Transferring Schools on F-1: The SEVIS Transfer Process

If you are switching schools in the United States, your SEVIS record moves with you. This is called a SEVIS transfer, and one of the most common questions about it is whether you have to pay the I-901 SEVIS fee again. In most cases, you do not.

You keep the same SEVIS ID

A transfer moves your existing SEVIS record from your current school to the new one. Your SEVIS ID, the N number, stays the same. Because the fee is tied to that record, a transfer of the same record does not trigger a new SEVIS fee.

How the transfer works

• Get admitted to the new school and accept the offer.
• Request the transfer from your current school's international office (the DSO), and agree on a transfer release date.
• Your record is released to the new school on that date.
• The new school issues a transfer I-20 with the same SEVIS ID.
• Report to the new DSO within 15 days of the program start date to keep your status active.

When you do pay again

You pay the SEVIS fee again only if you are issued a new SEVIS record with a new ID, for example after your status has lapsed and you need a fresh record, or when you move to a different visa category. If your new I-20 shows the same N number you paid for, no new fee is due.

Need to pay a SEVIS fee on a new record? Pay it here in your local currency, and see how to find your SEVIS ID first.