What Is a SEVIS ID Number, and Where Do You Find Yours?

Your SEVIS ID is the eleven-character code that tracks your F-1 or J-1 record — here is exactly where it lives on your paperwork and what it is used for.

Someone just asked you for your SEVIS ID number — maybe it was a DS-160 visa application, a form from your DSO, or the SEVP Portal during OPT reporting — and you are staring at your Form I-20 trying to figure out which of the several numbers printed on it is the right one.

Your SEVIS ID number is an eleven-character code that starts with the letter N followed by ten digits, for example N0012345678. It is assigned to your record in SEVIS (the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) the moment your school issues your Form I-20, or your J-1 sponsor issues your Form DS-2019. It sits near the top of that document, usually right beside the barcode, and it stays attached to your record for as long as that SEVIS record exists — through school transfers, OPT, and STEM OPT.

What SEVIS actually is, and why you have an ID in it

SEVIS is the database that the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), a division of ICE, uses to track every F-1, M-1, and J-1 record in the country in real time — enrollment, program dates, employment authorization, and address changes all flow through it. Your school's Designated School Official (DSO) or your J-1 program sponsor is the person with direct access to update your record.

Every time a SEVIS record is created, the system generates a unique SEVIS ID for it. That ID is what ties every downstream document and government interaction — your visa interview, your OPT application, your SEVP Portal account — back to the same underlying record. It is the database key, not a form you fill out yourself.

Where to find your SEVIS ID number

How to locate it in under a minute

1. Pull up the most recent Form I-20 or DS-2019 you have — a PDF from your school's portal works fine, it does not have to be the physical copy.
2. Scan the top right section of the first page, near the barcode. The number will start with N and run ten digits long.
3. If you cannot find a copy, check your email for the message your DSO sent when the document was issued or re-signed — many schools attach the PDF.
4. If none of that turns up the number, log into your school's international student portal or the SEVP Portal if you are on OPT; your SEVIS ID is usually shown on your profile.
5. As a last resort, email your DSO directly. They can pull the number from your record in seconds — this is faster than guessing.

SEVIS ID vs. the other numbers on your paperwork

International students juggle several government-issued numbers at once, and it is easy to hand over the wrong one. Here's how to tell them apart.

If a form is asking for your SEVIS ID and you type in your visa number instead, it will look plausible but reference the wrong system entirely — DSOs see this mix-up often enough that it's worth double-checking before you submit anything.

What your SEVIS ID number is actually used for

• Paying the I-901 SEVIS fee. New F-1, M-1, and most J-1 applicants pay this fee before their visa interview, and it is tied directly to your SEVIS ID. See our walkthrough on how to pay the SEVIS I-901 fee for the current amount and payment steps, since the fee schedule is set separately from this guide and can change.
• DS-160 visa applications. The nonimmigrant visa application form asks for your SEVIS ID directly, pulled from your I-20 or DS-2019.
• SEVP Portal reporting during OPT and STEM OPT. The self-service portal students use to report employer information, address changes, and other required updates is keyed to your SEVIS ID.
• DSO recordkeeping and corrections. Any time your DSO updates or corrects your record — a program extension, a transfer, an employment authorization entry — they are working inside the SEVIS record your ID points to.
• Occasional employer verification. Some STEM OPT employers or E-Verify processes reference SEVIS information tied to your record, though the primary document employers rely on for work authorization is your EAD card, not the SEVIS ID itself.

Your SEVIS ID stays with you — here's what actually changes it

A common worry is that a school transfer, a change to OPT, or a move to STEM OPT resets everything and hands you a new SEVIS ID. In the normal case, it does not. The same ID follows your record through those transitions — the underlying data changes (new school, new employer, new program dates), but the identifier stays constant. If you're mid-transfer right now, our step-by-step guide to a SEVIS transfer between schools walks through exactly what moves and what doesn't during that process.

What does show up against your SEVIS ID over time is a running history: your program dates, any employment you've reported, and school or status changes. If you want to understand what a prospective employer or a consular officer might actually see when your record is pulled, read what shows up in your SEVIS employer record — it breaks down what gets logged and what doesn't.

A genuinely new SEVIS record — and a new SEVIS ID — typically only gets created in narrower situations: starting a brand-new academic program after completing a prior one and returning to F-1 status, certain reinstatement scenarios, or switching between visa categories in a way that requires a fresh I-20 or DS-2019 from scratch. Your DSO is the person to confirm which situation applies to you; this is exactly the kind of status question that depends on your specific facts rather than a general rule.

Keeping the record behind your SEVIS ID accurate

Your SEVIS ID is only as useful as the record it points to, and F-1 students are legally required to report address changes within 10 days. That reporting requirement runs alongside a separate USCIS obligation (Form AR-11) that sometimes trips people up if they have a pending case at the same time. If you've moved recently, see how to update your address across USCIS AR-11 and SEVIS when you have a pending case before you assume one update covers both systems — it usually doesn't.

Common mistakes

• Sending the visa number instead of the SEVIS ID. They're both printed numbers on official documents, but they identify completely different things — check the format (N + 10 digits vs. 8 digits) before you send either one.
• Assuming a school transfer creates a new SEVIS ID. It doesn't in the standard case, and re-registering somewhere expecting a fresh number can create confusion in your own paperwork.
• Losing your only copy of the I-20 or DS-2019. Keep a digital copy (PDF or photo) saved somewhere you can access even if your physical documents are unavailable, since your SEVIS ID is printed right on them.
• Guessing at the number from memory for a fee payment. Paying the I-901 fee against the wrong SEVIS ID can create a mismatch that delays your visa interview — always confirm the number against the actual document first.
• Not updating SEVIS after a move. A stale address on your SEVIS record is a compliance issue independent of whether your SEVIS ID itself has changed.

Frequently asked questions

What does a SEVIS ID number actually look like? It is an eleven-character code — the letter N followed by ten digits, for example N0012345678. It is not a Social Security Number, a student ID from your university, or a USCIS receipt number, and it does not change format between F-1 and J-1 records.

Where exactly is my SEVIS ID number on Form I-20? Look at the top right area of the form, next to the barcode, where it is printed as SEVIS ID. On Form DS-2019 for J-1 exchange visitors, the same code appears in the top right corner labeled SEVIS ID.

Is my SEVIS ID number the same as my visa number? No, and mixing them up is one of the most common errors on immigration forms. Your SEVIS ID identifies your record in the SEVIS database and starts with N, while your visa number is an eight-digit control number printed on the visa stamp itself inside your passport.

Does my SEVIS ID number change if I transfer schools or move to OPT? No. The same SEVIS ID follows your record through a school transfer, a change from F-1 to STEM OPT, and most other status updates your DSO makes. A brand-new SEVIS record, and therefore a new SEVIS ID, is only created in specific situations like starting a new academic program after a program completion or reinstatement in some cases.

I lost my I-20 and cannot find my SEVIS ID number, what do I do? Contact your DSO first. They can look up your SEVIS record directly and reissue a travel-signed I-20 with your SEVIS ID printed on it, which is faster and more reliable than trying to reconstruct the number from memory or old paperwork.

Sorting out one number on one form is the easy part — the harder part is keeping your whole F-1 timeline, from OPT through H-1B, moving without a compliance gap. If you want a second set of eyes on where you stand, F1Jobs is a good place to start the conversation.