Investing in the United States

At the end of 2022, the House of Representatives of the United States of America approved the AMIGOS ACT (Advancing Mutual Interests and Growing Our Success Act), integrated into the National Defense Authorization Act. This legislation will allow Portuguese citizens, as well as national companies, to invest in the United States in a more simplified way.

E-1 (for trade) and E-2 (for investors and entrepreneurs) visas are available for 78 countries, including Australia, Argentina, Denmark, Italy, England, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and Spain. These treaties facilitate international trade, allow investors to live and work in the United States, and authorize the entry into the country of essential company employees, including, in some cases, investor representatives. It is important to note, however, that these visas do not automatically guarantee US citizenship.

AMIGOS ACT was designed to facilitate business and commerce by introducing a new category of non-immigrants for Portuguese citizens: the E1 and E2 trade and investment visas. The E1 visa allows nationals of treaty countries to be admitted to the United States only to engage in international trade, while the E2 visa allows nationals of treaty countries to be admitted to the United States by investing a substantial amount of capital in an American company.