VA Loan Eligibility Requirements
VA Loan Eligibility for Current Active Duty
Must have served at least 90 days during wartime.
or
Must have served 181 days during peacetime.
VA Loan Eligibility for Prior Reserve Duty
Must have served at least six years in the Reserves or National Guard.
VA Loan Eligibility for Current Reserve Duty
Must have served at least six years in the Reserves or National Guard.
VA Loan Eligibility for Prior Active Duty
(Enlisted after 1980)
Must have served at least two years.
or
Must have served for the entire period to
which the veteran was ordered to active duty.
and
Meet current active duty service requirements.
Visit our VA Loan Eligibility Checklist to determine your VA loan eligibility!
If you enlisted before 1980,
please see the eligibility guidelines below.
VA Loan Special Eligibility
Spouses:
- VA loans are available to surviving spouses of veterans whose deaths were the result of or related to service.
- VA loans are available to spouses of Prisoners of War and service members who have been Missing in Action for at least 90 days.
Enslisted Before 1980:
- Those who served during the WWII, Korean, and Vietnam eras must have served for at least 90 days.
- Those who served during the post WWII, post Korean, and post Vietnam eras must have served for at least 181 days.
Disabled Veterans:
- Veterans who were discharged from service due to a disability are exempt from service length requirements on VA loans.
- Visit our VA Loans For Disabled Veterans Page to learn additional home-related benefits available to disabled veterans.
Special Veteran Status:
- Congress has granted veteran status to individuals who served as members of certain groups, such as Public Health Service officers. For a complete list, visit: http://www.homeloans.va.gov/elig2.htm.
Dishonorably discharged veterans are not eligible for a VA home loan.
For more information about VA loan eligibility:
Visit our VA loan Appraisal Eligibility page to learn about property requirements.
Visit our VA Loan Credit & Income Eligibility page to learn about these requirements.
