Countries Eligible For DV Lottery 2024

The application process for the Diversity Visa Lottery-2024 is open until November 8. For those interested, this is the time to ensure whether they’re eligible and how they can make their best shot. First, start by finding out whether you can enter the Green Card Lottery in 2022.

Table of contents

• What countries are not eligible for the current Green Card lottery?
• List of eligible countries for the DV lottery 2024
• Why are some countries not eligible for the Lottery?
• Can I participate if I’m not from the eligible country but my family members are?

What countries are not eligible for the current Green Card lottery?

The Department of State does not provide a complete list of countries eligible for the current Green Card lottery but publishes a list of countries that are not:

Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong SAR), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea (South Korea), United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, Venezuela, and Vietnam. 

If your country of citizenship is on that list, you are not eligible to apply by using that citizenship. However, read on to find out how you may still qualify.

Note that natives of Macau, SAR, and Taiwan can participate in the Lottery.

Below we have a complete list of eligible countries.

List of eligible countries for the DV lottery 2024

Now, to make sure, here are the countries eligible for the DV-2024.

Asia

• Afghanistan,
• Bahrain,
• Bhutan,
• Brunei,
• Cambodia,
• Indonesia,
• Iran,
• Iraq,
• Israel,
• Japan,
• Jordan,
• Kuwait,
• Laos,
• Lebanon,
• Macao SAR,
• Malaysia,
• Maldives,
• Mongolia,
• Myanmar (Burma),
• Nepal,
• North Korea,
• Oman,
• Qatar,
• Saudi Arabia,
• Singapore,
• Sri Lanka,
• Syria,
• Taiwan,
• Thailand,
• Timor-Leste,
• The United Arab Emirates,
• Yemen.

Europe, Central Asia

• Albania,
• Andorra,
• Armenia,
• Austria,
• Azerbaijan,
• Belarus,
• Belgium,
• Bosnia and Herzegovina,
• Bulgaria,
• Croatia,
• Cyprus,
• The Czech Republic,
• Denmark,
• Estonia,
• Finland,
• France,
• Georgia,
• Germany,
• Greece,
• Hungary,
• Iceland,
• Ireland,
• Italy,
• Kazakhstan,
• Kosovo,
• Kyrgyzstan,
• Latvia,
• Liechtenstein,
• Lithuania,
• Luxembourg,
• Macedonia,
• Malta,
• Moldova,
• Monaco,
• Montenegro,
• Netherlands,
• Northern Ireland,
• Norway,
• Poland,
• Portugal,
• Romania,
• Russia,
• San Marino,
• Serbia,
• Slovakia,
• Slovenia,
• Spain,
• Sweden,
• Switzerland,
• Tajikistan,
• Turkey,
• Turkmenistan,
• Ukraine,
• Uzbekistan,
• Vatican City.

North America

• The Bahamas.

Oceania

• Australia,
• Fiji,
• Kiribati,
• The Marshall Islands,
• Micronesia,
• The Federated States of Nauru,
• New Zealand,
• Palau,
• Papua New Guinea,
• Samoa Solomon Islands,
• Tonga,
• Tuvalu,
• Vanuatu.

South America, Central America, and the Caribbean

• Antigua and Barbuda,
• Argentina,
• Barbados,
• Belize,
• Bolivia,
• Chile,
• Costa Rica,
• Cuba,
• Dominica,
• Ecuador,
• Grenada,
• Guyana,
• Nicaragua,
• Panama,
• Paraguay,
• Peru,
• Saint Kitts and Nevis,
• Saint Lucia,
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
• Suriname,
• Trinidad and Tobago,
• Uruguay,
• Venezuela.

Why are some countries not eligible for the Lottery?

According to the U.S. Department of State, more than 50,000 natives of the countries deemed ineligible immigrated to the United States in the previous five years.

Note that the visa is called Diversity Visa: it seeks to diversify the U.S demography, hence its restrictions on natives of countries with already a large diaspora in America.

Can I participate if I’m not from the eligible country but my family members are?

There are two possibilities to apply if you’re not a native of an eligible country:

• Is your spouse a native of an eligible country? If yes, you can simply be included in your spouse’s application.
• Was any of your parent's country of birth an eligible country? You may be able to claim their country of birth to apply.