The following list categorizes countries and regions whose natives qualify for the DV-2026 program by geographic area. Dependent territories are counted within the region of the governing country. The DHS has specified which countries’ natives are not eligible for the DV-2026 program based on the criteria set forth in Section 203(c) of the INA. Countries not eligible due to being primary sources of Family-Sponsored and Employment-Based immigration, often referred to as “high-admission” countries, are noted after their respective regional lists.
AFRICA
- Algeria
- Angola
- Benin
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Cabo Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Congo
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
- Djibouti
- Egypt*
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Kenya
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Niger
- Rwanda
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Senegal
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
*Note: Natives of Nigeria are not eligible for this year’s Diversity Visa program.
ASIA
- Afghanistan
- Bahrain
- Bhutan
- Brunei
- Myanmar (Burma)
- Cambodia
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel*
- Japan**
- Jordan*
- Kuwait
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mongolia
- Nepal
- North Korea
- Oman
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Singapore
- Sri Lanka
- Syria*
- Taiwan***
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- United Arab Emirates
- Yemen
*Individuals born in areas administered by Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt before June 1967 are counted towards their respective countries. Those born in Gaza are counted as Egyptian; those in the West Bank as Jordanian; and those in the Golan Heights as Syrian.
**Macau S.A.R. qualifies under Portugal for this program.
***For eligibility, individuals born in the Habomai Islands, Shikotan, Kunashiri, and Etorofu are counted as Japanese, while those from Southern Sakhalin are counted as Russian.
Countries in Asia that are not eligible for this year’s Diversity Visa program include:
- Bangladesh
- China (including Hong Kong)
- India
- Pakistan
- South Korea
- Philippines
- Vietnam
EUROPE
- Albania
- Andorra
- Armenia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark (including dependent territories)
- Estonia
- Finland
- France (including dependent territories)
- Georgia
- Germany
- United Kingdom (including dependent territories)
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Kazakhstan
- Kosovo
- Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macau Special Administrative Region**
- North Macedonia
- Malta
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Netherlands (including dependent territories)
- Northern Ireland***
- Norway (including dependent territories)
- Poland
- Portugal (including dependent territories)
- Romania
- Russia****
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Tajikistan
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Ukraine
- Uzbekistan
- Vatican City
North America
- The Bahamas
Natives of Canada and Mexico are not eligible for this year’s DV program.
OCEANIA
- Australia (including dependent territories)
- Fiji
- Kiribati
- Marshall Islands
- Micronesia
- Nauru
- New Zealand (including dependent territories)
- 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
- Dominica
- Ecuador
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Suriname
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Uruguay
Countries in this region whose natives are not eligible for the DV program this year include:
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Cuba
- Dominican Republic
- El Salvador
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Jamaica
- Mexico
- Venezuela
