You can request a VA home loan Certificate of Eligibility through VA.gov

Are you planning to buy a home and want the cost savings of a VA home loan? The first thing you need to do is request your VA home loan Certificate of Eligibility (COE).

A COE does just what its name implies: It certifies to lenders that you are eligible to apply for a VA home loan.

To help improve this important early step in the VA home loan process, VA has launched a new streamlined, user-friendly portal on VA.gov where you can:

• Request a COE
• Request to restore entitlement
• Request modifications to existing COE records (e.g., name, date of birth, branch of service)
• Verify if an active COE is available
• View the status of a COE application in process

Although it’s easier than ever to request a COE, the best way to get your COE is to have your lender do the work. They can obtain a COE on your behalf.

If you want to request a COE on your own, you can do that on the VA.gov website. In many cases, VA has sufficient information to automatically determine eligibility and provide you with a downloadable COE.

If we’re unable to automatically issue your COE, and there isn’t an active COE on file, simply complete an online application to begin the process.

The application will be pre-populated with your personal and contact information, along with your verified service history. A list of recommended documents will also display as guidance for which documents to upload in support of your online application.

On the new portal, you can do more than just request your COE.

If you had a previous VA-guaranteed home loan, you can request to restore your entitlement. Even those who have faced foreclosure can verify if they still have entitlement.

Visit the new COE landing page on VA.gov to learn more.