Which countries have an E-2 treaty with the United States?

What makes a country an E-2 treaty country?

The E-2 classification exists only for nationals of a country that has a qualifying treaty with the United States. The regulation, 8 CFR 214.2(e)(6), defines a treaty country as a foreign state with a qualifying Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, or Navigation (or its equivalent) with the United States, and it includes a country given treaty visa rights by specific legislation. The Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM), the State Department’s guidance to consular officers, adds that bilateral investment treaties can qualify.

Two official lists carry the same countries: the Treaty Countries table on travel.state.gov and the table in 9 FAM 402.9-10. Countries are added by treaty or by legislation, as the footnotes for Israel, New Zealand and Portugal show. Trader (E-1) and investor (E-2) rights are listed as separate rows, so a country can appear for one and not the other.

Sources: 8 CFR 214.2(e)(6) and (e)(7); 9 FAM 402.9-4(A), with the 402.9-10 treaty table

The full E-2 list, with entry-into-force dates

These are the E-2 rows of the Treaty Countries table as read on 19 October 2026, with the date each row gives for entry into force. The 9 FAM 402.9-10 table (transmittal CT:VISA-2190 of 17 February 2026) lists the same 82 entries and dates. Footnote numbers are the State Department’s own; the next section explains the ones that change who can use the treaty. Dates are printed as the table gives them, including 1882 for Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and Yugoslavia, but 1982 for the other successor states of the former Yugoslavia.

• Albania: January 4, 1998.
• Argentina: December 20, 1854.
• Armenia: March 29, 1996.
• Australia: December 27, 1991.
• Austria: May 27, 1931.
• Azerbaijan: August 2, 2001.
• Bahrain: May 30, 2001.
• Bangladesh: July 25, 1989.
• Belgium: October 3, 1963.
• Bolivia: June 6, 2001; footnote 13 limits it to investments established or acquired before June 10, 2012, and states that the entitlement ran until June 10, 2022.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: November 15, 1982; a successor state still bound by the treaty with the former Yugoslavia (footnote 11).
• Bulgaria: June 2, 1954.
• Cameroon: April 6, 1989.
• Canada: January 1, 1994.
• Chile: January 1, 2004.
• China (Taiwan): November 30, 1948; administered on a nongovernmental basis by the American Institute in Taiwan (footnote 1).
• Colombia: June 10, 1948.
• Congo (Brazzaville): August 13, 1994.
• Congo (Kinshasa): July 28, 1989.
• Costa Rica: May 26, 1852.
• Croatia: November 15, 1982; a successor state still bound by the treaty with the former Yugoslavia (footnote 11).
• Czech Republic: January 1, 1993; the treaty with the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic took effect on December 19, 1992, and for each state separately on January 1, 1993 (footnote 2).
• Denmark: December 10, 2008.
• Ecuador: May 11, 1997; limited to investments established or acquired before May 18, 2018, with entitlement until May 18, 2028 (footnote 14).
• Egypt: June 27, 1992.
• Estonia: February 16, 1997.
• Ethiopia: October 8, 1953.
• Finland: December 1, 1992.
• France: December 21, 1960; applies to Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana and Reunion (footnote 4).
• Georgia: August 17, 1997.
• Germany: July 14, 1956.
• Grenada: March 3, 1989.
• Honduras: July 19, 1928.
• Ireland: November 18, 1992.
• Israel: May 1, 2019; by statute, with E-2 visas issued from May 1, 2019 (footnote 15).
• Italy: July 26, 1949.
• Jamaica: March 7, 1997.
• Japan: October 30, 1953; extended to the Bonin Islands in 1968 and the Ryukyu Islands in 1972 (footnote 5).
• Jordan: December 17, 2001.
• Kazakhstan: January 12, 1994.
• Korea (South): November 7, 1957.
• Kosovo: November 15, 1882; a successor state still bound by the treaty with the former Yugoslavia (footnote 11).
• Kyrgyzstan: January 12, 1994.
• Latvia: December 26, 1996.
• Liberia: November 21, 1939.
• Lithuania: November 22, 2001.
• Luxembourg: March 28, 1963.
• Macedonia: November 15, 1982; a successor state still bound by the treaty with the former Yugoslavia (footnote 11).
• Mexico: January 1, 1994.
• Moldova: November 25, 1994.
• Mongolia: January 1, 1997.
• Montenegro: November 15, 1882; a successor state still bound by the treaty with the former Yugoslavia (footnote 11).
• Morocco: May 29, 1991.
• Netherlands: December 5, 1957; applies to Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles (footnote 6).
• New Zealand: June 10, 2019; by statute, with E visas issued from June 10, 2019 (footnote 16).
• Norway: January 18, 1928; does not apply to Svalbard (footnote 7).
• Oman: June 11, 1960.
• Pakistan: February 12, 1961.
• Panama: May 30, 1991.
• Paraguay: March 7, 1860.
• Philippines: September 6, 1955.
• Poland: August 6, 1994.
• Portugal: March 15, 2024; by statute, with E visas issued from March 15, 2024 (footnote 17).
• Romania: January 15, 1994.
• Senegal: October 25, 1990.
• Serbia: November 15, 1882; a successor state still bound by the treaty with the former Yugoslavia (footnote 11).
• Singapore: January 1, 2004.
• Slovak Republic: January 1, 1993; see the Czech Republic entry (footnote 2).
• Slovenia: November 15, 1982; a successor state still bound by the treaty with the former Yugoslavia (footnote 11).
• Spain: April 14, 1903; applies to all territories (footnote 8).
• Sri Lanka: May 1, 1993.
• Suriname: February 10, 1963; the 1957 treaty with the Netherlands, extended to Suriname (footnote 9).
• Sweden: February 20, 1992.
• Switzerland: November 8, 1855.
• Thailand: June 8, 1968.
• Togo: February 5, 1967.
• Trinidad & Tobago: December 26, 1996.
• Tunisia: February 7, 1993.
• Turkey: May 18, 1990.
• Ukraine: November 16, 1996.
• United Kingdom: July 3, 1815; UK nationals who are inhabitants of British territory in Europe only (footnote 10).
• Yugoslavia: November 15, 1882; the US view is that it has dissolved and its successor states remain bound (footnote 11).

Sources: 9 FAM 402.9-4(A), with the 402.9-10 treaty table; Treaty Countries table, footnote 10 (United Kingdom)

Which footnotes change who can use the treaty?

Most footnotes only describe history or territory. Six of them change the answer for an applicant, and they are easy to miss in a quick scan of the table.

• United Kingdom (footnote 10). The 1815 Convention covers only British territory in Europe (the British Isles other than the Republic of Ireland, plus the Channel Islands and Gibraltar) and “inhabitants” of that territory, meaning someone who actually and permanently resides there and has their domicile there. The applicant must also be a UK national. Nationals of other Commonwealth countries cannot use it.
• Ecuador (footnote 14). E-2 visas are limited to people coming to carry on E-2 activity in investments established or acquired before May 18, 2018, and the footnote says that entitlement runs until May 18, 2028. Derivative family members are outside this limit.
• Bolivia (footnote 13). The same kind of limit, with a cut-off of June 10, 2012. The footnote, still printed in this form in October 2026, says the entitlement ran “until June 10, 2022”. The official text does not explain what applies after that date; ask the embassy or consulate before relying on it.
• Israel (footnote 15). The 1954 treaty gives Israeli nationals E-1 rights only. E-2 rights come from Public Law 112-130 (2012), conditioned on Israel giving similar treatment to US nationals; the State Department confirmed this and began issuing E-2 visas on May 1, 2019.
• New Zealand (footnote 16) and Portugal (footnote 17). Both gained E-1 and E-2 rights through legislation (Public Law 115-226 of 2018 and Public Law 117-263 of 2022), with E visas issued from June 10, 2019 and March 15, 2024 respectively.
• Territorial footnotes. France’s treaty covers Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana and Reunion (footnote 4); the Netherlands’ covers Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles (footnote 6); Japan’s was extended to the Bonin and Ryukyu Islands (footnote 5); Norway’s does not apply to Svalbard (footnote 7); Spain’s applies to all territories (footnote 8). Denmark’s footnote 3, excluding Greenland, is attached only to its 1961 E-1 row; Denmark’s E-2 row dates from 2008 and carries no footnote, and the table says nothing about Greenland for it.

Sources: Treaty Countries table, footnote 10 (United Kingdom); Treaty Countries table, footnote 14 (Ecuador); Treaty Countries table, footnote 13 (Bolivia); Treaty Countries table, footnote 15 (Israel)

E-1 rows, E-3 and other things the table also shows

Brunei and Greece appear only with E-1 (treaty trader) rights, so their nationals cannot use the E-2 route on that basis. Several countries have different dates for their E-1 and E-2 rows: for example Ireland (E-1 1950, E-2 1992), Turkey (E-1 1933, E-2 1990) and Denmark (E-1 1961, E-2 2008). Australia’s E-3 row (footnote 12) is a separate classification for specialty occupation workers and has nothing to do with E-2.

The Norway footnote refers to a treaty that entered into force on September 13, 1932, while the table row shows January 18, 1928. The official text does not reconcile the two dates; it does not change whether Norway is on the E-2 list.

Sources: 9 FAM 402.9-4(A), with the 402.9-10 treaty table

How does the investor’s own nationality tie to the list?

You use the treaty of the country whose national you are. Under 8 CFR 214.2(e)(7), that country’s own authorities decide who its nationals are, so the usual evidence is a passport or citizenship certificate. Living in a treaty country, or holding a residence permit there, is not nationality. The UK Convention adds a residence condition on top of UK nationality: the applicant must also live in British territory in Europe.

Some situations need more than a passport. People with two treaty nationalities must choose one for the business, and people who became nationals through a citizenship-by-investment program face an extra residence test in the statute. Both are covered in the guide on E-2 nationality and ownership.

Sources: 8 CFR 214.2(e)(6) and (e)(7); Treaty Countries table, footnote 10 (United Kingdom)

How does the US company’s nationality tie to the list?

The business needs a treaty nationality too, and it must be the same one. The FAM says a business takes the nationality of its individual owners, and that the country where it is incorporated is irrelevant. A Delaware corporation or a UK limited company can therefore have, for example, German nationality for E visa purposes if German nationals own it.

In practice, at least 50 percent of the US enterprise must be owned by nationals of the treaty country, traced through any holding companies as far as practicable to the individuals who ultimately own them. A company owned through an intermediate parent incorporated in a non-treaty country can still have the treaty nationality if the people at the top hold it; one owned mostly by non-treaty nationals does not, whatever its paperwork says.

Sources: 9 FAM 402.9-4(B)(a)-(c) and (e); 8 CFR 214.2(e)(6) and (e)(7)

Do family members need a treaty nationality?

No. The spouse and children of an E-2 investor take the investor’s classification whatever their own nationality. A non-treaty spouse of a German investor, for example, is classified E-2 on the investor’s German treaty basis. Reciprocity fees and visa validity for family members can still depend on their own nationality.

Sources: 8 CFR 214.2(e)(4)

Common problems

• Assuming a Commonwealth passport works under the UK treaty. Footnote 10 excludes nationals of other Commonwealth countries.
• Treating an Ecuadorian investment made in or after May 2018 as covered. Footnote 14 limits E-2 to investments established or acquired before May 18, 2018.
• Reading an E-1 row as an E-2 right, for example for Greece or Brunei.
• Counting the investor’s nationality but not the company’s. The owners whose nationality is counted must be nationals of the same treaty country, and shares held by US green card holders do not count.
• Relying on a copy of the list from a blog or an old form. Check the State Department table and its footnotes on the day you apply.

Sources: Treaty Countries table, footnote 10 (United Kingdom); Treaty Countries table, footnote 14 (Ecuador); 9 FAM 402.9-4(B)(a)-(c) and (e)

How Visa Trouble can help

Free route discovery at Visa Trouble covers the E-2 treaty investor route, including the treaty-country check. We’re building application preparation for E-2 investors; it is planned, not open yet. Visa Trouble is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.

You can begin free route discovery at visatrouble.com.