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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 13, 2012

Registration No. 333-            

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

GENWORTH FINANCIAL, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Delaware

(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)

33-1073076

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

6620 West Broad Street

Richmond, Virginia 23230

(804) 281-6000

(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)

Leon E. Roday, Esq.

Senior Vice President,

General Counsel and Secretary

Genworth Financial, Inc.

6620 West Broad Street

Richmond, Virginia 23230

(804) 281-6000

(Name, Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent for Service)

Copies to:

David Lefkowitz, Esq.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

767 Fifth Avenue

New York, New York 10153

(212) 310-8000

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this Registration Statement.

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box.  ¨

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box.  x

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ¨

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ¨

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box.  x

If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box.  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

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PROSPECTUS

GENWORTH FINANCIAL, INC.

DEBT SECURITIES

COMMON STOCK

PREFERRED STOCK

WARRANTS

RIGHTS

UNITS

We may from time to time offer to sell our senior and/or subordinated debt securities, common stock or preferred stock, either separately or represented by warrants or rights, as well as units that include any of these securities or securities of other entities. The debt securities may consist of debentures, notes or other types of debt. Our Class A Common Stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and trades under the ticker symbol “GNW.” The debt securities, preferred stock, warrants, rights and units may be convertible or exercisable or exchangeable for common stock or preferred stock or other securities of ours or debt or equity securities of one or more other entities.

We may offer and sell these securities to or through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, on a continuous or delayed basis. These securities also may be resold by security holders. We will provide specific terms of any securities to be offered in supplements to this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement carefully before you invest.

Our principal executive offices are located at 6620 West Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23230. Our telephone number is (804) 281-6000.

Investing in these securities involves risks. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on February 27, 2012, and in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on May 4, 2012, which are incorporated by reference herein.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is June 13, 2012

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of an automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, as a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933. By using a shelf registration statement, we may sell, at any time and from time to time, in one or more offerings, any combination of the securities described in this prospectus. As allowed by the SEC rules, this prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information, we refer you to the registration statement, including its exhibits. Statements contained in this prospectus about the provisions or contents of any agreement or other document are not necessarily complete. If the SEC’s rules and regulations require that an agreement or document be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement, please see that agreement or document for a complete description of these matters.

You should read this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus together with any additional information you may need to make your investment decision. You should also read and carefully consider the information in the documents we have referred you to in “Where You Can Find More Information” below. Information incorporated by reference after the date of this prospectus is considered a part of this prospectus and may add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. Any information in such subsequent filings that is inconsistent with this prospectus will supersede the information in this prospectus or any earlier prospectus supplement.

You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus, any supplement and any free writing prospectus. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with other information. We are not making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement, any free writing prospectus or any document incorporated herein by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date of the applicable document. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

Unless otherwise stated, or the context otherwise requires, references in this prospectus to “we,” “us” and “our” are to Genworth Financial, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can inspect and copy these reports, proxy statements and other information at the public reference facilities of the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room located at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the Public Reference Room. The SEC also maintains a website that contains reports, proxy statements and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the SEC (www.sec.gov). Our internet address is www.genworth.com. However, the information on our website is not a part of this prospectus. In addition, you can inspect reports and other information we file at the office of the New York Stock Exchange, Inc., 20 Broad Street, New York, New York 10005.

We have filed a registration statement and related exhibits with the SEC under the Securities Act of 1933. The registration statements contain additional information about us and the securities we may issue. You may inspect the registration statement and exhibits without charge at the office of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549, and you may obtain copies from the SEC at prescribed rates.

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INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring to those documents. We hereby “incorporate by reference” the documents listed below, which means that we are disclosing important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and in some cases supersede this information. Specifically, we incorporate by reference the following documents or information filed with the SEC (other than, in each case, documents or information deemed to have been furnished and not filed in accordance with SEC rules):

Upon your oral or written request, we will provide you with a copy of any of these filings at no cost. Requests should be directed to Leon E. Roday, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Genworth Financial, Inc., 6620 West Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23230, Telephone No. (804) 281-6000.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless otherwise stated in the prospectus supplement accompanying this prospectus, we will use the net proceeds from the sale of any debt securities, common stock, preferred stock, warrants, rights or units that may be offered hereby for general corporate purposes. Such general corporate purposes may include, but are not limited to, the funding of our insurance operations, reducing or refinancing our indebtedness or the indebtedness of our subsidiaries, financing possible acquisitions and repurchasing or redeeming outstanding securities. The prospectus supplement relating to an offering will contain a more detailed description of the use of proceeds of any specific offering of securities.

RATIO OF INCOME TO FIXED CHARGES

For purposes of determining the ratio of income to fixed charges, “income” consists of income from continuing operations before taxes and accounting changes and excluding income attributable to noncontrolling interests plus fixed charges from continuing and discontinued operations. “Fixed charges” consist of (1) interest expense on short-term and long-term borrowings and contract adjustment payments on our 6.00% Equity Units (until 2007), (2) dividends on our 5.25% Cumulative Series A Preferred Stock (until 2011) and (3) the portion of operating leases that are representative of the interest factor.

The following table sets forth our ratio of income to fixed charges for the periods indicated:

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement a description of the debt securities, common stock, preferred stock, warrants, rights or units that may be offered under this prospectus.

SELLING SECURITYHOLDERS

Information about selling securityholders, where applicable, will be set forth in a prospectus supplement, in a post-effective amendment, or in filings we make with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may offer and sell these securities to or through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, on a continuous or delayed basis. We will provide the specific plan of distribution for any securities to be offered in supplements to this prospectus.

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LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the securities offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, New York, New York.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements and related financial statement schedules for Genworth Financial, Inc. as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2011, included in our Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on June 11, 2012, and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2011, included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, have been incorporated by reference herein in reliance upon the reports of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

The reports on the consolidated financial statements and schedules dated February 27, 2012, except as to Notes 2(j), 2(p), 2(y), 3, 4(c), 6, 7, 8, 10, 14, 20, 21 and 23 and Schedules II and III, which are as of June 11, 2012 included in our Current Report on Form 8-K, refer to the January 1, 2012 retrospective adoption of guidance relating to the presentation of comprehensive income and a change in accounting for costs associated with acquiring and renewing insurance contracts, and the retrospective change in method of accounting for the liability for future policy benefits for level premium term life insurance policies. The aforementioned reports also refer to a change in the method of accounting for embedded credit derivatives and variable interest entities in 2010 and for other-than-temporary impairments in 2009.

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PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

The following statement sets forth the expenses of Genworth Financial, Inc. (the “Registrant”) in connection with the offering described in this Registration Statement (all of which will be borne by the Registrant). All amounts shown are estimated.

Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law provides that a corporation may indemnify directors and officers, as well as other employees and individuals, against expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with any threatened, pending or completed actions, suits or proceedings in which such person is made a party by reason of such person being or having been a director, officer, employee or agent of such corporation. The Delaware General Corporation Law provides that Section 145 is not exclusive of other rights to which those seeking indemnification may be entitled under any certificate of incorporation, bylaws, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise.

Section 102(b)(7) of the Delaware General Corporation Law permits a corporation to provide in its certificate of incorporation that a director of the corporation shall not be personally liable to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability: (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) for payments of unlawful dividends or unlawful stock repurchases, redemptions or other distributions or (iv) for any transactions from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.

The amended and restated certificate of incorporation of the Registrant provides that the Registrant will indemnify its directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by law and that no director shall be liable for monetary damages to the Registrant or its stockholders for any breach of fiduciary duty, except to the extent provided by applicable law.

The Registrant maintains policies of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance.

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The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in the volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (i), (ii) and (iii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

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(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:

(i) Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

(ii) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date;

(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

(6) That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of the securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(7) To file an application for the purposes of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Commission under Section 305(b)(2) of the Act.

(8) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers or controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the

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registrant has been informed that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission this type of indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is, therefore unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities and Exchange Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

(9) To supplement the prospectus, after the expiration of any warrant or right subscription period, to set forth the results of any warrant or right subscription offer, the transactions by the underwriters during the subscription period, the amount of unsubscribed securities to be purchased by the underwriters, and the terms of any subsequent reoffering thereof. If any public offering by the underwriters is to be made on terms differing from those set forth on the cover page of the prospectus, a post-effective amendment will be filed to set forth the terms of such offering.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the undersigned registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Richmond, State of Virginia, on June 13, 2012.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.