Bern filing guide
Applying for an E-2 visa in Bern
The submission process, document format and interview steps for applications filed through the U.S. Embassy Bern.
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Your Bern E-2 visa application at a glance
- Submission
- Email Submission
- Document format
- Standard PDF Binder
- File limit
- None published
- Page limit
- No published limit
- TCN policy
- Regularly processes TCN cases
- Interview location
- U.S. Embassy Bern
Open the official application portal(opens the official site in a new tab)
Requirements reviewed September 2026 · Sources: U.S. Embassy Bern(opens the official site in a new tab) and U.S. Department of State(opens the official site in a new tab)
On this page
Process
How to apply for an E-2 visa in Bern
Read this as a sequence, not a menu. Each step depends on the one before it.
- 01
Complete the DS-160
Fill in the DS-160 nonimmigrant visa application online, upload your photo, and print the confirmation page with the barcode. Every applicant needs their own DS-160, including dependants.
Consular Electronic Application Center(opens the official site in a new tab)
- 02
Pay the MRV fee
Pay the machine-readable visa fee through the visa services portal for this post. You cannot book an interview until the payment clears.
- 03
Schedule the interview
Book your appointment at U.S. Embassy Bern through the same portal. E-visa cases are often handled by a dedicated unit, so appointment availability differs from other visa categories.
- 04
Email the application package
Send the complete PDF package to bernnivevisa@state.gov ahead of your interview date, and keep the confirmation.
Submissions go to bernnivevisa@state.gov.
- 05
Attend the interview
Present your case at U.S. Embassy Bern. Bring the originals behind your evidence and expect questions about the business, the money and how you will run it. Answers that contradict your file are what cause trouble.
Documents
E-2 visa document requirements in Bern
Submit your application package via email to the consulate.
File requirements
- Format
- Single PDF
- Page limit
- No published limit
- File size
- None published
Important Bern instructions
- Email the package to bernnivevisa@state.gov as PDF attachments. Documents may be sent by the applicant or their legal representative.
- The email body must carry the company name, the applicant surname and name, the application type, the applicant nationality, the applicant current residency, and the company classification (multinational, single or family owned, or small business).
- There are three routes with different document sets: first-time applicants and new companies, renewals (R files), and employees of registered companies (E file).
- A renewal adds three years of corporate income tax returns, the latest W-3, an executive summary of the business plan, a four-year financial forecast, and evidence of continuing trade or investment.
From Portunus
Turn your business case into a consular-ready plan
Assembling to U.S. Embassy Bern's requirements is a formatting problem. Making the business case is the hard part — that is what we build.
- Business plan and five-year financials £99
- A FAM 402.9-aligned plan with projections, job-creation analysis and proportionality — the document the whole application rests on. Editable and regenerable as your plans change.
- Complete evidence-binder assembly £140
- Everything in the plan, plus your full evidence binder assembled, ordered, page-numbered and ready to file.
One-time payment, no subscription. Portunus is document-preparation software, not a law firm, and nothing here is legal advice.
Third-country nationals
Applying for an E-2 visa in Bern as a third-country national
Bern regularly processes E-2 applications from eligible third-country nationals, although acceptance and appointment availability can change.
A third-country national is someone who applies at a U.S. post outside their country of citizenship — for example, a treaty-country citizen who lives and works elsewhere. Consular practice now expects applicants to file where they hold citizenship or permanent residence, so filing elsewhere is the exception rather than the norm. Compare every post by how readily it takes outside applicants.
We rate this post 2 out of 3 for third-country processing, meaning it processes them as a matter of routine. That rating is our own reading of published guidance and applicant reports — it describes willingness to schedule an appointment, not your eligibility for approval, and it carries no official standing.
Policy at individual posts changes without much notice. Confirm the current position before you build a filing plan around it — U.S. Embassy Bern(opens the official site in a new tab).
Questions
E-2 visa in Bern: common questions
How do I submit my E-2 visa application to U.S. Embassy Bern?
U.S. Embassy Bern accepts the application package by email to bernnivevisa@state.gov. Send the complete PDF before your interview date, and keep the confirmation.
Is there a page or file-size limit for E-2 visa applications at U.S. Embassy Bern?
U.S. Embassy Bern publishes no page or file-size limit for the E-2 package. Assemble it to the standard PDF binder structure with a table of contents and clearly labelled tabs, and keep it proportionate — a shorter, better-ordered package reads more easily than a long one.
Can third-country nationals apply for an E-2 visa at U.S. Embassy Bern?
Yes. U.S. Embassy Bern regularly processes E-2 applications from eligible third-country nationals. Acceptance and appointment availability change, so confirm the current position with the post before you build a filing plan around it.
How long does an E-2 visa take at U.S. Embassy Bern?
We do not publish an estimate for U.S. Embassy Bern, because a number invented for a page like this would be worse than none. travel.state.gov publishes current visa appointment wait times by post, and that is the figure to check. Total time is appointment availability plus any administrative processing after the interview. Book flights and shipping only once the visa is in your passport.
What should I bring to my E-2 visa interview at U.S. Embassy Bern?
Bring your passport, the DS-160 confirmation page, the MRV fee receipt, your appointment confirmation, and the originals behind your evidence — financial statements, business registration, lease and purchase agreements. Bring a printed copy of the package you uploaded, so you can refer to it during the interview. Expect questions about how you found the business, where the money came from, and how you will run it.
Ready to prepare your Bern E-2 application?
Portunus builds the FAM 402.9-aligned business plan and five-year financials your case rests on, and can assemble the complete evidence binder formatted to U.S. Embassy Bern's requirements — so what you submit matches what the post asks for.
Preparing an E-2 case for a client? See our tools for immigration attorneys. Portunus is document-preparation software, not a law firm, and provides no legal advice.