The Department of State has announced the opening of the registration period for the DV-2012 Diversity Visa lottery.

Entries for the DV-2012 lottery must be submitted electronically between noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4) on Tuesday, October 5, 2010 and noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-5) on Wednesday, November 3, 2010. Applicants may access the electronic Diversity Visa entry form (E-DV) here during the registration period; Paper entries will not be accepted. Applicants are strongly encouraged not to wait until the last week of the registration period to enter, as heavy demand may result in website delays. No entries will be accepted after noon EST on November 3, 2010.

Natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply: Brazil, Canada, China (Mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam. Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are eligible.

For detailed information about entry requirements or frequently asked questions, please see the Department of State's instructions here.