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E-1 Treaty Trader and E-2 Treaty Investor Visas
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General Information

The Treaty Trader (E-1) and Treaty Investor (E-2) visas are for a nationals of a country with which the United States maintains a treaty of commerce and navigation, who are coming to the United States to carry on substantial trade, including trade in services or technology, principally between the United States and the treaty country, or to develop and direct the operations of an enterprise in which the national has invested, or is in the process of investing a substantial amount of capital.  For a list of participating countries refer to Treaty Countries.

The U.S. Embassy Lima is currently accepting E-1 and E-2 visa cases for applicants who can demonstrate they are residents of Peru.  If you are a resident of Peru, please follow the instructions below.

If someone else will be interacting on your (the applicant’s) behalf, please make sure they provide a G-28 approval.

How to Apply

Step 1: Assemble Your Package

Assemble your package according to these guidelines.  The size of the package should be no more than 7MB (approximately 100 pages).  Oversized attachments most likely will be rejected by our server.  Do not include brochures, photographs or printouts of web pages.

Tab A (Table of Contents)

Tab B (Prequalification Documents)

Documentation showing your current legal status in Peru (e.g., a photo of your resident card or DNI).  Please note that if you are not a resident of Peru, your application will not be processed.

Tab C (Forms)

  1. Completed DS-160 for all applicants (to include derivatives).
  2. DS-156E for essential employees and managers only; not required for dependents or for an investor him/herself.

Tab D (Applicant Information)

  1. Certificates that demonstrate proof of family relationships and the marital status for each applicant (marriage certificate for spouse and/or birth certificate(s) for minor child/children).
  2. The principal applicant’s résumé or curriculum vitae/CV.
  3. A signed statement of intent to depart the U.S. upon termination of status for the principal applicant.

Tab E (Cover Letter and additional documents)

  1. The cover letter must describe how the enterprise qualifies for E-1 or E-2 status and must include a description of the beneficiary’s specific skills and qualifications, if not addressed in the resume or CV.  The letter must address all the requirements for E-1 or E-2 visa eligibility.
  2. Documentation that supports the applicant’s expertise and underlines his/her essential skills.  This may include any relevant diplomas, job training certificates and/or letters from previous employers.
  3. Include the first two pages of U.S. corporate tax returns, showing IRS reported sales for the two years immediately preceding the application and the current year’s profit and loss statement.
  4. Evidence that the enterprise has the present or future capacity to generate more than enough income for a minimal living for the treaty investor and his or her family.  (The projected future capacity should be realized within 5 years after business start-up.)

Tab F (Ownership)

  1. Proof of at least 50% treaty country nationality for the principal investor/owner.
  2. If the firm has several owners or subsidiaries or if the chain of ownership includes intermediary entities, please include the following (as applicable):
    1. An organization chart with names showing the full ownership structure of the entity
    2. Legal proof of ownership (such as incorporation certificate, shares certificate, excerpt from the trade registration) within a respective chain
    3. Photocopies of only the bio data page of the passports and the percentage of each unit holder of the definitive parent company
  3. If the firm is publicly traded with many shareholders (none of which own more than 50%) include:
    1. A written declaration justly authorized by a corporate official stating all of the stock exchanges on which the firm is traded
    2. A copy of recently issued trading information concerning the nationality of the stock’s owners
  4. For an E-1 visa, if the firm is an incorporated entity outside of the US, include a chart of ownership of the enterprise and a certificate of existence/registration from the state/province in which the company is incorporated.

Tab G (Proof of Investment or Trade)

Treaty Trader and Treaty Investor applicants are encouraged to provide the following documentation:

INVESTMENT (E-2):

Invoices; Cancelled checks and wire transfers, along with matching invoices; Bank statements showing matching debits; Escrow agreement, escrow account statement in the U.S., and escrow receipt (as applicable).

Step 2: Send Your Package

Email your package to LimaNIV@state.gov with “E1/E2 Visa – Last name, Given name – Passport Number” as the subject.

Once the complete package is received, the process will take approximately 4 weeks.  You will receive an appointment notification when your case has been processed and is ready for interview.  Please do not make inquiries before then.