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Santa Fe National Cemetery burial schedule and eligibility

Santa Fe, New Mexico · VA national cemetery

Address, hours, directions and contact details: Santa Fe National Cemetery.

VeteranFunerals Editorial·5 min read·May 1, 2026·Facts checked

You can look up burials at Santa Fe National Cemetery on VA's daily burial schedule, which lists the committal services families have agreed to publish. Veterans who were not dishonorably discharged can be buried here, and so can their spouses and some dependent children. To schedule a burial, you or the funeral director call VA's National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117.

History of Santa Fe National Cemetery

Santa Fe National Cemetery is located within the city limits of Santa Fe, NM, approximately one mile northwest of the main plaza.

Thirteen years before the Pilgrims settled in Plymouth Colony, the Spanish had established a small settlement in Santa Fe, NM. Santa Fe would soon become the seat of power for the Spanish Empire north of the Rio Grande and the oldest capital city in North America. Santa Fe is the site of both the oldest public building in America, the Palace of the Governors, and the nation's oldest community celebration, the Santa Fe Fiesta, established in 1712 to commemorate the Spanish reconquest of New Mexico in summer 1692. Conquistador Don Pedro de Peralta and his men laid out the plan for Santa Fe at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the site of the ancient Pueblo ruin of Kaupoge, or "place of shell beads near the water."

When Mexico gained its independence from Spain, Santa Fe became the capital of the province of New Mexico. With the Spanish defeat came an end to the policy of a closed empire; American trappers and traders journeyed into the region along the 1,000 mile Santa Fe trail beginning in Arrow Rock, MO. For a brief period in 1837, northern New Mexico farmers rebelled against Mexican rule, killing the provincial governor in what has been called the Chimayó Rebellion, and occupying the capital. The insurrectionists were soon defeated and peace returned to Santa Fe for almost a decade.

In 1846, at the outset of the Mexican-American War, President James K. Polk asked General Stephen Watts Kearny to muster an army and march 1,000 miles into the Southwest to claim that region for the United States and organize territorial governments along the way. Kearny, faced with a Mexican administration weakened by years of occupation and political turmoil, was able to take Santa Fe without firing a shot. In quick succession, he won over the local leadership, assured a peaceful transition to a new civilian government and implemented a new legal code for the territory before continuing on to Arizona and California.

Notable veterans buried at Santa Fe National Cemetery

The National Cemetery Administration lists these people of note at Santa Fe National Cemetery, with section and site where it has them.

  • Medal of Honor
  • The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Recipients receive the Medal of Honor from the President on behalf of Congress. It was first awarded during the Civil War and the eligibility criteria, medal design, and recognition on a recipients' grave marker have all evolved over time. There are 434 Medal of Honor recipients interred at VA national cemeteries including 6 double recipients.
  • Medal of Honor recipients interred or memorialized here:
  • Chief Water Tender Edward A. Clary. He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Navy for actions after a boiler accident on board the USS Hopkins, February 14, 1910. Clary died in 1939 and is buried in Section O, Site 335.
  • Private Edwin L. Elwood (Indian Wars). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company G, 8th U.S. Cavalry, for actions in the Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona Territory, October 20, 1869. Elwood died in 1907 and is buried in Section H, Site 705.
  • Specialist 4 Daniel D. Fernandez (Vietnam). Daniel D. Fernandez, native of New Mexico, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1965 and served with Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th Mechanized Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. On February 18, 1966, while attempting to evacuate a wounded soldier, Fernandez and his comrades were ambushed. When a grenade landed in the middle of the group, to protect fellow soldiers, Fernandez sacrificed himself by covering the grenade blast with his body. He received the Medal of Honor posthumously on April 26, 1967. He is buried in Section S, Site 246.
  • Corporal Jacob Guenther (Indian Wars). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company E, 8th U.S. Cavalry, for actions in the Arizona Territory in 1868–1869. His citation was awarded under the name of Gunther. He died in 1871 and is buried in Section A-3, Site 1055.
  • Corporal Thomas Murphy (Indian Wars). Thomas Murphy was born in Kerry, Ireland, and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1868. While serving in Company F, 8th U.S. Cavalry, Corporal Murphy received the Medal of Honor for actions on August 25, 1869, in Seneca Mountain, Arizona Territory. Murphy died June 27, 1881, and was buried in the cemetery at Fort Grant, Arizona. When the post closed, his remains were reinterred in Section A-1, Site 740.

Visiting hours at Santa Fe National Cemetery

Visitation Hours: Open daily from sunrise to sunset. Office Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day. VA will continue its practice of honoring special requests for weekend burials for religious purposes, in cases of service members killed in action and on at least one day of any three-day Federal holiday weekend at all open VA national cemeteries.

Who can be buried at Santa Fe National Cemetery?

VA national cemeteries accept a veteran who didn't receive a dishonorable discharge, a service member who died on active duty or in training, the veteran's spouse or surviving spouse (even if they remarried), and minor or, in some cases, unmarried adult dependent children. National Guard and Reserve members qualify under narrower rules. You can ask VA for a pre-need eligibility decision in advance; it does not reserve a gravesite.

What does burial here include at no cost?

  • A gravesite in any VA national cemetery with available space
  • Opening and closing of the grave
  • A government-provided burial liner
  • A government-provided headstone or marker
  • Perpetual care of the gravesite

Veterans also receive a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate (presented to the next of kin at the burial) and military funeral honors, which include the playing of Taps and two uniformed service members who present the flag. The committal service is held at a committal shelter, not at the grave, and lasts about 20 minutes. National cemeteries have no viewing facilities, so the funeral itself is held elsewhere.

How do you schedule a burial at Santa Fe National Cemetery?

  1. Gather the veteran's DD214 or other discharge papers, and the deceased's details (Social Security number, dates of birth and death, relationship to the veteran).
  2. Fax the discharge papers to the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 866-900-6417, or email them to [email protected] with the deceased's name in the subject line.
  3. You or the funeral director call 800-535-1117 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET) to request Santa Fe National Cemetery and a date. National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.

Where is the Santa Fe National Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Santa Fe National Cemetery to see the committal services planned there. It only lists burials whose families agreed to publish them. To change or cancel a burial that's already scheduled, contact Santa Fe National Cemetery directly at 505-988-6400.

Headstone, flag and burial allowance

  • Government headstone or marker: tell the scheduling office which headstone, marker, niche cover or medallion you want when you schedule the burial.
  • Burial flag: VA Form 27-2008.
  • Burial allowance: For a non-service-connected death on or after October 1, 2026, VA pays up to $1,032 toward burial and funeral costs and $1,032 for a plot; for a service-connected death on or after September 11, 2001, the burial allowance is up to $2,000. Claim it with VA Form 21P-530EZ. All benefits

After the funeral: survivor benefits and the estate

A surviving spouse, child or parent may qualify for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), a tax-free monthly VA benefit, for example when the death was service connected (VA Form 21P-534EZ). The veteran's estate is settled under New Mexico law; our sister site ProbateUS explains how probate works in New Mexico and lists each county's probate court. For the rest of the paperwork, from Social Security to bank accounts, DeathUS has a step-by-step checklist of what to do when someone dies.

Funeral homes near Santa Fe National Cemetery

A funeral director usually arranges the burial with the cemetery. These are the closest funeral homes by straight-line distance. Each one links to its full listing on FuneralUS, our funeral home directory.

  1. Berardinelli Family Funeral Service
    Santa Fe, NMMilitary honors services
    1.8 mi from the cemetery
  2. 5.6 mi from the cemetery
  3. 6.8 mi from the cemetery
  4. 21.4 mi from the cemetery
  5. 22.1 mi from the cemetery
  6. 23.3 mi from the cemetery

Search all funeral homes by ZIP on FuneralUS

FAQ

Questions about burial at Santa Fe National Cemetery

  • Is burial at Santa Fe National Cemetery free?

    Yes, for eligible veterans, spouses and dependent children. VA provides the gravesite, opening and closing of the grave, a burial liner, a headstone or marker, and perpetual care at no cost. The funeral home's services, such as transport and any service before the burial, are arranged and paid for separately.

  • Can I reserve a gravesite at Santa Fe National Cemetery in advance?

    No. You can ask VA for a pre-need eligibility decision before a death, but VA says the decision letter doesn't name a cemetery or gravesite, because neither can be reserved in advance.

  • How do I schedule a burial at Santa Fe National Cemetery?

    Fax the veteran's discharge papers to 866-900-6417 or email them to [email protected]. Then you or the funeral director call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET). National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.

  • Where can I see the burial schedule for Santa Fe National Cemetery?

    On VA's daily burial schedule at https://www.cem.va.gov/cem/dailyburialschedule/. It covers every national cemetery, but it only lists burials whose families agreed to publish them.

  • Are military funeral honors provided at Santa Fe National Cemetery?

    Yes, if you ask for them. Your funeral director, a Veterans Service Organization or the cemetery staff can arrange them. At minimum, two uniformed service members fold and present the burial flag at the committal shelter, and Taps is played.

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