Additional Services. Some lottery services spend extra time cleaning up poor photographs that would normally be rejected by the government. Others offer access to immigration attorneys, discounts on travel to the USA for winners, and books useful to visa applicants and holders.

Confirmation Number. Ethical lottery services should immediately provide your official U.S. State Department confirmation number to you if you win. For DV-2013 the confirmation number has this format: DV2013V1B7K5WE7IY. (If you do not receive your confirmation number then your service may be fraudulent.)

MyGreencard Lottery Service Reviews. Visit myGreencard.com for a list of lottery services that have been rated and ranked.

To use a green card lottery service, just fill out their paper-based application OR their on-line form. Be sure to follow guidelines for photographs. They will electronically submit your registration on your behalf. If your photographs do not meet the required specifications, they should contact you immediately for a replacement.

If You Use a Service. If you decide to use a service send in your application no later than 2 weeks before the closing date of the lottery. Many lottery services only accept electronic entries.

There are several excellent services that provide good assistance for a reasonable price. Some have 24-hour toll free telephone numbers, attorney contacts, and complete translations for non-English readers. Others accept applications received as late as one week before the closing date of the lottery, but charge an additional fee for processing last minute applications.

Also remember, it may be difficult or impossible to change incorrect application data if you submit your application too close to the end of the lottery. Again, see myGreencard.com's lottery service reviews, if you decide to pay for assistance.

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