The E-2 application at the US Consulate General Frankfurt
In Germany, E visas are not issued at the embassy in Berlin but at the US Consulate General in Frankfurt. Its own E Visa Unit handles E-visa applications for all of Germany: about 3,300 E-2 visas in fiscal year 2025, counting spouses, children and employees. What sets Frankfurt apart is how tight the file must be. It follows a prescribed tab order, 1a to 3b, and since July 2024 it may not exceed 30 pages. The forms, cover letter and résumé don't count toward that limit.
Frankfurt — key facts (retrieved 29 August 2026)
- Address
- U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt, NIV Section, Attention: E VISA UNIT, Gießener Straße 30, 60435 Frankfurt am Main
- Submission
- Original paper bundle by post + scanned PDF ≤ 5 MB by e-mail (route described on the post's page)
- Page cap
- 30 pages since 4 July 2024; single-sided; tabs 1a–1d exempt
- Business plan
- 5 pages, incl. one-page 5-year P&L; for companies up to 2 years old.
- Review
- "Approximately 60 days to process a company registration or renewal … and schedule an interview"
The procedure, stage by stage
Stage 1 — registration. Complete the DS-160, create your profile on ustraveldocs and pay the MRV fee. Then send the file twice, at the same time: the original on paper by post to the E Visa Unit, and a scanned copy as one PDF of no more than 5 MB by e-mail. The file follows a prescribed tab order, and applications that don't follow it "may not be accepted by the E visa Unit". It may run to 30 single-sided pages; tabs 1a–1d, including the cover letter and résumé, don't count toward that limit.
- 1a
- Photo · DS-160 confirmation page · MRV fee receipt · copy of the passport bio page
- 1b
- DS-156E for the principal applicant, signed by the applicant or a company representative; Form G-28 if represented by an attorney
- 1c
- Cover letter describing the company, the position and the applicant, addressing every E-visa requirement in detail: that the investor has invested or is actively investing (9 FAM 402.9-6(B)); that the business is running or about to open (6(C)); that the investment is substantial (6(D)); that the business is more than marginal (6(E)); and that the applicant will hold an executive or supervisory role or has skills essential to the business (402.9-7). If the company has qualified before, the date and place of that first qualification. A paragraph on the applicant's unequivocal intent to leave the US when E status ends.
- 1d
- Résumé; organisational chart showing reporting lines; for essential employees, evidence of their skills and how long they will be needed
- 2a
- Business plan of no more than 5 pages, including a one-page five-year profit and loss forecast, showing that the business can make a profit within five years (Frankfurt says this applies to new companies or those up to 2 years old); tax returns for the past 2 years if the company already exists; a year-to-date profit and loss statement
- 2b
- Proof that treaty nationals own at least 50 %, for every company in the ownership chain: formation documents, stock ledger, commercial register extract, shareholder list and the owners' IDs. Shares held by green-card holders don't count.
- 2c
- Evidence that the applicant has invested or is investing in a real, operating business, not a passive investment
- 3a
- Evidence that the investment is substantial; only employees on the payroll count
- 3b
- Evidence that the business is more than marginal; income from outside the business doesn't count
Stage 2 — the interview. Once the registration has been processed, the post contacts you to schedule the interview; Frankfurt puts this at about 60 days. Bring a printed appointment letter, the DS-160 confirmation page, a photo taken within the last six months, and your current and all old passports. Without all of these, the application is not accepted.
Renewals. Companies with 25 or more full-time US employees may renew their registration by a shorter route, by e-mail.
Filing Tips
Frankfurt's requirements are specific, and how the file is put together matters. But the E Visa Unit 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: single-sided pages, in the prescribed tab order.
The cover letter, which sits outside the 30-page limit, sums up the whole case. 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, 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 30 pages 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. What to do then, and what it turns on: Application refused.