There is no SEVIS username for students or exchange visitors. The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System does not give you a login at all. What you have instead is a SEVIS ID number printed on your immigration documents, and if you are on Optional Practical Training, a separate account on the SEVP Portal. Almost every search for a “SEVIS username” is really a question about one of those two things.
Why Students Do Not Get a SEVIS Login
SEVIS is a Department of Homeland Security database that tracks F-1 and M-1 students, J-1 exchange visitors, and their dependents from the point their eligibility documents are issued through the end of their programs.1Study in the States. About SEVIS It is not built for you to sign into. The people with SEVIS usernames and passwords are Designated School Officials at your school and Responsible Officers at exchange visitor sponsors.2Study in the States. Log In and Out of SEVIS Your DSO or RO updates your record, manages your portal access, and handles administrative changes for you.
So when someone tells you to “check your SEVIS account,” they mean one of two things: your SEVIS ID number, or the SEVP Portal.
Your SEVIS ID Number
Your SEVIS ID is the identifier that ties your immigration record to your school or program. It starts with the letter N followed by up to ten digits, like N0001234567.3Department of State. Detailed Description of the DS-2019 You will use it to pay the I-901 SEVIS fee, apply for your visa, enter the United States, and set up your SEVP Portal account if you go on OPT.
The number stays with you if you transfer schools. Your record moves to the new institution but the SEVIS ID and its history stay the same.4Study in the States. Manage Transfer of F-1 SEVIS Record Keep it somewhere you can find it quickly. You will be asked for it more often than you expect.
Where to Find It
For F-1 and M-1 students, the SEVIS ID is printed on the top right of the first page of your Form I-20, directly above the barcode.5Department of Homeland Security. SEVP Form Series: Understanding the Form I-20 Every I-20 you have ever received carries the same number.
For J-1 exchange visitors, look at the top right of the first page of your Form DS-2019, again above the barcode.3Department of State. Detailed Description of the DS-2019
If you already have an F-1 or J-1 visa in your passport, check the Annotation field on the visa foil. The SEVIS ID is printed there and should match the one on your I-20 or DS-2019.
The SEVP Portal: The Only Student Login
The Student and Exchange Visitor Program Portal is the account most people are actually looking for. It is available only to F-1 students whose OPT has been approved and whose OPT start date has arrived.6U.S. Department of Homeland Security. SEVP Portal – Student and Exchange Visitor Program Portal If you are still in classes or your OPT application is pending, you will not have portal access, and there is nothing to log into yet.
How Your Account Gets Created
You do not register on your own. Once USCIS approves your OPT and your start date passes, SEVIS pushes your information to the portal, which emails you an invitation to create an account. The message comes from do-not-reply.SEVP@ice.dhs.gov with the subject line “Optional Practical Training Approval – the next step. Create an SEVP Portal account.” The registration link in that email is the only path to the signup page.7Study in the States. Create an SEVP Portal Account
Three conditions must all be met before the invitation goes out: your OPT is approved, your start date is not in the future, and a working email address is on file in SEVIS.7Study in the States. Create an SEVP Portal Account If the email never arrived, check your spam folder. If it is not there either, contact your DSO. Confirm the email address in your SEVIS record is right, then ask your DSO to have the account creation email resent.
Logging In, Passwords, and Lockouts
You sign in at the SEVP Portal website with your email address and the password you chose during registration. Forgot your password? Use the reset link on the login page, and a temporary password will be emailed to your registered address. After three failed attempts the account locks. Try the password reset first. If that does not clear it, your DSO can submit a request in SEVIS to unlock the account.8Study in the States. SEVP Portal Student User Guide
Changing Your Email
You cannot update your email address inside the portal. Give the new address to your DSO, who enters it in SEVIS. It syncs automatically to the portal, which then sends a verification message to the new address. Click the link to finish the change.9Study in the States. Update User Profile Take care of this before you lose access to a school email that will expire after graduation. It is one of the most common ways students get locked out.
The I-901 Fee Site Is Not an Account
Before your visa interview or entry to the United States, you pay the I-901 SEVIS fee at FMJfee.com. This site does not maintain a persistent login. You re-enter your SEVIS ID, name, and date of birth every time you visit, whether you are paying or reprinting a confirmation. You will also need the school code from your I-20 or DS-2019 to complete payment. Save the printed confirmation. Paper receipts are no longer mailed.10U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I-901 SEVIS Fee
Fee amounts as of publication:
- F-1 and M-1 students: $350
- Most J-1 exchange visitors: $220
- J-1 au pairs, camp counselors, and summer work/travel participants: $35
- J-1 government visitors: $0
If You Cannot Find Your SEVIS ID
Contact your DSO or program sponsor first. A DSO can reprint your Form I-20 if it is lost, stolen, or damaged, and the reprinted form will show the same SEVIS ID as the original. If your program has ended or you are between schools, the international student office at the last institution that issued your documents should still have your record.
If you are abroad and need the number in a hurry, check the Annotation field on any prior F-1 or J-1 visa in your passport. Old FMJfee.com payment confirmations also list the SEVIS ID, and so does most correspondence from your school’s international office.
Keep Your Record Current
One thing worth knowing even if all you came for was the login: your record has reporting deadlines attached to it, and missing them can put your status at risk. F-1 students must report a change of address or legal name to their DSO within 10 days of the change; the DSO then has 21 days to enter it in SEVIS.11eCFR. 8 CFR 214.2 Special Requirements for Admission, Extension, and Maintenance of Status J-1 exchange visitors have the same 10-day window with their program sponsor. Students on OPT or STEM OPT can update address, phone, and employment information themselves in the SEVP Portal, or hand it to the DSO.12Study in the States. SEVIS and the SEVP Portal STEM OPT students also have to validate their record with their DSO every six months.13Department of Homeland Security. OPT Student Reporting Requirements Fixing a lapse is much harder than preventing one.