How to get animal certified as emotional support

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Table of Contents Show

Which Registration is Right For You?
Need a Doctor’s Letter for Housing?
Talk to our medical doctors today!
What is an ESA?
Steps of ESA registration
Traveling and Housing
How do I register an emotional support animal in Colorado?
How do I register an emotional support animal in Arizona?
How do you get an emotional support animal in Utah?
How do I register my emotional support animal in Florida?

Registration Valid for Life of Animal

Your service animal or emotional support animal will be registered with the U.S. Service and Support Animals Registry Database for the entire life of the animal.

Registration Benefits

All orders have an option of digital copies of your certificate of registration and photo ID so you can print them out for immediate use.

Registration is valid for the lifetime of your animal.

Our staff attorneys will get involved and help if your rights are being violated. Registration gives you access to our legal team.

Easy Registration Process

Step 1

Enter your animal’s information to register.

Step 2

Your Animal will be Registered In The US National Registry
Your animal will be registered as an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) or Service Animal and placed in the US National Service Animal Registry Database.

Step 3

Receive your Certificate & ID In The Mail Fast!
You will receive your ESA or Service Animal Registration Certificate and Photo ID by mail and in digital format (optional) to download for immediate use.

Which Registration is Right For You?

If you have any questions please use our live chat or call us now at (985) 570-5386

Need a Doctor’s Letter for Housing?

In order to prove that an animal is an emotional support animal, you may be asked to provide documentation from a licensed professional (doctor, psychiatrist, or other mental health professional) stating that the animal is an essential part of treatment for a disability. A landlord or business may ask you to provide a doctor’s note or they could deny you and your emotional support animal.

Regardless of whether you are asked to show a doctor’s letter, it is very helpful to have one on file just in case.

Talk to our medical doctors today!

Speak to a Doctor Now

Do you want your pet to travel with you in the cabin of an airplane rather than as cargo? Register your pet now as an emotional support animal (ESA). Here are some guidelines you may want to know.

What is an ESA?

Animals are not only invaluable companions, but can also help people in special circumstances, such as service dogs for those with physical disabilities and emotional support animals for mental/emotional disabilities. Most people prefer to have emotional support animals, especially dogs and cats, because an ESA, unlike service dogs, does not require special training. Besides, ESAs play an important role in alleviating the emotions of the owner such as anxiety, depression or other mental illnesses. The most common and popular type of ESA is the emotional support dog. There are legal protections that allow them to stay in homes where pets are not allowed or on flights. However, most public places prohibit access to ESAs, in contrast to service dogs, which are not denied access.

Steps of ESA registration

If you are considering registering your dog/animal as ESA, you should know there is no official registry yet. Every dog breed is allowed to register.

The first step is to get an ESA letter from a licensed therapist. An ESA letter is documentation and proof of emotional disabilities and a required paper for ESA registration. If you are working with a therapist specialising in animal therapy who knows the ESA requirements, we recommend that you ask him/her to write an ESA letter. If he/she can not confirm the format or does not know the ESA guidelines, you can seek assistance from us and we will contact our therapist.

The purpose of the ESA letter is to show that your dog/animal provides you with the support you need to live a normal life. The letter must contain the following information:

• Your name

• Disability description

• The most important activity you can not do without your pet because of your disability.

• Letterhead and signature of the therapist

• Valid date: no later than one year since approval for an ESA

The second step is to find a reliable website or organisation that can issue an ESA certification upon receipt of the ESA letter. (Some websites can directly issue the ESA certification without the ESA letter, and you could skip step 1) The following information must be provided for this purpose:

• Your name

• The name of your dog/animal

• A photo of your dog/animal

• The breed of the animal

The third and last step

You receive an ESA certification in digital format online or in card format offline via express delivery. Then you should select a suitable vest (printed with ‘Emotional Support Animal’) and put the certificate in the vest or digitally download it to your mobile phone before traveling with your pet.

Traveling and Housing

ESAs are protected under the Fair Housing Act. An ESA for housing means you are legally allowed to live in no-pets-allowed accommodations with no added fees or deposits. These furry support systems give you a reason to get out of bed each morning and provide comfort when needed most.

When traveling, ESAs must follow the pet policy since 2021. As you may have already heard, the Department of Transportation issued a new ruling that allows airlines to ban emotional support animals. The ruling has been published as of December 10, 2020 and went into effect on January 11th, 2021. Now, the airlines have the ability to decide their own policy regarding emotional support animals. This doesn't necessarily mean your ESA will not be able to fly, but that they will only be recognized as a pet and will have to follow the airline's pet policy.

If you plan to train your ESA to a Psychiatric Service Dog, you can fly with protection! Traveling with a Psychiatric Service Dog means you are federally protected under the Department of Transportation and the Americans with Disabilities Act. No pet fees, no separation on flights. But before you travel with your PSD, it’s important you have trained your psychiatric service dog!

How do I register an emotional support animal in Colorado?

You can obtain an ESA letter through an in-person visit or an online therapist. If you do not have access to a licensed health professional, you can connect with a professional online. ESA Doctors works with online healthcare professionals who are licensed for Colorado and familiar with ESA recommendations.

How do I register an emotional support animal in Arizona?

To obtain an emotional support animal letter in Arizona, you must connect with a licensed mental health professional who can determine if you are eligible for an emotional support animal. Seeking out an ESA letter online enables you to avoid the hassle of long lines and traffic to meet with a clinician in person.

How do you get an emotional support animal in Utah?

How Do You Qualify for an ESA in Utah? To qualify for an emotional support animal in Utah, you first need to meet with an LMHP licensed in your state. They can evaluate your condition and symptoms to determine if an ESA would be a good fit for you. If so, they will write you an ESA letter to make it official.

How do I register my emotional support animal in Florida?

There is no official ESA registration process in any state, including Florida. The only way to legally recognize an emotional support animal is to obtain an ESA letter from a mental health professional licensed in Florida or whichever state you seek accommodations in.