E2 Visa Countries: The Complete List of Eligible Nations

Author: Jason Coles

Updated On:

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 in which the United States has a treaty of commerce and navigation (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.

Related: What is the E2 Visa Investment Amount?

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 suits 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 remaining at the same level year-on-year.

The graphic below shows the total number of E2 visas approved each year (including the principal applicant, spouse, and any dependent children) from 2015 through 2023, the increase or decrease in the number of visas approved, and the percentage increase or decrease.

E2 visa approval rates per year

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, then in 2022, 45,878 E-2 visas were issued, which represented an impressive bounce back, and 2023 saw the highest number of E2 visas issued on record, increasing to 54,812!

These numbers were sourced from the official U.S. Department of State website, under the total number of E2 visa issuances for the 2023 FY (Fiscal Year).

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 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 Treaty
AlbaniaJanuary 4, 1998
ArgentinaDecember 20, 1854
ArmeniaMarch 29, 1996
AustraliaDecember 27, 1991
AustriaMay 27, 1931
AzerbaijanAugust 2, 2001
BahrainMay 30, 2001
BangladeshJuly 25, 1989
BelgiumOctober 3, 1963
BoliviaJune 6, 2001
Bosnia and HerzegovinaNovember 15, 1982
BulgariaJune 2, 1954
CameroonApril 6, 1989
CanadaJanuary 1, 1994
ChileJanuary 1, 2004
TaiwanNovember 30, 1948
ColombiaJune 10, 1948
Congo (Brazzaville)August 13, 1994
Congo (Kinshasa)July 28, 1989
Costa RicaMay 26, 1852
CroatiaNovember 15, 1982
Czech RepublicJanuary 1, 1993
DenmarkDecember 10, 2008
EcuadorMay 11, 1997
EgyptJune 27, 1992
EstoniaFebruary 16, 1997
EthiopiaOctober 8, 1953
FinlandDecember 1, 1992
FranceDecember 21, 1960
GeorgiaAugust 17, 1997
GermanyJuly 14, 1956
GrenadaMarch 3, 1989
HondurasJuly 19, 1928
IrelandNovember 18, 1992
IsraelMay 1, 2019
ItalyJuly 26, 1949
JamaicaMarch 7, 1997
JapanOctober 30, 1953
JordanDecember 17, 2001
KazakhstanJanuary 12, 1994
South KoreaNovember 7, 1957
KosovoNovember 15, 1882
KyrgyzstanJanuary 12, 1994
LatviaDecember 26, 1996
LiberiaNovember 21, 1939
LithuaniaNovember 22, 2001
LuxembourgMarch 28, 1963
North MacedoniaNovember 15, 1982
MexicoJanuary 1, 1994
MoldovaNovember 25, 1994
MongoliaJanuary 1, 1997
MontenegroNovember 15, 1882
MoroccoMay 29, 1991
NetherlandsDecember 5, 1957
New ZealandJune 10, 2019
NorwayJanuary 18, 1928
OmanJune 11, 1960
PakistanFebruary 12, 1961
PanamaMay 30, 1991
ParaguayMarch 07, 1860
PhilippinesSeptember 6, 1955
PolandAugust 6, 1994
RomaniaJanuary 15, 1994
SenegalOctober 25, 1990
SerbiaNovember 15,1882
SingaporeJanuary 1, 2004
Slovak RepublicJanuary 1, 1993
SloveniaNovember 15, 1982
SpainApril 14, 1903
Sri LankaMay 1, 1993
SurinameFebruary 10, 1963
SwedenFebruary 20, 1992
SwitzerlandNovember 08, 1855
ThailandJune 8, 1968
TogoFebruary 5, 1967
Trinidad & TobagoDecember 26, 1996
TunisiaFebruary 7, 1993
TurkeyMay 18, 1990
UkraineNovember 16, 1996
United KingdomJuly 03, 1815

E2 Visa Resources

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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. who refer his services to their clients regularly, Jason has written over 1,340 business plans across the past 17+ years for start-up companies and franchises looking to expand their footprint in the United States. Jason is considered a seasoned expert in his field. He creates detailed business plans for his clients that include five-year financial projections, market and industry analysis reports, demographic studies, organizational charts, job descriptions, employee hiring plans, and more.