Treaty Trader (E-1) and Treaty Investor (E-2) visas are for citizens of countries with which the United States maintains treaties of commerce and navigation. Thailand is one of these countries. For a list of all treaty countries, click here.
To qualify for Treaty Trader (E-1) and Treaty Investor (E-2) visas applicants must be coming to the United States either to:
- Engage in substantial trade, including trade in service or technology, in qualifying activities, which is principally between the United States and the treaty country; or
- To develop and direct the operation of an enterprise in which the applicant has invested a substantial amount of capital.
- To learn more about E2 visas, please click here
The spouse and unmarried children (under 21 years of age) of treaty traders, treaty investors, or employees of enterprises may receive dependent E visas in order to accompany or follow to join their spouse or parent. They are not required to have the same nationality as the principal applicant to obtain an E visa.
E visas permit the investor/trader and his or her family to live in the United States during the period of stay authorized by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). E visas are nonimmigrant visas; consequently, visa holders are allowed to live in the United States only so long as the conditions under which the visa was granted remain valid. Holders of E visas must intend to depart the United States upon the termination of their E status. Dependents are not authorized to work in the U.S. unless they receive explicit authorization to do so from DHS-USCIS in the United States. Dependents of treaty traders/investors may apply for work authorization after their arrival in the United States.
Qualifications for E visas
Please choose the type of E visa that applies to you:
How to Apply
To apply for E visa, please click here.
How Long is Visa Processing?
Your E-visa application requires a lengthy review of up to four weeks. Therefore, we must receive your supporting documents at least 15 business days before your interview date. Failure to submit your documents in a timely manner will significantly delay your appointment time. If we do not receive your documents at least 15 business days prior to your interview date, your interview date will be rescheduled to at least three weeks after you submit your documents. Your interview date can be rescheduled up to 3 times. After that, you will have to repay the visa fee and restart the process from the beginning. WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU PREPARE ALL THE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS BEFORE YOU SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT.
How to Reapply
Ineligible under Section 221(g)
Applicants are ineligible under Section 221(g) of the INA because some document or information is missing. If you are ineligible under Section 221(g), we will give you a letter listing what is needed and explaining how to submit additional documentation. A new visa application fee is NOT required for 221(g) ineligibilities within one year
Ineligible under Section 214(b)
If an applicant is found ineligible under Section 214(b) of the INA, we recommend that he/she reapplies only after his/her current family, social, professional or economic circumstances have changed significantly and/or if there are important facts that were not presented at the initial interview.
For any inquiries related to the Treaty Traders and Investor (E) visa applications, you may contact the Business Travel Unit at BangkokBusinessTravel@state.gov.