VA loan path: step 2 of 6, Am I eligible?← VA loans overviewNext: VA entitlement →
VA decides who can get a VA-backed home loan, and it starts with your service record. You need enough time on active duty, or in the Guard or Reserve, and a discharge other than dishonorable. Some surviving spouses qualify too. Walk through the questions below to see how VA's rules apply to you and which papers you need for your Certificate of Eligibility (COE).
VA loan eligibility walkthrough
Answer a few questions about your service. You'll see how your answers line up with VA's minimum service and discharge rules, and what you need for your Certificate of Eligibility (COE).
How to get your COE
You can request your COE three ways:
- Online at VA.gov.
- Through your loan officer, who can request it in VA's online system.
- By mail, with VA Form 26-1880 sent to the address on the form. Mail takes longer.
This is not an eligibility decision. Only VA decides whether you are eligible, and VA does that when it reviews your COE request. VA also has exceptions this walkthrough doesn't cover, so apply even if your answers came up short. To get a VA-backed loan, you also need to meet credit, income and occupancy requirements. This page is not a commitment to lend.
Sources: Eligibility for VA home loan programs, VA.gov; Home loans for surviving spouses, VA.gov; How to request a COE, VA.gov; VA Lender's Handbook (M26-7), Chapter 2. Rules checked on October 22, 2026.
Who can get a VA home loan
VA's home loan benefit covers four main groups:
• Service members on active duty
• Veterans
• Current and former National Guard and Reserve members
• Some surviving spouses, and spouses of service members who are missing in action or held as prisoners of war
A few other groups can also qualify, such as Public Health Service officers, service academy cadets and midshipmen, NOAA officers, and World War II merchant seamen.
Minimum service, group by group
• Active duty: 90 continuous days.
• Veterans who served from August 2, 1990, on: 24 continuous months, or the full period you were called to active duty if it was at least 90 days.
• Earlier Veterans: 90 days or 181 days, depending on when you served. The walkthrough shows the rule for each period.
• National Guard: 90 days of non-training Title 10 active duty, 90 days of active duty that include 30 days in a row under certain Title 32 orders, or 6 creditable years.
• Reserve: 90 days of non-training active duty, or 6 creditable years in the Selected Reserve.
Exceptions to the minimum
If you were discharged for a service-connected disability, VA accepts less time than the minimum. VA may also grant a COE after an early discharge for hardship, the convenience of the government, an early out, a reduction in force, or certain medical conditions. VA's Lender's Handbook tells lenders not to assume a Veteran is ineligible. If you're close, apply and let VA decide.
What VA requires of your discharge
VA requires a discharge under conditions other than dishonorable. For active-duty service, honorable and general (under honorable conditions) discharges both meet that rule. Guard and Reserve members who qualify through 6 years of service need an honorable discharge or placement on the retired list. With an other than honorable, bad conduct or dishonorable discharge, you can still apply. VA will review your records, and you can ask for a discharge upgrade or a Character of Discharge review.
Surviving spouses
You may qualify as a surviving spouse if the Veteran died in service or from a service-connected disability and you haven't remarried. You may also qualify if you remarried on or after age 57 and on or after December 16, 2003, if you receive or are eligible for certain types of Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), or if your spouse is a service member who is missing in action or a prisoner of war. Our VA loans for surviving spouses guide covers the details.
How to get your COE
Your COE shows the mortgage company that you qualify for the VA home loan benefit. You can request it online at VA.gov, ask your loan officer to request it through VA's online system, or mail VA Form 26-1880 to the regional loan center listed on the form. Veterans need their DD214. Service members need a statement of service signed by their commander, adjutant or personnel officer. Surviving spouses who receive DIC use VA Form 26-1817.
Already used your benefit once? The VA remaining entitlement calculator shows how much entitlement you have left.
Key points
• Only VA decides your eligibility, when it reviews your COE request.
• Active duty: 90 continuous days. Veterans since August 2, 1990: 24 continuous months or the full period called to duty.
• Guard and Reserve: 90 days of qualifying active duty or 6 creditable years.
• Your discharge must be other than dishonorable.
• Credit, income and occupancy rules also apply.
Questions, answered
How long do I have to serve to get a VA loan?
It depends on when and how you served. Service members on active duty need 90 continuous days. Veterans who served from August 2, 1990, on need 24 continuous months, or the full period they were called to active duty if it was at least 90 days. Guard and Reserve members need 90 days of qualifying active duty or 6 creditable years.
Can I get a VA loan with a general discharge?
For active-duty service, yes. VA requires a discharge other than dishonorable, and a general discharge under honorable conditions meets that rule. Guard and Reserve members who qualify through 6 years of service need an honorable discharge or placement on the retired list.
Can I get a VA loan with an other than honorable discharge?
You may not be eligible, but you can apply. VA will review your service records to decide. You can also apply for a discharge upgrade or ask VA for a Character of Discharge review.
Do National Guard members qualify for VA loans?
Yes. Guard members qualify with 90 days of non-training active duty under Title 10, with 90 days of active duty that include 30 days in a row under certain Title 32 orders, or with 6 creditable years of service.
Who decides if I'm eligible for a VA loan?
VA does. VA reviews your service record when you request your Certificate of Eligibility. A loan officer can request the COE for you but cannot decide your eligibility.
More VA loan guides
VA home loans · VA loan tools · VA remaining entitlement calculator · VA entitlement · VA loans for surviving spouses · VA funding fee calculator · Ask a loan officer
Get your COE with FLO Mortgage
Call our Flagler Beach team at (386) 882-9980. A loan officer can request your COE through VA's system and walk you through the next steps. Loans are subject to credit approval and program guidelines.
Disclosure: This page is general information only and is not a commitment to lend or financial advice. The walkthrough is for education only and is not a VA eligibility determination; only VA determines eligibility. All loans are subject to credit approval and program guidelines. FLO Mortgage is licensed as a mortgage lender in Florida (MLD2621) and Georgia (#1835856), Company NMLS #1835856; Broker Owner Joy McCoy Flores, NMLS #1096400. Equal Housing Opportunity. 212 Moody Blvd, Flagler Beach, FL 32136. (386) 882-9980. FLO Mortgage is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.