E-1 & E-2 Treaty Countries

There are over 60 countries which have E-1 and E-2 treaties with the United States. These treaties permit foreign-born investors to start businesses in the US or work in the US for certain foreign-owned companies. The latest additions to the list of E-2 treaty countries are New Zealand and Israel.

In 2018, Ecuador was taken off the list of E-2 treaty countries.

If you are a citizen of any of the E-2 treaty countries on the list, you may be able to obtain an E-2 visa to come to the US to start a business.  Our law firm has obtained hundreds of visas for persons who are citizens of E-2 treaty countries.

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Unlike green cards, it is your country of citizenship rather than your country of birth which allows you to get an E-1 or E-2 visa.

Also, unlike most other types of temporary visas, there is no limit to the number of times that persons from E-1 or E-2 treaty countries can extend their visas.

The chart below lists the various E-1 and E-2 treaty countries:

E-1 and E-2 Treaty Countries

<b>Country Specific Footnotes</b>

1. China (Taiwan) – Pursuant to Section 6 of the Taiwan Relations Act, (TRA) Public Law 96-8, 93 Stat, 14, and Executive Order 12143, 44 F.R. 37191, this agreement which was concluded with the Taiwan authorities prior to January 01, 1979, is administered on a nongovernmental basis by the American Institute in Taiwan, a nonprofit District of Columbia corporation, and constitutes neither recognition of the Taiwan authorities nor the continuation of any official relationship with Taiwan.
2. Czech Repubilc and Slovak Republic – The Treaty with the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic entered into force on December 19, 1992; entered into force for the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic as separate states on January 01, 1993.
3. Denmark – The Treaty which entered into force on July 30, 1961, does not apply to Greenland.
4. France – The Treaty which entered into force on December 21, 1960, applies to the departments of Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana and Reunion.
5. Japan – The Treaty which entered into force on October 30, 1953, was made applicable to the Bonin Islands on June 26, 1968, and to the Ryukyu Islands on May 15, 1972.
6. Netherlands – The Treaty which entered into force on December 05, 1957, is applicable to Aruba and Netherlands Antilles.
7. Norway – The Treaty which entered into force on September 13, 1932, does not apply to Svalbard (Spitzbergen and certain lesser islands).
8. Spain – The Treaty which entered into force on April 14, 1903, is applicable to all territories.
9. Suriname – The Treaty with the Netherlands which entered into force December 05, 1957, was made applicable to Suriname on February 10, 1963.
10. United Kingdom – The Convention which entered into force on July 03, 1815, applies only to British territory in Europe (the British Isles (except the Republic of Ireland), the Channel Islands and Gibraltar) and to “inhabitants” of such territory. This term, as used in the Convention, means “one who resides actually and permanently in a given place, and has his domicile there.” Also, in order to qualify for treaty trader or treaty investor status under this treaty, the alien must be a national of the United Kingdom. Individuals having the nationality of members of the Commonwealth other than the United Kingdom do not qualify for treaty trader or treaty investor status under this treaty.
11. Yugoslavia – The U.S. view is that the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) has dissolved and that the successors that formerly made up the SFRY – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Kosovo a continue to be bound by the treaty in force with the SFRY and the time of dissolution.