U.S. Investor Visa Options for Turkish Citizens

Turkish citizens have a wider set of U.S. investor visa options than nationals of many countries, because Turkey is an E-2 treaty country. A Turkish founder can buy or start a U.S. business and live here on an E-2 visa without a fixed minimum investment. A Turkish trading company can send staff on the E-1. A Turkish group with a U.S. subsidiary can transfer managers on the L-1A and later sponsor them for an EB-1C green card. And the EB-5 investor green card is open to Turkish nationals like everyone else. Our investor and treaty visa overview sets the routes side by side. Which route fits depends on how much capital you have, whether you already run a company in Turkey, and whether you want permanent residence now or later.

The E-2: the most common route for Turkish founders

The E-2 rests on the bilateral investment treaty between the United States and Turkey. You invest a substantial amount in a real, operating U.S. business, own at least half of it or control it, and come to develop and direct it. At least 50 percent of the company must be owned by Turkish nationals who live outside the United States or hold E status here. The spouse can work, and children under 21 can study.

For Turkish applicants, the hardest part is usually the source of funds. Money earned in lira, held in Turkish banks, converted to dollars, and wired to a U.S. account needs a clean paper trail at every step: tax records, salary or dividend records, title deed and sale documents for property, bank statements on both ends, and certified English translations. Exchange rate swings also matter. Budget the investment in dollars at the time of transfer, not at the rate when you first planned it.

The business plan carries as much weight as the money. Our guide to what an E-2 business plan should include covers the marginality test that decides many cases, and our E-2 treaty investor visa page covers the full set of requirements.

One rule applies to people who became Turkish citizens through Turkey’s citizenship-by-investment program. Since late 2022, nationals who obtained treaty citizenship through a financial investment must have been domiciled in that country for at least three continuous years before they can use it for an E-2. If your Turkish citizenship came that way, confirm your domicile history before you build an E-2 case.

The E-1 for Turkish trading companies

As of this writing, Turkey also appears on the State Department’s E-1 treaty trader list. The E-1 suits Turkish exporters and importers whose U.S. company already carries on substantial trade, with more than half of its international trade running between the United States and Turkey. Textiles, food products, machinery, and engineering services are common examples. No investment is required, but the trade must already exist and be documented through invoices, shipping records, and payments. Confirm the treaty list at the time you apply.

L-1A and EB-1C for companies expanding from Turkey

If you already run a company in Turkey, the intracompany route may be stronger than the E-2. The L-1A lets a Turkish parent, subsidiary, or affiliate transfer an executive or manager who has worked for it for at least one continuous year in the past three years. A new U.S. office can qualify, with a one-year initial period to grow into a structure that supports a managerial role.

The L-1A matters for the long term because it lines up with the EB-1C green card for multinational managers, which needs no labor certification. Once the U.S. company has done business for at least a year, the same manager can be sponsored for permanent residence. Our post on EB-1C multinational manager requirements explains that test, and our EB-1C green card page covers how we structure those cases.

Keeping the Turkish company active is what keeps this door open. Founders who close their Turkish business after moving lose the qualifying relationship.

The EB-5 for permanent residence through investment

The EB-5 is open to any nationality. It requires a larger, statutory minimum investment, either in your own business or through a regional center project, and the creation of ten full-time U.S. jobs. In return, it leads directly to a green card for you, your spouse, and your unmarried children under 21. The source-of-funds tracing is more demanding than for the E-2, so the same Turkish banking and property records need even more care.

How Turkish investors usually sequence the options

A common path is to start on the E-2, build the U.S. business, and then move to permanent residence through the EB-1C, the EB-2 National Interest Waiver, or the EB-5, depending on how the business and the family’s plans develop. Because the E-2 requires intent to depart when status ends, the timing of a green card filing and international travel needs care. Our post on how E-2 investors move to a green card covers that transition.

Our investor visa team works in English and Turkish, and our Istanbul office works directly with Turkish investors on the business plan, source-of-funds documents, and interview preparation, while our U.S. offices handle formation and any USCIS filings.

If you are a Turkish citizen comparing U.S. investor visa routes, a consultation with Capitol Law Partners can match the options to your capital, your company, and your timeline. Schedule a consultation.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is formed by this communication.

Attorney Cagatay Ersoy. Practical strategy for founders, investors, and growing companies.

Need help with this topic? See our investor and treaty visa options page or schedule a consultation.