A Diversity Visa interview checklist starts with your actual appointment notice and the instructions for the U.S. embassy or consulate assigned to your case. The common items include appointment information from Entrant Status Check, each applicant’s DS-260 confirmation page, a valid passport, photographs, relevant original civil records and translations, evidence of the principal applicant’s qualifying education or work, and a medical examination by an authorized physician. The post may add steps such as courier registration or an earlier document review.
This is a preparation guide for selected applicants who have an interview appointment, not a claim that selection or a current case number automatically creates one. It is international in scope: a checklist copied from one embassy may omit a requirement at another. GlobalVisora is independent of the U.S. government and cannot confirm that a personal packet is complete.
Confirm the appointment before spending money
After KCC processes a complete DS-260, a selected applicant may receive an email directing them to Entrant Status Check to see the interview date, time and place. Print the actual appointment information shown there. Do not confuse the original lottery-entry confirmation with an interview appointment. If the notice has not appeared, a social-media message saying that your rank is “current” is not an appointment. Our case number and Visa Bulletin guide explains that separate number-availability step.
Read the assigned post’s complete interview instructions, including any medical, courier, prescreening or security directions. For example, some posts ask applicants to register a courier address, while others have a separate document prescreening appointment. The embassy’s instructions are the operational checklist for that location; this article helps you organize the common federal requirements without pretending all posts work alike.
Book only the authorized medical examination
The State Department’s DV interview preparation guidance instructs each applicant to schedule a medical appointment with a physician authorized for the country where the interview will occur. Tell the physician that this is an immigrant-visa examination and provide the appointment date. A general checkup by a personal doctor does not replace the designated panel physician’s examination.
Follow the post’s timing instructions because the medical results, vaccinations and any required prescreening must fit the appointment sequence. Do not open a sealed medical envelope if the physician gives you one for the embassy. In some places, results are sent electronically rather than handed to the applicant. Carry whatever the local instructions tell you to bring, and keep receipts or appointment details in a separate pocket for easy access.
Build one core packet per applicant
The State Department’s applicant interview checklist lists appointment information, DS-260 confirmation, an unexpired passport, two identical color photos for each applicant and any medical results provided in sealed envelopes. The passport’s validity must meet the applicable entry requirement stated in the instructions. Check the exact photo format required by your post rather than assuming the digital image uploaded at lottery entry is enough.
For every applicant, assemble original civil records or properly certified copies and the photocopies requested by the post. Birth certificates are a central example. Married applicants may need marriage documents; people with prior marriages may need divorce or death certificates. Police, court, military or adoption records depend on age, residence and individual history. The correct issuer and document format may differ by country. A paid “certificate” from an agent is not reliable merely because it looks official.
Translations require attention as well. The State Department says that when English translations are required, certified translations must be presented at interview. Some embassy instructions specify the translation treatment for particular documents. Organize the original, translation and copy together; do not send away your only original to an unverified service. If a genuine record has a spelling difference or later correction, keep the supporting evidence instead of altering a scan.
Add the principal applicant’s qualification evidence
The DV principal applicant must show the required education or qualifying work experience. Bring the formal school records or credible work evidence described by the State Department and by your interview post. This is not satisfied by simply putting a job title on the DS-260. Some posts identify local school examinations or transcript formats they expect; check the one assigned to you. Derivative spouses and children do not each need to meet the principal applicant’s education-or-work requirement, but they still need their own identity and visa documentation.
Keep evidence in an easy-to-follow order. A practical packet divider might be “appointment and application,” “identity and civil records,” “education or work,” and “medical and payment.” These divider names are GlobalVisora’s organizational suggestion, not a government requirement. The goal is to answer an officer’s request quickly without fumbling through unrelated papers or accidentally handing over the wrong family member’s certificate.
Reconcile family facts with the original entry
Before interview, compare the spouse and children shown on the original lottery entry with the current DS-260 case and authentic civil records. An existing spouse or qualifying child omitted from the original entry can create a serious eligibility problem. By contrast, a genuine marriage or birth after the entry date is a different situation and may be added with appropriate evidence. Do not ask an agent to “fix” a discrepancy by inventing a later date.
Check each family member’s legal name, date of birth and relationship documents against the case. Confirm who will attend the interview and whether the post allows a derivative family member to interview later. If the family situation is complex, seek qualified legal advice early rather than waiting until you stand at the consular window. A paid visa fee is not refunded simply because an applicant is found ineligible.
Budget for fees and the interview day
The Diversity Visa application fee is per applying person; confirm the current amount and local payment method in the assigned post’s instructions before paying. Medical examinations, vaccinations, photographs and document procurement can add costs. The registration payment, if any under the relevant program year, is a separate stage. Our DS-260 guide explains the online application stage, which should not be mistaken for fee payment or visa approval.
Plan transport to the embassy, but do not buy irreversible U.S. travel based on an appointment alone. Follow security rules about phones, bags and companions. Arrive at the time specified for your particular post; arriving at a time taken from another embassy’s website can be counterproductive. If illness or another serious event prevents attendance, use the official rescheduling procedure rather than paying someone who claims to have insider access.
After the interview is not the same as visa issued
A consular officer may approve, refuse, or request further information or administrative processing. Only the actual visa in a passport—or a separate lawful adjustment-of-status outcome—changes the applicant’s position; an interview or favorable conversation does not. DV cases have a strict fiscal-year limit. As checked September 25, 2026, the State Department also says DV applications and interviews may continue while DV issuance is paused program-wide. Verify current guidance before major decisions because this status can change.
Use the checklist as a final review: real appointment notice, post-specific instructions, authorized medical exam, separate packet for each applicant, authentic originals and translations, principal qualification evidence, and honest family information. If one item is unavailable, do not manufacture it. Look up the issuing country’s official document guidance and follow the embassy’s directions about explaining the absence.
Last verified: September 25, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice or a substitute for the assigned embassy’s instructions. The featured image is an AI-generated conceptual preparation scene, not a real embassy or government packet.