E-1 Visa Requirements

May 17, 2016

To qualify for an E-1 visa, the applicant must be a citizen of one of the following treaty countries:

In addition, a treaty trader must be coming to the U.S. to conduct substantial trade principally between the U.S. and the applicant’s country of nationality. Substantial trade is considered to be a continuous flow of sizeable trade items and transactions over time and is not defined by a specific monetary value or volume.

Employees of organizations wishing to apply for an E-1 visa must be coming to the U.S. in the capacity of an executive or supervisor that will be providing ultimate control and responsibility for the organization’s operations. To qualify, the organization must be at least 50% owned by persons who have the nationality of the treaty country and the applicant.

E-1 visa applicants may also be required to meet certain health and character requirements.