The U.S. State Department’s current fee schedule lists a $1 Diversity Visa registration fee for the principal entrant and a separate $330 Diversity Visa application fee for each selected person applying for an immigrant visa. The second fee is not charged to everyone who registers; it belongs to the later visa-application stage. Medical examinations, records, photographs, translation and travel can add variable costs that should not be mistaken for fixed U.S. government fees.
This guide is for international readers comparing the cost of entering a future DV cycle with the possible cost of a selected family’s consular visa case. The entry period for a future program must be officially announced before anyone can register. Fees can change, and an applicant adjusting status inside the United States follows a different fee path. GlobalVisora is an independent information site, not a payment portal or U.S. government representative.
Why an older guide may say entry is free
DV-2026 entries were submitted before the newer $1 registration charge appeared in the fee schedule; the DV-2026 instructions said entry was free. The State Department’s current visa-fee schedule now lists $1, paid at registration by the principal applicant. These statements concern different registration periods. Do not retroactively add $1 to a past DV-2026 entry or treat a pre-fee screenshot as proof that a future entry must be free.
The $1 is a registration fee, not a charge for “winning” and not a promise that the entry will be selected. Pay only through the procedure on the official registration website when the government opens the entry period. An agent’s demand for a large up-front “lottery processing” payment is not the State Department’s $1 fee. The current fee page gives the amount; the actual entry screen and program-year instructions control how a future cycle collects it.
If two spouses each submit their own valid entry, the registration fee may apply to each principal entry. Each person must still follow the one-entry-per-person rule; paying twice to submit duplicate entries for one person does not improve the odds and can disqualify them. Whether any particular spouse can enter depends on eligibility and accurate family information, not simply willingness to pay.
The $330 fee comes after selection
The current fee schedule lists $330 for each person who applies as a DV program selectee for a DV immigrant visa. A principal applicant applying alone is one fee-paying visa applicant. If a spouse and one child also apply, the consular application-fee calculation is three times $330, not one household payment. A relative merely named on the original entry but not applying for a visa at that stage is not automatically another $330 charge. Check the case and post instructions for how and when each applicant must pay.
The State Department’s DV interview preparation page also identifies the current $330 per-person fee and explains that an authorized physician tells applicants the cost of the medical exam and tests. Consular posts may specify payment currency and timing differently. Paying a private intermediary who promises to deliver the money to the embassy creates unnecessary risk; follow the post’s published payment method.
The DV application fee is generally nonrefundable even if an applicant is found ineligible. A payment receipt is not an eligibility decision. Do not interpret “fee paid” as “visa approved,” and do not spend on nonrefundable airline tickets merely because you have an interview appointment.
Two transparent budget examples
Example 1 — one future principal entrant who is later selected: Assume the then-applicable registration fee remains $1 and one person applies for a DV immigrant visa abroad. The listed U.S. fees would total $1 + $330 = $331. This excludes the medical exam, vaccinations, photos, civil records, translations, transport, lodging and any later immigration-related charges. It also assumes registration actually opens and the person is eligible to enter.
Example 2 — one entrant, three later visa applicants: Assume one principal entry costs $1 and, after genuine selection, the principal, spouse and one child each apply abroad. The listed U.S. registration-plus-DV-application fees would be $1 + (3 × $330) = $991. If the spouse separately made another valid principal entry, that would be another registration transaction, not a fourth visa application in this example. These are arithmetic illustrations, not quotes from an embassy or predictions of approval.
Both examples are for consular DV visa applications, not U.S.-based adjustment of status. The adjustment route can involve different U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services filings and fees. Do not add the $330 consular figure mechanically to an adjustment budget without checking that route’s current official instructions. Also do not confuse the $1 registration fee with the fee for a tourist visa or a general green-card renewal.
The costs that vary by person and country
Medical exams are performed by authorized physicians and their prices vary by location, age, tests and vaccination needs. Photos can cost little or more depending on local service and whether images need to be retaken. Civil records and police certificates may have government issuance fees, courier costs or travel requirements. A family with several applicants, previous residences and documents in multiple languages may have a different budget from a single applicant with straightforward records.
Translations and document corrections should be planned as genuine services, not bought “certificates” that skip official issuance. Budget for the trip to the consulate and, if an interview post requires it, a separate medical or prescreening visit. If you live far from the assigned post, lodging may be meaningful. Record local prices from the official issuer or authorized provider rather than copying a universal total from another country’s blog.
Our DV interview checklist helps identify which stages may generate those extra expenses. It is safer to build a line-by-line budget after receiving a real appointment than to pay every possible supplier immediately upon entering the lottery.
Budget without paying for promises
Separate your spreadsheet into three phases. Phase one is registration: the current listed $1 principal fee, plus any optional photo service. Phase two begins only if selected and moving forward: each actual applicant’s visa fee and the specific records requested. Phase three is appointment preparation: authorized medical examination, vaccinations as needed, travel to the post and any necessary translations or courier charges. Mark each amount as confirmed, quoted or still unknown. Do not present an unknown local medical price as if it were a federal fee.
A company cannot guarantee selection, sell a “higher-priority” case number or privately waive a government fee. The lottery selection process and visa decision are distinct. Keep control of the entry confirmation number and payment records. Use government websites for official charges and post instructions. If a fee request arrives by unsolicited email or messaging app, verify it independently before opening a payment link.
Current timing matters before major spending
As checked on September 25, 2026, the State Department says DV applications and interviews may continue but DV visa issuance is paused program-wide. That does not erase the possible costs of preparing a selected case; it makes the decision to incur optional or irreversible expenses more consequential. Policy may change, so verify current guidance and the fiscal-year deadline before purchasing travel or selling property. No fee can override an issuance pause or turn selection into a guaranteed visa.
The best estimate is therefore a formula, not one magic number: applicable entry fee + $330 for each person actually applying for a consular DV visa + your verified local preparation costs. Check the latest official fee page again on the day you act, and use the assigned post’s instructions for payment logistics.
Last verified: September 25, 2026. Fee amounts and program procedures can change. This is general budgeting information, not legal or financial advice. The featured image is an AI-generated conceptual cost illustration; its coins are not an official fee schedule.