Regulation requires all prospective F and M students to pay the I-901 Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) Fee before the Department of State issues you a visa. To pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee, visit FMJfee.com to access the SEVIS Form I-901. Watch the I-901 SEVIS Fee payment video to learn about each step of the payment process.

 Who Pays the I-901 SEVIS Fee

• All prospective F and M students from countries where a visa to travel to the United States is mandatory.
• All prospective F and M students from visa waiver countries (before seeking admission at a U.S. port of entry).
• Any nonimmigrant in the United States applying for a change of nonimmigrant status to F-1 or M-1 status (before applying for a change of nonimmigrant status).
• An F or M student applying for reinstatement of student status due to a violation of status needs to pay the I-901 SEVIS fee when that student has been out of status more than five months (payment should be made prior to submission of the application to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services).
• An F or M student who has been absent from the United States for more than five months and wishes to re-enter the United States to return for further study in the same course of study (before re-entry into the United States).
  • There is an exception for students who have been working toward completion of a course of study for a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified school in authorized overseas study. Contact your designated school official (DSO) if you believe this applies to you. 

A dependent of an F-1, M-1 or J-1 student who will be applying for an F-2, M-2 or J-2 visa does not have to pay an I-901 SEVIS Fee.

What Information You Need to Pay the Form I-901 SEVIS Fee

In order to pay the I-901 SEVIS fee, all prospective F and M students will need to provide their:

• Name, address, date of birth and email address.
• Country of birth and country of citizenship.
• School Code as listed on the Form I-20 “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status.”
• SEVIS Identification Number as listed on the Form I-20.

How to Pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee

• A prospective F or M student with a country of citizenship or country of birth of Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria or Gambia must pay by money order, Western Union Quick Pay or certified check drawn from a U.S. bank. All other prospective F or M students also have the option to make a credit card payment on FMJfee.com.
• SEVP will accept third party payments, meaning someone else can pay your I-901 SEVIS Fee using the same method of payment. For students who cannot pay the fee by credit card, third party payers are also restricted from paying the fee by credit card.
• Visit SEVP's website for instructions on how to complete the Western Union Quick Pay/Quick Collect form.
• You can access the PDF version of the SEVIS Form I-901 on SEVP's website. Print and mail in your paper SEVIS Form I-901 with your check or money order, according to the instructions on the form.
• For detailed instructions or for assistance on how to make an I-901 SEVIS Fee payment, call the SEVP Response Center at 703-603-3400.

Print a Receipt

In order to get your student visa, you must present proof of your I-901 SEVIS Fee payment at your visa interview.

• The printed confirmation will serve as proof of payment for the I-901 SEVIS Fee.
• Print a receipt of payment after you have completed your I-901 payment on FMJfee.com.
• If you would like to request corrections to your I-901 SEVIS Fee receipt because you have noticed misspellings, would like to go to a different school, or would like to transfer your payment to a new SEVIS record, you must first e-mail a detailed request to FMJfee.sevis@ice.dhs.gov.

Other information 

Because of the high volume of fee transfer and change requests, please e-mail your request a minimum of two weeks before your visa interview to ensure enough time to complete the changes. You can check the status of your request by logging into FMJfee.com to review the status of your correction and print your I-901 SEVIS Fee receipt. Within two weeks, if your requested changes are not complete, please contact the SEVP Response Center at 703-603-3400.

Contact your DSO if you are applying to do the following:

• Extend your student status.
• Transfer to another school.
• Receive authorization for optional practical training.

For more information, see the SEVIS I-901 Fee Frequently Asked Questions page on SEVP’s website.