Can Someone Else Pay Your SEVIS Fee for You?
Plenty of students do not pay their own SEVIS fee, and that is completely allowed. A parent, a relative, a sponsor, or a payment service can pay the I-901 fee on your behalf. What matters is not who clicks the button, but whose details are on the record.
What has to match
The SEVIS fee is tied to your SEVIS ID and your name as they appear on your I-20 or DS-2019. Whoever pays simply needs to enter those correctly. The card or account used to pay does not have to be yours.
- Your SEVIS ID, the N number from your I-20 or DS-2019.
- Your name, spelled exactly as on the form.
- Your form type and fee, $350 for F-1 / M-1 or $220 for J-1.
As long as those are right, the receipt comes out in your name and counts as yours at the interview, no matter who funded it.
Paying through a service
This is also why a service can pay for you. When local payment options make the official channels difficult, SEVISmate pays the $350 or $220 on your behalf and sends you the official receipt under your own SEVIS ID and name. You pay us in your local currency, and we handle the rest.
Key point
Anyone can pay your SEVIS fee. The receipt belongs to whoever's SEVIS ID and name are on it, so make sure those are yours and spelled correctly.
Pay the SEVIS fee now, or see how it works for your country.
Pay in your local currency and we settle the I-901 fee and send your official receipt.
Pay the SEVIS fee in your local currency