Forgot Your DV Lottery Confirmation Number? How to Retrieve It

What is the confirmation number?

When you submit your entry on dvprogram.state.gov, a confirmation page shows a 16-character confirmation number made of letters and digits.

This number is your only way to check your result later on the Entrant Status Check page, together with your last name and year of birth.

How to keep your confirmation number safe

Do not rely on a single copy:

• Print the confirmation page or save it as a PDF.
• Take a screenshot and keep it in two different places.
• Email the number to yourself.
• If someone else submitted your entry, ask for the original confirmation page.

Forgot the confirmation number: how to retrieve it

The Entrant Status Check page on the official site has a "Forgot Confirmation Number" option. You enter the email address used on the entry plus your name and date of birth as entered, and the number is shown if the details match.

Retrieval works only for the current year's entries, and you must type the details exactly as they were entered.

Why retrieval can fail

The usual reasons:

• The email address differs from the one used on the entry.
• The name is spelled differently from what was entered (for example Mohammad and Mohammed).
• The entry is from an earlier year.
• The entry was never actually submitted and no confirmation page appeared.

If someone else entered for you

You have a right to your confirmation number. Beware of anyone who refuses to give it to you or asks for money for it: that is a well-known scam.

With our service the confirmation page appears in your account after we submit, and you can download and keep it.

Questions and answers