E2 Visa Countries: The Complete List of Eligible Nations

Author: Jason Coles

Updated On:

Foreign Nationals who would like to live and work in the U.S. may qualify to do so under the E2 Treaty Investor Visa. While there are several requirements you must meet to be eligible, the first and most important one is that you are a national of a treaty country.

We have created an E2 country list, showing you all of the 81 countries that the United States have a treaty of commerce and navigation with (9 FAM 402.9-10). We have also noted the year these relationships and agreements were formed.

The E2 Treaty Investor visa has evolved to become an extremely popular visa of choice with many entrepreneurs and business owners since there is no minimum investment required, the non-immigrant visa can be extended almost indefinitely (assuming you still qualify), and you do not need a job offer from a U.S. company.

Under E2 visa requirements, you are, in essence, setting up your own company in the U.S. and making a substantial investment in either a start-up company, a franchise, or purchasing part or all of an existing business that you intend to grow over the ensuing years.

A complete list of E2 visa eligible countries

While one of the main components of the E2 visa is that you make a substantial investment, sometimes the investment does not have to be as substantial as many people are led to believe.

There are other requirements of the E2 Treaty Investor visa, such as creating employment for U.S. workers, making a positive impact on the local or national economy, generating more than enough of a living for yourself and your family as the principal E2 treaty investor, and demonstrating you can operate a business at the highest level, and make a profit.

E2 Treaty Countries

The E2 treaty investor visa is most suited to entrepreneurs and business owners who want to start a new business in the U.S., purchase an existing business or franchise, or take a majority ownership and controlling interest in an existing U.S. company.

The E2 visa is not just for those with prior experience in running a business, many would-be entrepreneurs are also eligible to apply who would like to be in business for themselves and create a new life in the United States.

As you can see from the following graphic, the U.S. Department of State has approved thousands of E2 visas for foreign nationals and continues to do so annually.

Apart from the height of the pandemic, the rate of E2 visa approvals has largely been increasing or at least remaining at the same level year-on-year.

The graphic below shows the total number of E2 visas that have been approved each year (including the principal applicant, spouse, and any dependent children) from 2015 through 2022, the increase or decrease in the number of visas approved, and the percentage increase or decrease.

As you will see from the graphic above, the number of E-2 visas issued almost halved in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. It bounced back quite significantly in 2021, with 9,636 more E-2 visas issued, and in 2022, 45,878 E-2 visas were issued, more than any other year dating back to 2015.

Complete E2 Country List

Regardless of whether your investment for the E2 enables you to apply for the visa, you must be from a country that holds a treaty of commerce and navigation with the U.S.

We have created a table below listing which countries are eligible for the E2 Visa and the date that each treaty came into force.

You will also find links to certain E2 visa treaty nations that will take you to a country-specific page we have created that has more in-depth information and statistics about that particular country and its E2 visa approval rates.

Also, it is important to note that if you are a national of a country listed below but are living in a country that is not an E2 Visa treaty country, you may still qualify since the E2 is based on the country you are a national of, not necessarily the country you might be currently living in.

E2 Treaty Countries ListDate of Treaty2022 Visa Issuances
AlbaniaJanuary 4, 199827
ArgentinaDecember 20, 18541,122
ArmeniaMarch 29, 199664
AustraliaDecember 27, 1991333
AustriaMay 27, 1931258
AzerbaijanAugust 2, 200147
BahrainMay 30, 20011
BangladeshJuly 25, 198925
BelgiumOctober 3, 1963236
BoliviaJune 6, 20013
Bosnia and HerzegovinaNovember 15, 198256
BulgariaJune 2, 195442
CameroonApril 6, 19892
CanadaJanuary 1, 19943,814
ChileJanuary 1, 200454
TaiwanNovember 30, 19482,694
ColombiaJune 10, 194896
Congo (Brazzaville)August 13, 19941
Congo (Kinshasa)July 28, 19890
Costa RicaMay 26, 185222
CroatiaNovember 15, 198227
Czech RepublicJanuary 1, 199376
DenmarkDecember 10, 2008384
EcuadorMay 11, 199733
EgyptJune 27, 199247
EstoniaFebruary 16, 199723
EthiopiaOctober 8, 19534
FinlandDecember 1, 199291
FranceDecember 21, 19602,867
GeorgiaAugust 17, 19979
GermanyJuly 14, 19563,496
GrenadaMarch 3, 198978
HondurasJuly 19, 192860
IrelandNovember 18, 1992257
IsraelMay 1, 2019438
ItalyJuly 26, 1949978
JamaicaMarch 7, 19976
JapanOctober 30, 195315,009
JordanDecember 17, 200114
KazakhstanJanuary 12, 199495
South KoreaNovember 7, 19573,382
KosovoNovember 15, 18821
KyrgyzstanJanuary 12, 19945
LatviaDecember 26, 199612
LiberiaNovember 21, 19390
LithuaniaNovember 22, 200187
LuxembourgMarch 28, 19635
North MacedoniaNovember 15, 19829
MexicoJanuary 1, 19941,654
MoldovaNovember 25, 19946
MongoliaJanuary 1, 199736
MontenegroNovember 15, 18820
MoroccoMay 29, 199110
NetherlandsDecember 5, 1957182
New ZealandJune 10, 201944
NorwayJanuary 18, 192873
OmanJune 11, 19600
PakistanFebruary 12, 1961114
PanamaMay 30, 199120
ParaguayMarch 07, 186014
PhilippinesSeptember 6, 1955159
PolandAugust 6, 1994197
RomaniaJanuary 15, 1994110
SenegalOctober 25, 19901
SerbiaNovember 15,1882169
SingaporeJanuary 1, 200446
Slovak RepublicJanuary 1, 199358
SloveniaNovember 15, 198218
SpainApril 14, 19031,579
Sri LankaMay 1, 199315
SurinameFebruary 10, 19630
SwedenFebruary 20, 1992388
SwitzerlandNovember 08, 1855269
ThailandJune 8, 1968295
TogoFebruary 5, 19671
Trinidad & TobagoDecember 26, 199611
TunisiaFebruary 7, 19938
TurkeyMay 18, 1990253
UkraineNovember 16, 199686
United KingdomJuly 03, 18153,122

The number of E2 visa issuances for 2022 in the table above represents a fiscal year that runs from October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2022. This is the fiscal year period that the US Dept. of State & USCIS uses.

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Jason Coles

Jason Coles is the Founder of Foreign USA and its Chief Content Writer and Editor. Recognized as a prolific business plan writer by many prominent immigration attorneys in the U.S., Jason has written over 1,200 business plans over the past 16+ years for start-ups looking to establish and expand their footprint in the United States.