How to pay the SEVIS fee from Pakistan: 2026 guide

To pay the SEVIS fee from Pakistan, go to FMJfee.com once your I-20 arrives, enter your SEVIS ID, name and date of birth exactly as they appear on the I-20, complete Form I-901 and pay $350 online with a Visa, MasterCard or American Express card. Then print the payment confirmation and take it to your visa interview in Islamabad or Karachi. Here is each step as of October 2026.

What is the SEVIS fee, and who has to pay it?

The SEVIS fee funds SEVIS, the US government database that tracks international students. It is separate from the $185 visa application fee.

You pay it as a new F1 student with a Form I-20. FMJfee.com says no fee is due for a spouse or child on an F2 visa.

US regulations require the fee to be paid before the State Department issues the visa, so every first time F1 student pays it.

How much is the SEVIS fee for F1 students in 2026?

As of 14 October 2026, ICE lists these I-901 amounts:

For a Pakistani family, the two fixed US government fees before the interview are therefore $535: $350 for SEVIS and $185 for the visa application. Our breakdown of the full cost of studying in the USA from Pakistan puts these alongside tuition and living costs.

What do you need before you pay?

Keep your I-20 next to you. Study in the States lists what the form asks for:

• your name, address, date of birth and email address;
• your country of birth and country of citizenship;
• the school code from your I-20;
• the SEVIS ID from your I-20.

Your email address is compulsory, because SEVP uses it to send payment updates.

If your name or date of birth is wrong on the I-20, ask your university to correct it first. FMJfee.com tells applicants not to pay without a complete and accurate I-20.

How do you pay the SEVIS fee on FMJfee.com, step by step?

1. Open the official site. Type fmjfee.com yourself rather than clicking a link in a message. SEVP has warned that it is not connected to a lookalike site called "SEVIS Express".
2. Choose Pay I-901 Fee. The first screen, "Applicant Validation", asks for your SEVIS ID, last name, given name and date of birth, entered exactly as they appear on your I-20.
3. Complete Form I-901. Fill in your personal details and the school code, checking spellings against your passport and I-20.
4. Pay $350 by card. The amount is charged in US dollars.
5. Print the confirmation. Save it as a PDF and keep a printed copy in your interview folder.

If you notice a mistake after you have paid, do not pay a second time. Email fmjfee.sevis@ice.dhs.gov and explain what needs changing. Study in the States asks you to send correction requests at least two weeks before your visa interview.

Which cards work, and can a Pakistani card be used?

ICE accepts Visa, MasterCard and American Express credit cards, plus debit cards with a Visa or MasterCard logo, when you complete the form online. Pakistan is not on the list of countries whose citizens are barred from paying by card. That restriction applies to people born in or citizens of Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and the Gambia.

Whether your particular card goes through is between you and your bank, and we cannot confirm how each Pakistani bank handles it. In practice, use a card that is enabled for international online payments in US dollars and has a limit above $350. If it is declined, call your bank before you try again.

Without a card, you can use Western Union Quick Pay. Fill in the I-901 online first to get a coupon number, then pay at a Western Union agent using the blue "Pay a Bill" form, not the green "Send Money" form. Ask your local agent first whether Quick Pay is available. FMJfee.com says Western Union payers can print the receipt the same day. Paying by post needs a cheque drawn on a US bank, which is slow from Pakistan.

Can someone else pay the SEVIS fee for you?

Yes. ICE says any person or organisation can fill in your Form I-901 and pay, such as a parent, a relative in the US or your university, using the details from your I-20. If a third party pays by card and a refund is ever approved, it goes back to that payer, not to you.

How do you print the SEVIS fee receipt?

Go to fmjfee.com, choose Check I-901 Status, and enter your SEVIS ID, last name and date of birth. You can print the payment confirmation from there at any time. SEVP stopped posting paper receipts on 31 July 2013, so this printout is your proof.

Study in the States says you must present proof of SEVIS payment at your visa interview. Bring the printout.

When should you pay: before or after the DS-160 and booking the interview?

In Pakistan, pay it before you book. USTravelDocs Pakistan, checked on 14 October 2026, says F1, M1 and J1 applicants must pay the SEVIS fee before scheduling the appointment. ICE's general rule elsewhere is looser (pay at least three business days before the interview), but the Pakistan rule is the one that applies to you. Pay as soon as your I-20 arrives, so that a delay with a card never holds up your booking.

For step 3, our guide on filling in the DS-160 for an F1 visa walks through each section, and the full sequence is in USA student visa requirements for Pakistan.

What if the payment fails or the receipt does not show?

• The card was declined. The payment has not gone through. Sort out the card with your bank and try again.
• Money left your account but no confirmation appeared. Do not pay again straight away. ICE asks you to contact the SEVP Response Center on +1 703 603 3400 first, since it can check whether the payment has posted. If the problem continues, email with the subject "I-901 SEVIS Fee Inquiry", giving your name, SEVIS ID and any proof of payment.
• The payment was rejected. SEVP sends a notice with the reasons, and you file a new I-901 and pay again with the errors corrected. SEVP does not accept partial payments.
• Do not reverse the charge. ICE treats a disputed card payment as a chargeback, and the student's SEVIS record can be cancelled until the fee is paid again.

ICE says card payments generally post to SEVIS and State Department systems within three working days, and you get an email once processing is complete.

Can you get a SEVIS fee refund or transfer?

Refunds are narrow. ICE refunds only a duplicate payment or a payment made when no fee was due. There is no refund if your visa is refused, if you decide not to go, if you are refused entry at the border, or if the refund would be under $30. Only the student can ask, within 90 days of the payment, by emailing fmjfee.sevis@ice.dhs.gov with "I-901 SEVIS Fee Refund" in the subject line.

Transfers are more useful. If you get a new I-20 with a different SEVIS ID, for example because you switch universities, you can ask to move your payment to the new record:

• log in through Check I-901 Status on fmjfee.com and use the Request Transfer button, or email with "Fee Transfer" in the subject;
• give your name, date of birth, old SEVIS ID, new SEVIS ID and the reason;
• the transfer must be for the same person, and you must not have already received a visa on the old record;
• once approved, print the updated confirmation and take it to your interview.

Is the SEVIS fee still valid if you are refused and reapply?

Yes, for a year. ICE says you do not need to pay again if you reapply for a student visa within 12 months of your first I-901 payment. If the new application uses a different SEVIS ID, request a transfer. After 12 months, you pay the fee again. The $185 visa fee, by contrast, is never refunded and is paid again for every new application. If you are planning a second attempt, read reapplying after a 214(b) refusal first.

Via Nova's counsellors, based in Lake City Meadows (Ex State Life), next to DHA Phase 5, Lahore, check I-20s and fee receipts as part of our F1 visa service, and also advise students online.