From October 16, 2025, Kenyans seeking to register for the United States Diversity Visa, otherwise known as the Green Card lottery, will be required to pay a mandatory registration fee of $1 (about Ksh129 in the current exchange rates).
This will be the first time in the lottery’s history that applicants will pay just to enter, as registration had previously been completely free.
In an announcement by the US Department of State (DOS), the new fee will be in addition to the mandatory $330 (Ksh42,619) application fee paid by applicants who are selected for interviews.
According to DOS, the new policy seeks to share the administrative costs more fairly across all registrants rather than placing the financial burden solely on those selected to continue with visa applications.
The new fee structure means that an estimated 25 million annual registrants will help cover programme expenses, rather than only the 55,000 lottery winners who move forward with applications.
The change is expected to generate approximately $25 million annually in new revenue for the DV lottery’s operational costs, which include system upgrades, enhanced data collection, and security reviews.
The new policy will apply to applicants in the 2027 DV lottery, which is set to open in early October, and future lotteries.
The DOS disclosed that registration fees will not be refunded, regardless of lottery results or whether applicants move forward with a visa application. Further, fees cannot be transferred between lottery years.
Of the millions who apply, only 55,000 will be accorded green card opportunities in the programme.
How to Apply & Requirements
Applicants should register online through the US State Department website. Typically, one requires a passport-size photo, birth certificate, or ID, with the submission done electronically on the DV website. Multiple and incomplete entries will lead to automatic disqualification.
Requirements include a valid passport, where one is required to write their name as it appears on the passport. Normally, one is required to provide their name in the following order: last/family name, first name, middle name.
Also, applicants should have at least two years of work experience in the last five years.
All applicants must complete at least 12 years of primary and secondary school education. This will be similar to a 12-year course in the United States.
No minimum age is required during the application, but the requirement of a high school education or work experience for each applicant for the application will mostly disqualify those who are under the age of 18 years.
Meanwhile, the State Department said it expected overall demand for the DV lottery to decline slightly as a result of the new fee. Still, fewer entries could improve odds for applicants while easing the administrative burden of processing tens of millions of registrations.
