E-2 for the Swiss: applying in Bern

Bern — key facts (retrieved 29 August 2026)

Who files here

Residents of Switzerland: "At the Embassy or Consulate of your permanent residency"

Submission

E-mail only, to bernnivevisa@state.gov; the message must state the company name, the applicant's name, the type of application, nationality, current residence and company classification

Files

PDF attachments in a prescribed order: A to D2 for a new company, "R files" for renewals, "E files" for employees

Size limit

None stated

Business plan

Executive summary with a five-year forecast; renewals four years

Review

"within 2 months from the submission date"

Interview

US Embassy Bern, Sulgeneckstrasse 19, 3007 Bern; every applicant, whatever their age; legal representatives not allowed

Visa for the Swiss

Up to 48 months; $125 reciprocity fee, charged only once the visa is approved

The procedure, stage by stage

Stage 1 — the e-mail file. Complete a DS-160 for each applicant, create your profile on ustraveldocs, pay the visa application fee and request your appointment. Then e-mail the file to bernnivevisa@state.gov. The message follows a set pattern: company name; the applicant's surname and first name; the type of application (new application, renewal, company employee); the applicant's nationality; current residence; and the company's classification, whether multinational, single or family-owned, or small business. The documents follow as PDF attachments, in the order Bern prescribes. You or your legal representative may send the e-mail. Bern accepts applications only in this electronic form, and "incomplete and undocumented applications cannot be processed".

A

Basic documents: DS-156E; DS-160 confirmation page; a cover letter describing the business and the applicant, and how both meet the E-visa requirements; an executive summary of the business plan with a five-year financial forecast; for an existing business, the first two pages of its tax returns for the past three years

B

Evidence of ownership: that treaty nationals own at least 50 % of the business, shown by incorporation documents, share certificates and share register, state certificates and board minutes naming the officers and how the capital is divided. (The German version of the page turns the US "Secretary of State", who issues company certificates in each US state, into "Aussenminister", a foreign minister.)

C

The role: a letter from the company showing that the applicant will hold an executive or supervisory position or has skills essential to its US operations, with evidence such as organisation charts, CVs, diplomas or training certificates and the contract for the US position

D2

Evidence of investment: contracts, promissory notes, leases, purchase contracts and bank statements, with proof of payment. Bern puts it plainly: "Money sitting in a bank in the USA is not an investment as it is uncommitted!" Evidence that the business is trading: annual income statements, catalogues, pictures, summaries of business invoices with the matching bank receipts, purchases, W-2 or W-3 forms showing total employees. And evidence that the investment is substantial and that the business provides more than a living for the applicant and family, and contributes to the US economy, for example by employing US citizens or residents.

(D1 is for E-1 traders. There Bern adds, with an exclamation mark: "Do not submit copies of every invoice or receipt!")

Family. A spouse and unmarried children under 21 do not need to share the investor's nationality. Each completes a DS-160, has a profile, pays the application fee and requests an appointment. If they come on a different date, they book their own appointment and tell the visa section at bernnivevisa@state.gov. A family member with another treaty nationality receives that country's terms: a German spouse of a Swiss investor gets 60 months and pays no reciprocity fee.

Stage 2 — review and interview. Bern's E visa unit reviews the file within two months of submission. Once the review is complete, your appointment request is approved and ustraveldocs sends you an e-mail; log back in, choose "Continue" and book. At Sulgeneckstrasse 19, every applicant attends, whatever their age. Bring your passport, the DS-160 confirmation for each applicant and photos. The principal applicant discusses the business with the officer. Bern's own brochure lists what to be ready for: your business, the investment, your business plan, your previous professional experience and your business experience. Legal representatives are not allowed. Once the visa is approved, the $125 reciprocity fee is charged. Passports are not handed back at the embassy: they arrive by Swiss Post, registered A+ only, at an address in Switzerland or Liechtenstein, no sooner than five working days after the interview.

Liechtenstein. The embassy serves Liechtenstein too, but Liechtenstein has no E-2 treaty with the United States. A Liechtenstein passport does not qualify; a Swiss, German or Austrian national living in Liechtenstein can.

Renewals and employees. Renewals go in as "R files": DS-160 and fee, an updated DS-156E, US corporate income tax returns for the past three years, the latest W-3 where there is one, an executive summary of the business plan with a four-year forecast, as long as the Swiss visa itself, and evidence of continuing investment. Employees of a registered company send an "E file": DS-160 and fee, an updated DS-156E, and a description from the company of the executive, supervisory or essential role, with proof of qualifications.

Filing tips

Bern leaves little to interpretation. Even the e-mail containing the package has a set content, the attachments a set order, and an incomplete file is simply not processed. Precision is expected. Unlike Frankfurt, Vienna, and many other consulates, Bern sets no size or page limit, which is not an invitation to send everything. Its own instructions ask for summaries of invoices with the matching bank records, not the stack of receipts behind them. The officer is looking for three things: capital that is committed, a business that is trading, and a person who can run it. Everything in the file should point that way, and the cover letter should draw the lines together. The officer will ask about your business, your plan and your career, and has read the file, so your answers should match it. The best preparation is a file whose every line you can explain. Running a business is one discipline. Presenting it in writing to someone who has never seen it is another.

If something goes wrong

If the officer issues a 221(g) at the end of the interview, the application is refused for the time being, until you supply what was asked for. It is not a decision on the merits. How to respond, and what it depends on: Application refused.