E-2 for Austrians: applying in Vienna

Vienna — key facts (retrieved 29 August 2026)

Who files here

Austrian nationals and residents of Austria

Submission

E-mail only, to ViennaEvisas@state.gov, subject line "Surname, Given Name, Business Name, E Visa Application"

Size limit

7 MB (about 100 pages); PDF only; scanned at no more than 300 dpi; several attachments allowed, no linked files

Business plan

None named; evidence the business can earn more than a minimal living within five years of start-up

Review

"The initial case review time is between 2-4 weeks"

Interview

US Consulate Vienna, Parkring 12a, 1010 Wien

Visa for Austrians

Up to 60 months; no reciprocity fee

The procedure, stage by stage

Stage 1 — the file. Complete a DS-160 for every applicant, create your profile on ustraveldocs and pay the MRV fee for each person, family included. Enter the receipt number to request an appointment; the request is held until your file has been reviewed. Then e-mail the complete file to ViennaEvisas@state.gov. Electronic submission is the only method Vienna accepts. The file may not exceed 7 MB, about 100 pages, in PDF only; oversized attachments "most likely will be rejected by our server". Review begins only once the file is complete. Leave out brochures, photographs and printouts of web pages.

A

Table of contents

B

DS-160 for every applicant, family included. DS-156E only for managers and essential employees; the investor and family members don't need one. (The step list on the same page asks for a DS-156E in every case; the tab list and the Foreign Affairs Manual don't.)

C

Marriage and birth certificates for the family; the principal applicant's CV; a signed statement of intent to leave the US when E status ends

D

Cover letter showing how the business qualifies for the E-2, addressing every requirement, and describing the applicant's skills and qualifications where the CV doesn't; documents supporting the applicant's expertise, such as diplomas, training certificates and letters from former employers; the first two pages of the US corporate tax returns for the two years before the application, plus this year's profit and loss statement; evidence that the business can earn more than a minimal living for the investor and family, reached within five years of start-up

E

Proof that treaty nationals own at least 50 %. With several owners, subsidiaries or intermediate companies: an organisation chart naming every owner; legal proof of ownership through the chain, such as incorporation certificates, share certificates and register extracts (for an Austrian company, the Firmenbuchauszug); passport bio pages only; and each holder's percentage in the ultimate parent company. Publicly traded companies: a signed declaration of every exchange the shares trade on, and recent data on the owners' nationality.

F

Proof of investment: invoices; wire transfers and cancelled cheques matched to their invoices; bank statements showing the matching debits; escrow agreement, US escrow statement and escrow receipt where used. Vienna is explicit: "No further processing, including appointment scheduling will occur until we have received definitive proof of investment or trade."

The German version of the page adds two points the English one leaves out: lease and rent payments count toward the investment only as far as they are actually paid each month, and loans secured on your private assets are allowed, while loans secured on the business's assets are not.

Family. Spouse and children who apply with you go inside your file: their DS-160 confirmation pages, the marriage certificate and birth certificates are added to your package. Family members who join later send the same documents to ViennaEvisas@state.gov. Each family member pays the application fee.

Stage 2 — the interview. Once the file has been reviewed, you or your attorney receive an e-mail from the embassy's visa service partner. Log back into your profile, choose "Continue" and book the interview online or by phone on +43 720 116 000, Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 20:00. Interviews take place at the US Consulate Vienna, Parkring 12a, not at the embassy's main building. Formal adjudication begins at the interview; if the officer needs more documents afterwards, you are told what to send and how. Laptops and tablets are not allowed inside; phones are, with Bluetooth off. Passports cannot be collected at the consulate: pick yours up free of charge at Pack & Weg, Kettenbrückengasse 5, 1050 Wien, or pay for DHL delivery within Austria.

Renewals and employees. A renewal needs the DS-160 and DS-156E, the statement of intent to depart, a letter from the US business describing its past and planned activities, and proof that it is still trading: the latest US corporate tax returns, an updated profit and loss statement or balance sheet, W-2s or payroll records. New ownership documents are needed only if the ownership has changed. An employee joining a business that has already qualified adds a CV, proof of qualifications and a letter from the US employer describing the position.

Filing tips

Vienna's requirements are specific, and how the file is put together matters. But the embassy is not only checking boxes. It is also judging whether you can run this business. From the first page, your file should leave one impression: this applicant knows what they are doing. The file is short, convincing and genuine. The evidence is strong and cleanly presented: clear scans, in tab order A to F, without brochures or photographs. The cover letter sums up the whole case, and the proof of investment has to be final when you send it, because until it is, nothing moves. The aim is an officer who is persuaded and has no questions left, because every question the file leaves open can come back as a request for more documents, by e-mail before the interview or as a 221(g) after it. That is written advocacy. Building a business that grows is one thing. Explaining it to a stranger in a single 7 MB e-mail is another.

If something goes wrong

If you are handed a 221(g) sheet at the window, the visa is refused for now, pending what the officer has asked for — a come-back-later refusal, not one on the merits. In Vienna, the officer tells you what to submit and by what method. What to do then, and what it turns on: Application refused.