Updated August 11, 2026

US-E2

Residency through business

The E-2 visa to the UnitedStates through business

A status in the United States for the owner of a working business: the law sets no minimum investment threshold and the visa is renewed indefinitely, but it can only be applied for on the passport of a treaty country.

Get a preliminary assessment Discuss the scenario

The conditions under 9 FAM 402.9 of the US State Department
Working since 2004
We run both the second passport and the business case itself

An E-2 visa in a passport and company documents

from $100,000The practical investment threshold

up to 5 yearsThe term of the visa with renewal

2-4 monthsTo the status

01 / About the program

How the E-2 visa works

E-2 is a status for an investor who puts funds into a working business in the United States and personally directs it. The law names no minimum sum: the investment must be substantial for the particular business and already made by the time of filing. The visa is issued for up to five years depending on citizenship and is renewed without limit while the business works.

A passport of a treaty country is required

Russia and Belarus have no trade treaty with the United States. For citizens of those countries E-2 is open only on a second passport — most often Grenada or Turkey. That is the first thing we check.

There is no minimum threshold

The law requires a substantial investment relative to the cost of the business. In practice applications from $100,000 get through where the sum covers the real needs of the particular venture.

The business has to be genuine

A working enterprise with premises, staff and turnover. A company set up only for the visa and producing no income beyond supporting the family is refused as marginal.

This is not a path to a green card

E-2 does not lead to permanent status and accumulates no qualifying period for citizenship. It is renewed indefinitely while the business works, but if the business closes the status ends.

02 / What you get

What the E-2 visa gives you

Living and working in the United States

The investor lives in the country and works in their own company. Within the status there are no limits on the state or the length of stay.

Indefinite renewals

The visa is issued for up to five years and renewed an unlimited number of times while the business works and meets the conditions.

A status for the family

A spouse and children under 21 receive E-2 status. The spouse has the right to work in the United States for any employer, and the children to study in schools and universities.

Faster than immigrant visas

2-4 months from a finished case to the visa. No immigrant category offers such a timeline.

The business stays yours

You own the company and run it. The investment is the purchase of assets and working capital, not a payment to the state.

It works with a second passport

Citizenship of Grenada or Turkey opens access to the visa. We run both routes ourselves, so the combination is handled by one team.

A preliminary assessment

Calculate the budget for your family

Set out who is applying with you. With the calculation you get the budget for the chosen scenario, an assessment of your citizenship for E-2, the timeline by stage and a plan of action.

Who is applying for the status?

Get the calculation

about a minuteno calls and no obligationsconfidential

An assessment of your citizenship for access to the visa
The budget for the chosen business scenario
A plan of action: where to start

An E-2 visa and a set of company documents

03 / Why people apply

Why people arrange the E-2 visa

E-2 is taken by those who need to live and run a business in the United States lawfully and quickly, without waiting in the immigration queue. It is a status for an entrepreneur, not for a passive investor.

A quick entry into the country

Months instead of years of waiting for EB-5. For a family that needs to move by the start of the school year that is the decisive factor.

The spouse can work without limits

The investor’s spouse gets the right to work for any employer — a rare option among American visas.

Your own venture, not a contribution to a fund

The money goes into your business: premises, equipment, staff, stock. You manage it yourself.

Schools and universities

Children study in the United States on general terms. On entry to university the status affects the cost of tuition — we work that out in advance.

A step after a second passport

Grenadian citizenship is arranged in a few months and opens E-2. Many clients go exactly this way.

A test before EB-5

Live in the country, look at the business from the inside and only then decide about permanent status — a sensible sequence.

04 / Travel

What the visa gives you for travel

E-2 is a non-immigrant visa: it allows you to live and work in the United States, but it is not a permanent status.

Mode 01

The United States for the term of the status

Entry and residence for the whole time the status is in force. On each entry the officer sets a period of stay, usually up to two years.

Mode 02

Renewals without leaving

The status is extended inside the country, but a new visa is put into the passport only at a consulate abroad.

Mode 03

The rest of the world on your own passport

You travel to third countries on your passport of citizenship: that is what sets the visa regime, not the American visa.

Mode 04

It accumulates no qualifying period

Years on E-2 do not count towards a green card or citizenship. Permanent status needs a separate category — EB-5, for instance.

Sources: section 101(a)(15)(E)(ii) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act and the State Department guidance 9 FAM 402.9. The list of treaty countries is maintained by the State Department and changed from time to time.

05 / The composition of the application

Who gets the status with you

E-2 status extends to the investor’s immediate family. Open a row to see the conditions.

Citizenship of a country with a trade treaty with the United States
Owns at least 50% of the company and personally directs it
The investment is made before filing and confirmed by documents
A confirmed lawful source of funds

In a registered marriage
Has the right to work in the United States for any employer

Unmarried
Study in schools and universities in the United States
After 21 they move to a ground of their own

They are not covered by E-2 status
Separate grounds are found for them
We go through it individually

06 / Cost

What the E-2 visa costs

The size of the investment is set by the business, not by the law. The number of people in the application does not change the amount — the composition affects the consular fees.

Buying a working business · the quickest path

$150,000

≈ $150,000

Holding period The whole time the status is in force

An enterprise with a history, turnover and staff is bought
The funds must already be invested or placed in escrow before filing
The investor owns at least 50% and personally directs the company
The seller’s reporting, the lease and the transfer of the client base are checked
The threshold depends on the business: the sum must be substantial relative to its cost

A franchise · clear economics

$200,000

≈ $200,000

Holding period The whole time the status is in force

A franchise with a ready financial model and training
It is easier for the consulate to assess the viability of the business
A business plan with a forecast of hiring staff is required
Royalties and the franchise fee count towards the total investment

The way into the business

The main applicant

Spouse

Children under 21

Parents and other relatives

The law sets no minimum threshold: the investment must be substantial relative to the cost of the business and already made by the time of filing. On top of the investment come the consular fees, preparing the business plan, legal support and, where necessary, arranging a second citizenship. This is a preliminary calculation, not a decision of a state authority.

07 / Comparison

E-2 against other American visas

The United States has several paths for an entrepreneur and they solve different tasks. Here are the main parameters side by side.

	E-2	EB-5	L-1A	O-1
What it gives	A status for up to 5 years	A green card	A status for up to 7 years	A status for up to 3 years
Investment threshold	from $100,000	$800,000	none	none
Leads to a green card	No	Yes	Yes, through EB-1C	Yes, through EB-1A
Citizenship requirement	A treaty country	Any	Any	Any
Processing time	2-4 months	2-4 years	3-6 months	2-4 months

For citizens of Russia and Belarus E-2 is available only on a second passport of a treaty country. The data are given as at the date this page was updated.

Full program comparison →

10 / How it works

How the E-2 visa process works

STEP 1

Checking the citizenship

We look at whether you hold a passport of a treaty country. If not, we work out the combination with a second citizenship: Grenada or Turkey, both of which we run ourselves.

STEP 2

Choosing the business

Buying a working enterprise, a franchise or a launch from scratch. The choice sets the amount, the preparation time and the likelihood of approval.

STEP 3

The structure and the investment

We register the company, open the accounts and transfer the funds. By the time of filing the money must be invested or placed in escrow — a promise to invest does not count.

STEP 4

The business plan

A five-year plan with a financial model and a plan for hiring American workers. That is what proves the business is not marginal.

STEP 5

The file and the filing

We assemble the pack: contracts, payments, the lease, licences, the source of funds. The application is filed with the consulate for the place of residence.

STEP 6

The interview

An interview at the consulate about the business and the investment. The investor has to explain freely how their venture works.

STEP 7

The visa and the renewals

The visa is issued for up to five years depending on citizenship. After that, unlimited renewals while the business works.

A step-by-step plan of the process

The same seven steps as a document: what is prepared at each stage, which documents are needed and what applications are most often refused on.

Download the step-by-step plan

11 / Our role

Why people arrange the E-2 visa with us

E-2 is two different projects in one: obtaining a suitable citizenship and assembling a business case that will convince the consul. We do both parts.

We run the second passport

Grenada and Turkey are our main directions. For citizens of Russia and Belarus that is the only lawful way into E-2, and we take it from end to end.

We assemble the business case

Choosing the business, checking the seller, the structure of the deal, the business plan with hiring. Refusals most often come down to the business being marginal — we close that with figures.

We prepare for the interview

The consul checks that you understand your own venture. We go through the questions in advance, including the source of funds and the hiring plans.

We stay through the renewals

Every renewal is a confirmation that the business works and hires. We keep the reporting and the deadlines after the visa is issued.

12 / Team

Who runs the E-2 visa process

The application is run by a permanent team: the programme lawyer, a business-plan specialist and a family coordinator.

Andres FerreiraHead of Investment AdvisoryThe strategy: the second passport and the choice of business

Martin DvorzhakDocument Processing SpecialistThe file, the documents and preparation for the interview

Nikos PappasBanking Relations SpecialistTaxes and the ownership structure

Irina ShternHead of Hungary OfficeCoordinating the family and contact at every stage

15 / Materials

Useful materials on E-2

Materials on the investor visa: the requirements for the business and the investment, and preparing for the interview.

The main materialPresentation

The E-2 visa to the United States through business

The presentation gathers the essentials: the requirements as to citizenship and the business, the size of the investment, the family composition, the documents and how the work is done.

Inside:

which citizenships open E-2
how much has to be invested in practice
which businesses get through and which do not
which family members receive the status
which documents will be needed
how the interview at the consulate goes
how work with BRIDGES is organised

PDF · free · current as of August 2026

The signs of a marginal business and the requirements as to premises, staff and turnover.

The list for the investor, the company and each family member, marking what has to be translated and certified.

We calculate the full budget: the investment, the fees, the business plan and, where necessary, a second citizenship.

All the materials are updated regularly by our team and are used when supporting BRIDGES clients.

16 / News

What has changed on the E-2 visa

2024-12-23

The requirement as to how long the treaty-country citizenship has been held was clarified: the applicant must have held it for at least three years before filing. That bears directly on the second-passport combination.

2026-01-01

The State Department confirmed the current list of treaty countries. Russia and Belarus are not on it.

Worth having

Download the E-2 visa checklist

The short document we give clients before the start: the requirements as to citizenship and the business, the cost structure, the stages and the timelines — in one list, with nothing padded.

Inside the document

Which citizenships open the visa
The requirements for the business and the size of the investment
The current conditions for 2026

We will send it after a short form - no call or obligation.

17 / Questions

Answers to common questions

Not directly: those countries have no trade treaty with the United States. The visa opens on a second citizenship of a treaty country, most often Grenada or Turkey. Since December 2024 you must also have held that citizenship for at least three years before filing — that has to be taken into account when planning.

The law names no minimum sum. The investment must be substantial relative to the cost of the business: for a small service venture that may be $100,000-150,000, for a franchise from $200,000. The money must already be invested by the time of filing.

A working enterprise with premises, staff and turnover: services, retail, manufacturing, a franchise. A company set up only for the visa is not suitable, nor are passive investments — property bought to let or a portfolio of securities.

An enterprise whose income is only enough to support the investor’s family. Such applications are refused. The proof to the contrary is a business plan with a plan for hiring American workers over the next five years.

No. It is a non-immigrant visa: the years on it count neither towards a green card nor towards citizenship. Permanent status needs a separate category — EB-5, EB-1C or family. Many people live on E-2 first and apply for EB-5 later.

Yes, the investor’s spouse has the right to work in the United States for any employer. That is one of the main advantages of E-2 over other non-immigrant visas.

E-2 status ends: the child moves to a ground of their own — a study visa, a work visa or their own investment. We plan that transition in advance so that there is no gap.

For up to five years depending on the applicant’s citizenship — each treaty country has its own reciprocity period. On each entry the officer usually allows a stay of two years, and the status is renewed without limit.

2-4 months from a finished business case to the visa. If a second citizenship is needed, the time to obtain it is added — for Grenada that is a few months, for Turkey comparable.

The status ends: the visa rests on a working enterprise. That is why the business is chosen for real work, not for the visa — otherwise questions arise two years later at renewal.

INITIAL ASSESSMENT

Tell us what outcome your family needs

We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.

Get a preliminary assessment Book a consultation

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Anna Kovalevskaya, lead lawyer at BRIDGES GLOBAL

Anna KovalevskayaLead lawyer, citizenship and residency, 12 years of practice