VA Loan Eligibility: Who Qualifies & the COE
October 20, 2026
Most veterans, active-duty service members, and National Guard and Reserve members who meet minimum service requirements are eligible for a VA-backed home loan, as are certain surviving spouses. Your eligibility is confirmed with a Certificate of Eligibility (COE), which you can request through VA.gov or have your lender pull electronically. A COE confirms your benefit, but a lender still has to approve your credit, income and the property.
Service requirements in brief. The VA's minimum service rules depend on when and how you served. In general, active-duty service members are eligible after 90 continuous days of service. Veterans generally need 90 continuous days of active duty during wartime periods, or 181 days during peacetime, and for service after September 7, 1980, typically 24 continuous months or the full period called to active duty, with exceptions. National Guard and Selected Reserve members generally qualify after six creditable years, or sooner with qualifying active-duty orders, such as at least 90 days of active service including 30 consecutive days. Discharge must be other than dishonorable. Shorter service may qualify if you were discharged for a service-connected disability or certain other reasons. The VA's eligibility pages list the details by era, so confirm your own situation there.
Surviving spouses and getting your COE. Surviving spouses may be eligible if the service member died in service or from a service-connected disability and the spouse hasn't remarried, or remarried on or after age 57 and on or after December 16, 2003. Spouses of service members who are missing in action or prisoners of war, and certain spouses of veterans who were totally disabled, may also qualify. To get a COE, apply online at VA.gov, ask your lender to request it through the VA's online system, or mail VA Form 26-1880. Veterans usually provide a DD-214. Current service members provide a statement of service, and surviving spouses provide documents such as the death certificate and marriage certificate.
What a COE does and doesn't do, and quick answers. The COE shows your entitlement and whether you're exempt from the VA funding fee, for example because you receive VA disability compensation. It doesn't approve the loan. The VA doesn't set a minimum credit score, but lenders usually do, and they also check debt-to-income ratio and the VA's residual income guideline. The home must be your primary residence and meet VA minimum property requirements through a VA appraisal. Can you use the benefit more than once? Yes. Entitlement can be restored after you sell and pay off a VA loan, and you may have remaining entitlement even with a VA loan outstanding. Do VA loans require mortgage insurance? No, though most borrowers pay a funding fee unless exempt. Can you get a COE if you're still serving? Yes. Active-duty members can request one with a statement of service signed by their commander or personnel office.
VA home loan eligibility depends on your service history, discharge status, or qualifying surviving-spouse status, and it's confirmed with a Certificate of Eligibility. Get your COE early through VA.gov or your lender, then compare lenders, since credit and income standards vary. Sources: VA, Eligibility requirements for VA home loan programs (va.gov); 38 U.S.C. 3702; VA Form 26-1880. LoFi Rate is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. General education only. LoFi Rate is an independent matching service, not a lender.