Legally reviewed by: 
Medically reviewed by: An Emotional Support Animal (ESA) certification is not a registry entry or a printable form. Instead, an ESA certification refers to an official ESA letter written by a licensed healthcare provider (LHCP) stating that you have a qualifying disability that substantially limits one or more major life activities and that your pet helps relieve your symptoms. Under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), this letter confirms a mental health condition and grants legal housing protections for your animal. Without this valid clinical documentation, your pet will not be legally recognized as an emotional support animal. If you believe you qualify, learn how to properly certify your pet below.
Certify your Pet as an ESA
To certify your pet as your emotional support animal, you need an ESA Letter from a licensed healthcare provider. Renters with a medical need for their pet are often blocked by no-pet rules, pet fees, and breed/size restrictions. Properly certifying your ESA removes these housing barriers.
How to Certify your Pet as an ESA
- Seek out a qualified mental health professional.
You can request a telehealth session with your current therapist, counselor, or primary care physician. You can also work remotely with an ESA specialist through ESA Doctors.
- Request your provider evaluate your mental health.
Share your personal experience honestly, and they will need to determine whether your condition is eligible for an emotional support animal.
- Get an ESA letter that certifies your need for an emotional support animal.
The letter should be signed, dated, on letterhead, and contain the provider’s license number. Make sure your therapist or doctor is well-versed in ESA laws, as landlords (or landlords’ attorneys) may contact them in bad faith. They can email you a copy, just make sure their signature is on the letter.
- Submit your ESA letter to your housing provider.
Once your housing provider reviews your ESA Letter and accepts your ESA, you will be entitled to all the legal protections afforded to an owner of an emotional support animal.
If you are ready to see if you qualify for an Emotional Support Animal, click below
What an ESA Certification is NOT
An ESA Certification is not a document you can purchase off the internet. ESA Registration sites will offer you an “ESA Certification” but that document does not confer any rights to you or your pet. The ONLY way to get an ESA Certification that works is by working with a licensed healthcare provider to see if are eligible. If a company promises you an ESA Certification within 24 hours, don’t work with them.
Can You Really Get an ESA Certificate Online?
You can get an ESA Letter online if you work with a licensed healthcare provider that offers remote services. HUD specifically endorses ESA letters that are obtained from online professionals. So yes, you can really get one online. Here is what they had to say:
“…. many legitimate, licensed health care professionals deliver services remotely, including over the internet. One reliable form of documentation is a note from a person’s health care professional that confirms a person’s disability and/or need for an animal when the provider has personal knowledge of the individual.”
Frequently Asked Questions about Certifying an Emotional Support Animal
You can qualify for an ESA if a therapist or LMHP assesses your mental and emotional health and determines you meet the eligibility requirements for an emotional support animal. You don’t determine this yourself, you work with a LMHP for their professional assessment. To meet the eligibility requirements, you must be diagnosed with a condition that substantially limits one or more major life activities. The therapist or LMHP must also conclude that an emotional support animal will help alleviate symptoms that arise from that condition.
If you suffer from one of the conditions listed below, it is worth meeting with a therapist or LMHP to see if you qualify:
Depression
Chronic anxiety
PTSD
Autism
Phobias
Emotional support animals have the right to live with their owners in most forms of housing, including buildings that prohibit pets. Only Service Dogs and Psychiatric Service Dogs have public access rights in places like stores, restaurants, and hotels. Businesses and hotels may still accommodate emotional support animals as a courtesy, even though they are not legally required to do so.
No, there is no official government certification program. There is also no private organization that issues legally recognized ESA certificates. To certify your pet as an emotional support animal, you need an ESA letter from a licensed mental health provider.
You do not need any type of training certificate for an emotional support animal. ESAs provide support just by being a reliable presence for their owners. Unlike service dogs, they are not required to be trained to perform any special tasks or jobs for their owners.
It’s a good idea, however, to provide basic training for any animal you own. Just because your pet is an emotional support animal does not mean a landlord cannot remove it if it causes property damage, is a nuisance, or harms another tenant. Emotional support animals are expected to be good tenants like all other humans and animals living in the building.
You can start the process and get an ESA letter before you adopt your animal. You don’t have to own a pet already to qualify for an ESA. If your landlord asks why you need an Emotional Support Animal, an ESA letter is the only proof they can legally request. They cannot ask you to disclose your disability or submit medical records.
Once your pet is validated as an emotional support animal, you gain access to several legal benefits, including the following:
The right to live in no-pets residential buildings.
Exemption from no-pets lease provisions.
Waiver of pet deposits and pet fees.
Exemption from animal breed, size, and weight restrictions.
Owners of emotional support animals are protected by the Fair Housing Act. That means no matter where you live in the United States, your rights as an ESA owner are always protected.
Mental Health Benefits of emotional support animals
Having an emotional support animal can help with numerous mental health issues. Owning a pet has been scientifically proven to have beneficial effects on mental health. ESAs can provide a sense of calm and safety, which can be particularly beneficial for individuals suffering from anxiety disorders. For those dealing with depression, ESAs can offer companionship that combats feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Interacting with pets has been shown to reduce levels of cortisol, a stress-related hormone, and to increase the production of oxytocin, which is a hormone associated with bonding and affection. The companionship of an ESA can enhance overall well-being and mood. This can be due to the increase in dopamine and serotonin levels, neurotransmitters that play a part in regulating mood and emotion.
ESAs can be particularly beneficial for individuals with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) by providing a feeling of security and interrupting triggering episodes.
Can 4 dogs get registered? Only 1 dog is allowed in an HOA community.
I purchased a support dog application and got approved didn’t receive anything else not paperwork or vest I purchased in early January my daughter condo is saying my dog Bailey is denied to be at her condo please advise me how to proceed thank you
An ESA letter applies to the person named in the letter and is meant for that person’s own housing. Unfortunately, it does not grant visitation rights in someone else’s condo or building. When visiting another home, that housing’s pet policy will apply regardless of the ESA status your pet may have in your own home.
I need a new red vest for my pet, how do I order a new one?
You can go to https://www.servicedogcertifications.org/vests/ to purchase a cape or harness, depending on the size of your pet.
I have lost 6 family members in 4 years. I am alone now as I lost my husband of 27 years. My little companion dog is “Charlie” and he provides me a GREAT deal of comfort from my many losses. He is my shadow, and a very welcome one.
I was told by a hotel they don’t accept this.
If you’re referring to hotels accepting emotional support animals, that is correct. ESAs do not have rights when it comes to hotels. They primarily just have housing rights in residential buildings in the U.S. Psychiatric Service Dogs do have a right to travel with their handlers to hotels. To learn more, read this: https://esadoctors.com/psychiatric-service-dog-letter/
How can condo associations (my neighbors) demand medical information from health care professionals without violating HIPPA rules?
Landlords are not allowed to ask for medical records. The only document they are entitled to see is an ESA letter from a licensed healthcare professional. They cannot request medical exams or medical histories.
Can u take Esa in like Walmart or any store. I have bipolar 2, acute anxiety, ocd, and depression. I see a therapist and I have a doctor who prescribes my meds
Unfortunately emotional support animals do not have public access rights in places like stores. ESAs primarily have housing rights in the U.S. Please see this article for more details: https://esadoctors.com/where-can-i-take-emotional-support-animals/
I have a letter from my Therapist for my emotional support dog. Do I have to get a card and if so how do I go about getting it.
No, you don’t need any special card for an emotional support animal. A letter from a licensed doctor or therapist is sufficient to prove that you own an emotional support animal.
Can you tell us how to create our own Emotional Support Dog?
Please see this link for steps on qualifying for an emotional support animal: https://esadoctors.com/esa-letter/
Do esa have exemptions on airplanes or buses
ESAs do not have any special access rights to board a plane or bus. ESAs would be handeled as regular pets. However, you may want to reach out to the bus company and airline you’re planning to take, to inquire about their latest pet policies.
On airlines specifically, you can read more about that here: https://esadoctors.com/airlines-allowing-emotional-support-animals/
Do I have to pay for this every year
Our service does not require a mandatory yearly fee or any subscription fee. For the fee you pay, you will get everything you need to qualify for an ESA letter. It is recommended however that you renew your ESA letter every year, especially if you are moving or if your landlord requires an updated letter. We have a renewal service for clients that is a discounted rate compared to the initial cost. Please see this article for more details: https://esadoctors.com/do-esa-letters-expire-how-to-renew/