I-20不能塞进托运行李：这张表从交SEVIS费、办签证到入境都要用
持 F 类或 M 类签证来美国读书的学生，手里最关键的一张纸是 I-20 表格，它的全称是非移民学生身份资格证书。美国国土安全部 Study in the States 平台2025年7月22日发布的 I-20 说明写道，这张表由学生与交流访问者计划（SEVP）认证学校的指定校方官员（DSO）签发，证明学生已被一个获批的学习项目录取。
一张 I-20 上装着学生的个人和学业信息、SEVIS ID 号码、学校 SEVIS 代码、项目起止日期、学费等开支与资金来源，以及 DSO 和学生的签名。每名 F 类和 M 类学生及其符合条件的家属，在美国期间都必须持有一张有效的 I-20；电子收到的要打印出来签字，面谈签证和抵达入境口岸时都要出示签好字的纸质件。
它在流程里出现的次数比想象中多：交强制性的 I-901 SEVIS 费要用表上的 SEVIS ID 和学校代码；办 F-1 或 M-1 签证时，签证类别和学校必须与 I-20 一致；入境时间最早是项目开始日期前30天；整个在美期间，I-20 证明学生正全日制在读；申请驾照、社安号（符合条件时）和工作授权时也可能要用到它。
平台特别提醒一句：旅行时把签好字的 I-20 随身带，不要放进托运行李。出境旅行前，至少提前两到四周向 DSO 申请旅行签名；个人信息、项目或旅行计划有变化，要通知 DSO 更新记录并换发新表。只有 SEVP 认证学校的 DSO 能签发 I-20，中介没有任何经手这张表的角色。（来源：国土安全部Study in the States）
Do Not Pack Your Form I-20 in Checked Luggage: One Form Runs From the SEVIS Fee to the Port of Entry
For students who obtain an F or M visa to study in the United States, the single most important sheet of paper is Form I-20, the Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status. A guide published July 22, 2025 by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Study in the States platform explains that a designated school official (DSO) at a school certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) issues the form to confirm a student has been accepted into an approved program of study.
The form carries the student's personal and academic details, SEVIS ID number, the school's SEVIS code, program start and end dates, tuition and expense figures and financial resources, and the DSO and student signatures. Every F and M student, and any eligible dependents, must have a valid Form I-20 throughout their stay; an electronically transmitted form should be printed and signed, and a printed signed copy must be presented at any visa interview or at a U.S. port of entry.
The form appears at every step: the SEVIS ID and school code are needed to pay the mandatory I-901 SEVIS Fee; the visa class and school must match the Form I-20 at the visa interview; entry is allowed up to 30 days before the program start date; throughout the stay the form verifies full-time enrollment; and it may be needed for a driver's license, a Social Security number if eligible, and work authorization.
One warning is explicit: keep a signed copy with you during travel and do not pack the Form I-20 in checked luggage. Request travel signatures from the DSO at least two to four weeks before traveling abroad, and notify the DSO of personal or academic changes so records and the form stay current. Only a DSO at an SEVP-certified school can issue the form; recruiters have no role in issuing or handling it. (Source: Study in the States, U.S. Department of Homeland Security)
来源：国土安全部Study in the States
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图：一本护照。Wikimedia Commons 图片。 / Photo: A passport. Image via Wikimedia Commons.
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