Foreign persons may own a business in the United States, but can only work in that business under certain circumstances. To be able to work in the United States legally, a foreign national must either have work authorization or a special visa to start a company. Examples of visas that will enable a foreign national to start a business include a Treaty Trader E-1 Visa, a Treaty Investor E-2 Visa, and an L-1 Intra-company Transferee visa. There are very specific requirements.