Yerevan /Mediamax/. The U.S. Department of State announces the opening of the registration period for the 2017 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery, also known as the greencard lottery.

According to the press release disseminated by the U.S. Embassy in Armenia, entries for the 2017 Diversity Visa lottery must be submitted electronically between noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), Wednesday, October 1, 2015, and noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-5), Monday, November 3, 2015.

Applicants may access the electronic Diversity Visa entry form at www.dvlottery.state.gov during the registration period

The Embassy strongly encourages applicants not to wait until the last week of the registration period to enter. No entries will be accepted after noon EDT on November 3, 2015.

“There is no cost or fee to register for the DV Program. You are strongly encouraged to complete the entry form yourself, without a “Visa Consultant,” “Visa Agent,” or other facilitator who offers to help. If somebody else helps you, you should be present when your entry is prepared so that you can provide the correct answers to the questions and retain the confirmation page and your unique confirmation number”, the press release reads.

The Embassy notes that  that winning the lottery is not a guarantee that you will receive a visa - winners must be interviewed and qualify for a visa.