DV-2028 lottery: registration status and the photo to prepare now

As of late July 2026, the State Department has not announced the DV-2028 registration dates. Historically the entry window has run from early October to early November, but treat this cycle as uncertain: the Department announced changes to the DV-2027 entry process and said its entry period would be announced as soon as practicable, and DV-2028 details will come from the official source, dvprogram.state.gov. What is stable is the photo requirement, and a bad photo is the classic instant disqualifier: prepare a compliant photo for every family member now, so the short window is spent entering, not retaking photos.

Check your United States visa photo against the official spec → Free check, accepted-or-money-back.

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Measured against the official United States visa spec: head size, eye line, background, brightness and file limits. We never edit your photo.

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Use a clear, front-facing photo against a plain white wall in even light. We measure and crop it. We never edit the pixels you submit.

What is announced and what is not

Not yet announced: the DV-2028 entry dates. The only authoritative sources are travel.state.gov's Diversity Visa instructions page and dvprogram.state.gov itself; announcements land there first, typically in September before an autumn window.

Announced context: the State Department said the DV-2027 entry process would change and that its entry period would be announced as soon as practicable. Third-party sites publishing confident DV-2028 dates before the Department does are guessing. When the announcement lands, we will update this page with the exact dates.

The photo rules do not wait

Every entrant, spouse, and child listed on an entry needs their own photo meeting the spec: a JPEG, exactly square, 600 x 600 pixels, no more than 240 KB, in 24-bit color, taken within the last six months, on a plain light background, with no digital alteration. Photo problems are the most common reason entries are disqualified, and disqualification is silent: the entry simply loses at selection or the interview.

Because the photo must be recent when you enter, take it close to the window rather than months early, but do a practice run now: find the wall, the light, and the camera setup that passes, so the real photo takes ten minutes when the window opens.

Prepare the whole family's photos in one session

Families fail on the dependents: a baby photo with a parent's hand visible, a child photographed on a patterned couch, a spouse's photo cropped from an old document. Each person needs a fresh, individual photo against the same plain background. Our free checker below measures each one against the DV spec (exactly 600 x 600, head size, background, file limits) before you enter.

Frequently asked questions

When does DV-2028 registration open?

Not announced yet as of late July 2026. Past windows ran early October to early November, but this cycle carries announced process changes, so check dvprogram.state.gov and travel.state.gov for the official dates rather than third-party predictions.

What photo does the DV lottery require?

A JPEG, exactly 600 x 600 pixels, under 240 KB, 24-bit color, taken within the last six months, plain light background, no editing or filters. Each family member on the entry needs their own.

Can I reuse last year's DV photo?

No. The photo must have been taken within the last six months at the time of entry, and reusing a photo from a previous entry is itself listed as a disqualifier in the official instructions.