The only way to learn whether a Diversity Visa entry was selected is the Entrant Status Check tool on the official entry site, dvprogram.state.gov. The Department of State does not send letters or emails announcing selection. Login requires the confirmation number issued when the entry was submitted.
Quick answer
- Open the official site and choose Entrant Status Check.
- Enter the confirmation number and the personal information requested.
- If the entry was selected, the page shows instructions for the next steps and information about fees.
- If the entry was not selected, that is also shown only there.
These facts are from the Department of State instructions for DV-2026. The tool was open for DV-2026 from May 4, 2025, through at least September 30, 2026. Each program year has its own dates, and the dates for DV-2027 were not confirmed in the sources reviewed.
What is needed to log in
The confirmation number is required. It is shown on the confirmation screen at the end of the entry, and the instructions tell entrants to print that screen. Entrants should keep the number until the end of the program year, because the Department may notify additional selectees after the first results date. If the number is lost, Entrant Status Check includes a retrieval tool that sends it to the email address registered on the entry after identity details are confirmed. Embassies, consulates, and the Kentucky Consular Center cannot look up the status or provide the number, other than through that retrieval tool.
What the Department of State does not do
- It does not mail notification letters.
- It does not email people to say they were selected. The U.S. government has never used email for that purpose.
- It does not publish a list of selectees through embassies.
- It does not ask for payment by mail or services such as Western Union to process a selection for an embassy case. Adjustment of status applications to USCIS are the exception, because they do involve mailing a fee, and the instructions page inside Entrant Status Check explains how.
An email or letter claiming a win that does not come from the Department of State is not legitimate. The Department may send reminders to check Entrant Status Check, but those messages never say whether an entry was selected.
Check the status personally
The Department strongly encourages entrants to open Entrant Status Check themselves rather than rely on a friend, agent, or website to check and report. A person who holds the confirmation number for someone else controls access to that result.
What emails can arrive after a selection
The DV-2026 instructions describe one narrow kind of email. A selectee who has responded to the instructions in Entrant Status Check may later receive a message when an immigrant visa interview becomes available. That message does not contain the date or time of the interview. It only tells the selectee to open Entrant Status Check for details. Because of this, the email address on the entry has to stay accessible. The instructions ask for an address with direct access through May of the year after the entry.
If the entry was selected
The selection page directs the entrant to instructions for the visa application and details of the fees involved. Typical next steps include completing form DS-260, the online immigrant visa application, and, once an interview becomes available, receiving an appointment notice in the same tool four to six weeks before the date. Selectees already in the United States may apply to USCIS for adjustment of status if otherwise eligible.
Three facts from the DV-2026 instructions help set expectations:
- The Department selects more than 55,000 entries so that as many of the 55,000 visas as possible are used. This means there will not be enough visas for everyone selected.
- Selection does not guarantee a visa, an interview, or an appointment. It means the entrant may be eligible to apply, and a visa can be issued only if the rank number becomes eligible for final processing while visas remain.
- Visa numbers could run out before the fiscal year ends, so selectees are told to act promptly on their cases.
What selection does not settle
Selection is not an approval of eligibility. The instructions state that selectees must still be admissible to the United States, and that the DS-260 and the consular officer’s in-person questions cover criminal and security-related topics. Education or work experience must be proven with documents at the interview, and an entrant who does not meet the requirement is ineligible for a diversity visa, which also removes the derivative visas of the spouse and children. Visa application fees are not refundable if the officer finds the applicant ineligible.
If the entry was not selected
The status page shows that the entry was not selected, and nothing further is required. A new entry may be submitted in a later program year during its entry period, subject to the rules for that year.
Why the confirmation number is a security item
The Department has warned that some facilitators prepare entries, keep the confirmation printout, and then demand money or other favors in exchange for the number. Keeping a personal copy of the confirmation page and number prevents that situation. The entry should also be linked to an email account that the entrant controls.
DV-2019 comparison
The same system existed in the DV-2019 program. Its original notice said Entrant Status Check would open on May 1, 2018, and a later correction notice moved that date to May 15, 2018. The tool was to stay available through at least September 30, 2019, and the notice carried the same warning that the Department would not notify anyone by mail or email. The DV-2019 program is covered on the DV-2019 archive page.
What changes with DV-2027
The March 2026 final rule changes the entry, not the results step. Entrants will provide passport information and upload a scan of the passport data page. The Department also says entrants will be advised to keep a scanned copy or photocopy of the passport used for the entry, and that a selectee may be denied if unable to show that the passport number on the entry was the entrant’s valid passport at the time of registration. This is described in what changes for DV-2027 entrants.
Frequently asked questions
Can the result be checked by phone?
No channel other than Entrant Status Check provides it.
How long is the tool available?
For DV-2026, until at least September 30, 2026. Each program year has its own period.
What if the email address on the entry is no longer accessible?
The retrieval tool uses that email address, so keeping access to it matters. The instructions advise keeping access through May of the next year.
Does this website show results?
No. Results exist only on the official Department of State site.
Can an embassy or the Kentucky Consular Center confirm a selection?
No. The DV-2026 instructions say they cannot check the status or give out the confirmation number, and they do not provide a list of selectees.
Related reading
- DV lottery timeline
- How the Diversity Visa lottery works
- DV entry form guide
- DV lottery costs and scams
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; DV-2019 correction notice (Public Notice 10174).