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Address Update Requirement

Students in F-1 status are legally required to notify ISSS of any address changes within 10 days. You must report changes in your address for the duration of your F-1 status, including OPT or AT. Your F-1 status will be jeopardized if you do not update your address.

Address Update Instructions

While You are a Student

To update your address, log in to iGlobal. Follow the instructions below:

Instructions for All Students

  • Choose “Personal Information F1/J1 Student” on the left-hand side column
  • Click on “Update Personal Info”
  • Fill out the “Update Local Address” e-form

We also strongly recommend that you update your address on the MyUCSC Campus Portal.

While on OPT or AT

You need to report address changes directly to our office within 10 days if you participate in Optional Practical Training (OPT) or Academic Training (AT) after graduation.

Report address changes via iGlobal:  from the menu on the left, choose F1 Employment and then select the appropriate option. 

Address Formatting Instructions

USCIS requires that all SEVIS addresses are entered in a very specific format. It is extremely important to follow the address formatting instructions any time you are submitting an address or making any changes.

SEVIS uses the U.S. Postal Service address standards, which are listed in a very specific format. Here is an example of an address:

Street: 123 Main Street
Apartment Number: 12
City/State: Santa Cruz, California
Zip Code: 95064

The USPS listing for the address listed above would be:

1156 MAIN ST APT 12
SANTA CRUZ CA 95064

Please check the example above to see if your address matches that of the USPS listing. To be certain that your address complies with SEVIS requirements, use the zip code look-up on the US Postal Service website. The site will also supply you with the correct address format. You can get a nine-digit zip code from the Zip Code website.

Please see examples below:

The address format should be the following:

  • Line 1: Entire street address, from the USPS zip code look-up website
  • Line 2: (leave blank) - DO NOT USE ADDRESS LINE 2
  • City:  City only (e.g. 'Santa Cruz')
  • State: Abbreviation for state (e.g. 'CA')
  • Zip code: Five-digit zip code (no need to include the last four)

Addresses must contain the following information and only the following information:

  • House or building number (e.g. 5512, 630, 1414)
  • Direction indicator (S for South, N for North, E for East, and W for West)
  • Number or name of the street (e.g. 7th, MAIN, HIGH)
  • Type of street (ST for Street, AVE for Avenue, DR for Drive, BLVD for Boulevard)
  • Apartment or room number (e.g. APT 3B, APT 1142, RM 513)
  • City (e.g. SANTA CRUZ, SAN JOSE, etc.)
  • State (CA for California)
  • Zip code (e.g. 95064)

Even if it appears to clarify your location, do not include any more details, such as building or dormitory names.