Home loans for surviving spouses
To get a VA-backed home loan as the surviving spouse of a Veteran, you’ll need a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) to show your lender that you qualify for this benefit. Find out if you can get a COE. Keep in mind that you’ll also need to meet your lender’s credit and income requirements to get a loan.
Can I get a COE?
You may be able to get a COE if you’re the spouse of a Veteran, and at least one of these descriptions is true for them.
At least one of these must be true:
- The Veteran is missing in action, or
- The Veteran is a prisoner of war (POW), or
- The Veteran died while in service or from a service-connected disability and you didn’t remarry, or
- The Veteran died while in service or from a service-connected disability and you didn’t remarry before you were 57 years old or before December 16, 2003, or
- The Veteran had been totally disabled and then died, but their disability may not have been the cause of death (in certain situations)
Note: A surviving spouse who remarried before December 16, 2003, and on or after their 57th birthday, must have applied no later than December 15, 2004, to establish home loan eligibility. We’ll have to deny applications we received after December 15, 2004, from surviving spouses who remarried before December 16, 2003.
If you’re a Veteran or service member, you may also be eligible for a VA home loan.
Learn about home loans for Veterans