number and a printout of the confirmation screen. The instructions describe the scam directly: facilitators assist with entries, keep the confirmation page printout, and then demand more money or illegal activities in exchange for the number.
The instructions add a warning to be wary of anyone who offers to keep this information for the entrant, and they say the entrant should also have access to the email account listed on the entry. They note that the entrant, not the helper, is responsible for the information in the entry being correct and complete.
The scam at larger scale
The final rule published March 11, 2026 describes unauthorized third parties, some of them criminal enterprises, who submit entries on behalf of people without their knowledge. The rule says these third parties contact the people, tell them about the opportunity, and withhold the entry information unless the person pays a large fee or agrees to take part in fraudulent activities. It adds that the Department’s annual instructions advise entrants to keep the confirmation number and note that the Department will not replace or provide it in the future.
What the number does and does not do
After a complete entry, a confirmation screen shows the entrant’s name and a unique confirmation number, and the instructions tell the entrant to print it. For DV-2026, the entrant returns to the official site, opens Entrant Status Check, and enters the number with personal information. That is the only way to learn the result. The Department does not tell entrants directly, does not mail letters, and does not email selection notices.
The number is not a ticket and not proof of selection. It opens the status page, and the page shows the result. A person who holds a number but never checks the page knows nothing about the result.
The instructions also say that if no confirmation number appears after pressing submit, the entry was not recorded, and the entrant must submit again without penalty. Once a number appears, the entry must not be submitted a second time. This matters for helpers who say “the number did not come up, so pay again for a new one”: without a number, no entry exists.
A retrieval tool existed for DV-2026
The DV-2026 instructions describe a tool in Entrant Status Check that lets an entrant retrieve a lost number through the email address used on the entry, after confirming identity details. Embassies, consulates, and the Kentucky Consular Center cannot give the number out. Because the rule notes that the annual instructions say the Department will not replace the number, entrants should not plan around a retrieval option and should check the current year’s instructions.
Ways the number is lost or misused
- A helper submits the entry from the helper’s own device and email and never gives the entrant the number.
- The entrant uses an email address that belongs to someone else.
- The printout is left with a family agent, a travel office, or an online service.
- A scammer claims that the number is “lost” and offers to recover it for a fee.
What a scam message may look like
The instructions warn about emails that try to trick people into sending money or personal information, and about messages from people pretending to be tied to the Kentucky Consular Center or the Department. They say the U.S. government has never sent emails announcing selection, and that any email or letter claiming a selection that does not come from the Department is not legitimate. Messages from the Department that do arrive only tell the entrant to look at Entrant Status Check, and they never say whether the person was selected.
The FTC’s consumer advice on the Diversity Visa lottery scam adds that any email or letter saying a person won is a scam, and that a request for advance payment is a red flag. A message that offers to sell or release a confirmation number falls under both warnings.
Practical protection
- Prepare the entry personally, or be present at the screen while someone else enters the information.
- Use an email address that only the entrant can open, and keep access to it. The instructions advise access through May of the following year.
- Print the confirmation screen and save the number in two places.
- Check Entrant Status Check personally on the official site.
- Do not pay anyone to “release” or “find” the number.
Why this matters more from DV-2027
The rule requires passport details and a passport scan on each entry, and an entry is tied to one valid passport. Entries made without the person’s knowledge are harder to submit, but a helper who holds a copy of the passport and the confirmation number can still cause harm. Keep control of both. See what changes for DV-2027 entrants.
Frequently asked questions
Can the Department of State resend the number?
The DV-2026 instructions describe an email-based retrieval tool, but the March 2026 rule reports that the Department’s annual instructions say it will not replace or provide the number in the future. Plan to keep it safe.
Is it allowed to have someone else submit the entry?
Yes, but only one entry may be submitted in the entrant’s name, and the entrant is responsible for correct information.
What if a helper refuses to hand over the number?
Do not pay. Keep records of the messages and report the conduct. See where to report Diversity Visa fraud.
Does the number prove selection?
No. It only allows the entrant to open the status page, where the result appears.
Can an embassy or the Kentucky Consular Center look up a result?
No. The DV-2026 instructions say they cannot check selection status or give out the confirmation number directly.
Related reading
- DV lottery scams: common types and warning signs
- When someone else enters you in the DV lottery
- Checking DV lottery results
- Where to report Diversity Visa fraud
About this guide
This website is for information only. It is not affiliated with the U.S. government, does not give legal advice or consultations, and does not offer application services. Entries are submitted only on the official entry site, and the current official instructions control, because rules change each year.
Last verified: October 2026. Sources: Department of State instructions for DV-2026; final rule published March 11, 2026; FTC consumer advice on the Diversity Visa lottery scam.