26-1880
Request for a Certificate of Eligibility
VA Form 26-1880 is the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Request for a Certificate of Eligibility, often called a COE. VA's page says the COE is what you bring to your lender to show that you qualify for a VA home loan. The form asks for the Veteran's identifying information, periods of military service, any previous VA home loans and a signed certification.
The form says that for faster processing VA encourages requesting the COE at www.va.gov, or through a lender that can submit the application electronically, and that in most cases an eligibility determination can be made instantly. A paper request is mailed to the Regional Loan Center of jurisdiction listed on page 4 of the form.
VA estimates the form takes about 15 minutes. You can fill it out free in your browser on this page and download the result without an account.
Items 1 to 9: your name as it should appear on the COE, other names used during service, mailing address, date of birth, Social Security number, service number, phone, email, and whether you left service because of a disability, with a VA claim number if known.
Whether you are on active duty, are a Purple Heart recipient, or have a pre-discharge claim pending with VA. The instructions on page 3 link the last two answers to VA funding fee exemptions.
Branch of service, date entered and date separated, listed separately for active service and for Reserve or National Guard service. The form explains which periods belong on each line.
How you will use the COE: entitlement inquiry only, purchase a home, cash-out refinance, or interest rate reduction refinance loan. Then whether you used the VA home loan program before and still own any of those homes.
For each home still owned: address, loan number, loan date and the type of entitlement restoration requested. Item 17 asks about a VA-financed property substantially damaged or destroyed by a federally declared natural disaster.
Item 18 is for remarks. The Veteran certifies the statements are true and complete, signs Item 19A without printing the name, and dates it in Item 19B.
Give your name as it should appear on the COE. If it differs from your service documents or VA records, the form asks for a copy of a document such as a marriage certificate, divorce decree or court document, and says not to send originals.
Enter branch and dates in Item 11A or 11B. The form says eligibility can often be established from VA data but recommends proof of service if readily available. A copy of the DD Form 214 is acceptable.
Items 12 to 17 ask how you will use the COE and about earlier VA loans. The instructions say proof that a prior loan was paid in full is sometimes needed, such as a paid-in-full statement, a satisfaction of mortgage, or a HUD-1 or Closing Disclosure settlement statement.
The Veteran signs Item 19A and dates it in Item 19B. Extra details go in Item 18, Remarks, or on a separate attached sheet.
Mail the form to the office listed on page 4 for the state or territory you live in. VA's page says the request can also be submitted online instead of on paper.
VA's page says the COE is what you bring to your lender to show that you qualify for a VA home loan.
You get the real form, filled in a browser tab, with nothing standing between you and the finished PDF.
The Regional Loan Center of jurisdiction. Page 4 lists one address for each group of states and territories, with offices in Atlanta, Cleveland, Denver, Honolulu, Houston, Phoenix, Roanoke, St. Paul and St. Petersburg.
VA's page says you can submit the request online instead of sending the paper form. The form adds that a lender can submit an application electronically.
The form says copies of name change documents and of the DD Form 214 are acceptable, and not to send originals of name change documents.
The Privacy Act notice says giving your SSN is voluntary and that refusing to provide it will not by itself result in the denial of benefits.
VA estimates 15 minutes per respondent. The form shows OMB Control No. 2900-0086, expiring 12/31/2028, and says not to send the completed form to the [email protected] comments address.
The form is filled out and signed by the Veteran or service member whose service the COE is based on. Its questions differ by type of service.
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VA's page describes the COE as the document you bring to your lender to prove that you qualify for a VA home loan. VA Form 26-1880 is the paper request for one.
VA's page says you can submit the request online instead. The form says VA encourages using www.va.gov or a lender that submits electronically, and that in most cases an eligibility determination can be made instantly.
To the Regional Loan Center of jurisdiction. Page 4 of the form lists the address for each state and territory. The form says not to send it to the [email protected] address shown in the burden notice.
The form says that in many cases eligibility can be established from data in VA systems, but it recommends providing proof of service if readily available. It names the DD Form 214 as the best evidence of active service and says a copy is acceptable.
Items 2A and 2B ask for any other name used during service, as shown on your DD Form 214. If the name for the COE differs from your service documents or VA records, the form asks for a copy of a marriage certificate, divorce decree or court document.
Items 14D, 15D and 16D ask, for each previous VA loan, whether you are requesting no restoration (inquiry only), cash-out refinance restoration, interest rate reduction refinance, or one-time restoration. Page 3 of the form describes each option.
The Privacy Act notice says giving your SSN is voluntary and that refusing it will not by itself lead to a denial of benefits, unless a federal law in effect before January 1, 1975 requires it.
