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E-2 Visa at the US Embassy in Japan: Documents, Interview, Timing

How a Japanese restaurant company files an E-2 for a chef at the US Embassy in Japan: Tabs 1 to 5, the DS-156E, the company letter, the in person interview, costs and timing.

Updated September 27, 2026 WashokuJob

For a chef in Japan, the US Embassy reviews the company's E visa registration and the chef's application together. You pay the US$315 fee, put the company documents into PDFs split across Tabs 1 to 5, send them in one email to JapanEVisa@state.gov, and the chef interviews in person in Tokyo or Osaka when invited. The embassy publishes no processing time, so the fastest route is to finish the documents and passport early.

For the Japanese head office or US subsidiary that has decided to send a chef on an E-2 and now has to file at the US Embassy in Japan: documents, the interview, costs, timing and a company letter outline. Whether your ownership and your chef pass the legal test, and how to build the essential skills evidence, is in the E-2 essential employee test. If you fail the ownership test, see US visa options for hiring a chef from Japan.

On this page

  1. How the application runs
  2. Documents: company side and chef side
  3. DS-156E and the company letter
  4. The interview: where, what to bring, how to prepare
  5. Costs and timing
  6. Working back from departure
  7. Company letter outline
  8. What to do this week
  9. Questions employers ask

1. How the application runs

In Japan, E visa company registration and the individual application are reviewed together; a company cannot register on its own first. The steps depend on whether the company is already registered.

StepCompany not yet registeredCompany already registered
1. FeeCreate a profile on usvisascheduling.com and pay US$315. Note the 12 digit receipt number. Do not book an interviewPay the fee the same way
2. DocumentsA folder named after the US company, with subfolders Tab 1 to Tab 5; portrait PDFs; English translations of anything not in EnglishMainly the individual documents, company letter and organisation chart
3. SubmissionZip the folder and send it in one email to JapanEVisa@state.gov with the US company name as the subject. No cloud linksBook the interview
4. InterviewAfter review, the embassy contacts you. The interview is at the embassy in Tokyo or the consulate general in Osaka, as assignedChoose Naha, Osaka, Sapporo or Tokyo

There is a size limit. If the ultimate parent in Japan is unlisted or a sole proprietor, the whole submission must be within 70 pages or 50MB; if the parent is listed in Japan, 50 pages or 50MB. Tab 1 documents do not count toward the page limit. The embassy asks applicants not to chase the status before it makes contact.

2. Documents: company side and chef side

What the embassy names, and what you assemble to prove the legal requirements.

SideDocumentsWhy
CompanyDS-156E (all questions 1 to 27 answered), company letter, organisation chart with the applicant markedNamed by the embassy
CompanyShare register, parent's commercial registry extract, ownership chart down to individuals, copies of the owners' passportsProves the 50% nationality test
CompanyRemittance records, fitting out and equipment contracts and receipts, business plan, financial statements, US headcountProves a real, substantial and not marginal investment
ChefDS-160 confirmation page, passport, old passports from the past 10 years, one 5cm × 5cm photo, interview appointment confirmationNamed by the embassy
ChefEmployment and school certificates and cook's licence (translated), job description, offer letter, training plan for start up casesProves essential skills

The passport should, as a rule, be valid for the planned US stay plus six months; the regulation also bars admission in E status for more than six months beyond passport expiry. For gathering the chef's documents, see what a chef must prepare in Japan; for translations, translating employment and school certificates.

3. DS-156E and the company letter

Download the current DS-156E from the State Department's forms site and leave nothing blank. The embassy's notes that restaurants most often trip on:

The company letter addresses each requirement against 9 FAM 402.9: treaty country, nationality, investment made, real enterprise, substantial investment, not marginal, the investor's ability to direct the business, the applicant's executive, supervisory or essential role, and the intent to leave when status ends. "Essential because the chef is Japanese" will not work; the regulation says language and culture alone do not qualify.

4. The interview: where, what to bring, how to prepare

Since 2 September 2025 the State Department requires an in person interview for nearly all nonimmigrant visa applicants, so the chef attends in person. New registrations are assigned to Tokyo or Osaka; registered companies can choose Naha, Osaka, Sapporo or Tokyo.

Bring the chef documents in section 2 plus the company letter and organisation chart. Companies (with their US group) that have 500 or more US citizen or permanent resident employees, E-2 annual sales of US$1 billion or more, or assets of US$100 million or more fall under the Green Program and do not need the letter or chart. There is nothing to apply for; the embassy notifies qualifying companies.

Prepare the chef to explain four things in their own words: the US duties, which technique they learned where and over how many years, who they will train and in what, and that they will return when the status ends. Answers that differ from the papers raise questions of their own.

5. Costs and timing

ItemCostTime
Visa application fee (chef, and each family member)US$315 per personPaid on the day
Visa issuance fee for Japanese nationalsNoneNot applicable
US$250 visa integrity fee set by a July 2025 lawNot listed on the State Department fee page; we could not confirm whether the embassy in Japan collects itNot applicable
Passport renewal, if neededPrefectural feeAbout 2 weeks; 3 weeks to a month possible since July 2026
Translations of certificatesTranslator's quoteWithin your control
Preparing Tabs 1 to 5Staff time or attorney feesWithin your control
Embassy review to interview invitationNoneNot published; the State Department wait time table has no E visa column

Attorney fees are extra and usually the largest cost. With no published review time, plan on the basis that the time after submission is unknown, and bring the submission date forward; that is the only lever you have.

6. Working back from departure

OrderCompanyChef
1Confirm the ownership test and draw the ownership chart; decide whether to use an attorneyCheck passport validity and renew if needed
2Prepare the DS-156E, company letter and Tabs within the page limitRequest certificates, arrange translations, complete the DS-160
3Pay the fee and send the zip in one emailHold the documents ready
4Wait for the embassy's contact (time not published)Prepare to explain duties and training
5Recheck the letter and chart before the interviewInterview in Tokyo or Osaka
6Book flights and housingFix the resignation date after the visa is issued, file the moving abroad notice, depart

Have the chef fix a resignation date only once the visa is in hand, so a slow decision after the interview does not leave them without work.

7. Company letter outline

An outline of the letter to the embassy. Write it in English, fill the brackets and add the Tab number for each point.

[Company letterhead] [Date]
Consular Section, U.S. Embassy Tokyo
Re: E-2 visa application for [chef's name], [job title], [U.S. company name]
1. Treaty enterprise and nationality: [U.S. company], formed in [state] on [date], is [ ]% owned by [names], nationals of Japan, none of whom is a U.S. permanent resident (Tab [ ]).
2. Investment: [amount] invested in [fitting out, kitchen equipment, lease deposits], from [source of funds] (Tab [ ]).
3. Real and operating enterprise, not marginal: [locations, annual revenue, number of U.S. employees] (Tab [ ]).
4. Position: [title]. Duties: [duties]. Basis: [supervisory role / special qualifications essential to the enterprise].
5. Why the applicant is essential: [technique, years of training, link to the menu, local recruitment results, salary offered] (Tab [ ]).
6. Duration and training plan: [who will be trained, in what, by when].
7. The applicant intends to depart the United States when E-2 status ends.
[Name, title, signature]

8. What to do this week

  1. List each owner's nationality and US status, and check the Japanese share is at least 50%.
  2. Ask the chef to check passport validity.
  3. Start drafting the company letter from the outline and allocate documents to Tabs.
  4. If you will use an attorney, get the quote now.

Last reviewed 27 September 2026. The embassy's E visa instructions (submission method, page limits, interview posts, Green Program) are as checked on 22 September 2026; the embassy site could not be reached when we rechecked on 27 September. Confirm the US$315 fee and nil issuance fee, the in person interview rule (since 2 September 2025) and the status of the US$250 visa integrity fee (unconfirmed) on the State Department's pages.

Questions employers ask

Can we register the company with the embassy before we have a chef to send?

No. In Japan the company registration is reviewed together with the first employee's application. Later employees apply as employees of a registered company.

How long from submission to interview?

The embassy does not publish it, and the State Department's wait time table has no E visa column. Applicants are asked not to chase before contact, so submitting early is the only way to shorten it.

Can the interview be waived?

Since 2 September 2025 the State Department requires an in person interview for nearly all nonimmigrant visa applicants. Plan for the chef to attend in Tokyo or Osaka (or Naha or Sapporo for a registered company).

What does it cost in total?

The government fee is US$315 per applicant, and Japanese nationals pay no issuance fee. Translations, a passport renewal and attorney fees come on top. We could not confirm whether the US$250 visa integrity fee is collected in Japan.

Can the chef's family come too?

A spouse and minor children can hold the same classification for as long as the chef stays in E-2 status. Each family member applies and pays the application fee.

General information checked against the State Department, the US Embassy and Consulates in Japan and federal regulations as of 27 September 2026, not legal or immigration advice. E visa decisions turn heavily on the facts of each case. Consult a US immigration attorney before applying.

Sources

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