Roughly 80 countries currently hold treaties with the United States that make their citizens eligible for the E-2 treaty investor visa. The complete list of E-2 visa eligible countries is maintained by the U.S. Department of State and shifts occasionally as new treaties take effect. Your eligibility depends on holding citizenship in one of these treaty nations, and the terms of your visa, including how long the stamp lasts and what fees you pay, vary by the country that issued your passport.
The Full List of E-2 Treaty Countries
These countries have active treaties of commerce and navigation, or equivalent agreements, that qualify their citizens for E-2 investor status:1U.S. Department of State. Treaty Countries
- Albania
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Belgium
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Chile
- China (Taiwan)
- Colombia
- Congo (Brazzaville)
- Congo (Kinshasa)
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- Estonia
- Ethiopia
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Grenada
- Honduras
- Ireland
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Korea (South)
- Kosovo
- Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia
- Liberia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macedonia
- Mexico
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovak Republic
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Suriname
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- Togo
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
Portugal is the most recent addition, becoming eligible on March 15, 2024, after Congress authorized E-2 status for Portuguese nationals in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 and the State Department confirmed that Portugal offers similar status to American investors.1U.S. Department of State. Treaty Countries
One quirk on the list: it includes “China (Taiwan)” but not mainland China. Taiwan qualifies because of a treaty that predates the current political situation on the mainland. Citizens of the People’s Republic of China are not eligible.
Large Economies That Are Not on the List
Several of the world’s largest economies have no E-2 treaty with the United States. China (mainland), India, Brazil, Russia, and Vietnam are the most conspicuous absences. Citizens of these countries cannot apply for an E-2 visa, no matter how much they plan to invest.
For citizens of non-treaty countries who still want to start a U.S. business, the most common alternatives are the EB-5 immigrant investor visa, which requires a minimum investment of $800,000 in a targeted employment area and leads directly to a green card, and the L-1 intracompany transfer visa for people who already run a qualifying business abroad. A less common workaround involves acquiring citizenship in a treaty country through a citizenship-by-investment program, though recent U.S. legislation has restricted that route significantly.
Nationality, Not Residency, Controls Eligibility
E-2 eligibility runs through citizenship. You qualify by presenting a valid passport from a treaty country during your application. Living in a treaty country or holding a residence permit there is not enough on its own.
If a business rather than an individual is the principal employer, at least 50 percent of the enterprise must be owned by people who hold the nationality of the treaty country.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. E-2 Treaty Investors A German citizen and an Indian citizen who co-own a business 50-50 cannot use it for E-2 purposes, because India has no treaty. Two German citizens splitting ownership would qualify.
Employees hired to work at an E-2 business must also share the treaty nationality of the principal investor. A Japanese investor opening a restaurant in the U.S. can bring staff on E-2 employee visas only if those employees are Japanese citizens.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. E-2 Treaty Investors
Dual Citizens
If you hold passports from two treaty countries, you must choose one nationality for your E-2 application and use it consistently. The State Department’s Foreign Affairs Manual is explicit: the owner and all E-2 employees of the company must hold themselves out as nationals of a single treaty country for all E-2 purposes involving that company, even if they also have citizenship in another treaty nation.3U.S. Department of State. 9 FAM 402.9 – Treaty Traders, Investors, and Specialty Occupations – E Visas The choice affects which reciprocity schedule applies to your visa and which consulate processes your application. Once you designate a nationality, it governs your extensions and status changes going forward.
Buying a Treaty-Country Passport: The AMIGOS Act
Several treaty countries, most notably Grenada, Turkey, and Montenegro, offer citizenship-by-investment programs that allow foreigners to acquire a passport by making a financial contribution or purchasing real estate. For years this was a popular backdoor to E-2 eligibility for citizens of non-treaty countries like China and India.
Congress closed much of that gap with the AMIGOS Act, enacted as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023. The law now requires anyone who obtained their treaty-country citizenship through a financial investment to prove they lived in that country for at least three continuous years before applying for an E-2 visa. The three-year period can fall at any point before the application, but it must be continuous.
Consular officers typically verify this residency through utility bills, tax returns, lease agreements, and similar records showing genuine physical presence. Holding the passport is no longer sufficient on its own. Grenada’s program, which starts at $235,000 for a government fund contribution, remains the only Caribbean citizenship-by-investment route with an E-2 treaty, but the residency requirement has made it a much slower path than it used to be.
Visa Validity and Fees Differ by Country
One of the biggest practical differences between treaty countries is how long your E-2 visa stamp lasts. The U.S. sets each country’s visa validity based on reciprocity: whatever that country offers American investors, the U.S. offers in return.
Citizens of Japan and Canada, for example, receive E-2 visas valid for 60 months (five years) with multiple entries and no additional reciprocity fee.4U.S. Department of State. Japan Reciprocity Schedule5U.S. Department of State. Canada Reciprocity Schedule Other countries may get only three months or a single entry, meaning their citizens need to renew far more frequently.
An important distinction that trips people up: visa validity is not the same as your authorized period of stay. Regardless of country, E-2 holders are admitted for a maximum initial stay of two years. Extensions are granted in two-year increments, and there is no cap on how many times you can extend.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. E-2 Treaty Investors The visa stamp in your passport controls how many times you can re-enter the country; your I-94 record controls how long you can stay per visit. You could have a five-year visa stamp but still need to file for a status extension every two years if you remain in the U.S. continuously.
The base application fee for all E-category visas is $315.6U.S. Department of State. Fees for Visa Services Some countries have additional reciprocity-based issuance fees on top of that; others, like Japan and Canada, have none. Check your country’s specific fees and validity period on the State Department’s reciprocity schedule before applying.