How Much Money Do You Need for an E-2 Visa?

There is no E-2 visa minimum investment, but there is a test

The State Department’s rules for E-2 visas (9 FAM 402.9-6) never name a dollar figure. Instead the officer asks whether your investment is substantial in two ways:

• Proportional: it must be large compared with the total cost of the business. The rules call this an “inverted sliding scale”: the cheaper the business, the higher the share you must invest. For a business that costs about $100,000 to start, investing 100% normally qualifies; for a $100 million business, $10 million may be enough.
• Enough to succeed: the amount must be sufficient to make it likely that the business will actually operate and succeed, and to show you are seriously committed.

So the right number depends on your business. A consulting firm and a restaurant need very different budgets, and the calculator above lets you see where your plan stands.

What counts toward your E-2 investment, and what does not

A reasonable amount of working capital in the business account is normal. What weakens a case is a large cash balance with little spending, because it suggests the money is not really at risk. Read more on our page about at-risk funds and escrow.

Worked example: $50,000 and one employee

Say you plan to put in $50,000, and $10,000 of that goes to attorney and visa fees. Only $40,000 counts toward the investment.

Now add one full-time employee in Florida. At the state minimum wage of $15.00 an hour (from September 30, 2026), 2,080 hours cost $31,200. Add the employer’s 7.65% Social Security and Medicare tax and federal unemployment tax, and the cost is about $33,600 a year. That would leave roughly $6,400 for rent, equipment, inventory and marketing. At Florida’s typical (median) wage of $23.02 an hour, the same employee costs about $51,600 a year, more than the whole counted investment.

This is why $50,000 is thin for most businesses. It can still work for a low-cost service business, but you would need a clear plan for revenue that pays staff. The calculator runs this math for every state.

How much is typical? Rough ranges by business type

• Under $50,000: rarely enough, except for a very low-cost service business where you invest almost all of the startup cost.
• $50,000–$100,000: possible for lean service businesses. Officers look harder at hiring plans and real activity.
• $100,000–$150,000: a common range for professional services, small retail and lower-cost franchises.
• $150,000 and up: typical for restaurants, many franchises and the purchase of an existing business.

These ranges are practical observations from E-2 practice, not legal thresholds. A well-documented $80,000 case can succeed where a poorly documented $200,000 case fails.

What changed in 2026: the money has to move

The legal test is the same, but advisers who prepare E-2 financials report that officers now look past the bank balance. They want to see a business that is visibly operating:

• payroll records and a hiring plan, not just an owner working alone;
• revenue that matches the industry and the business plan;
• projections tied to signed leases, quotes and invoices;
• money moving through the account: vendor payments, payroll and equipment purchases.

A business that is funded but not operating, sometimes called a “paper business,” draws skepticism even when the amount is large. Read more on our page about marginality and job creation.

E-2 requirements, one page each

Each E-2 requirement has its own page with plain-language answers, official sources and the documents you will need.

Frequently asked questions