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How It Works:
Get an ESA Letter in 3 Steps
1. Secure Online Form
Answer a few simple questions about your needs and situation.
2. Licensed Evaluation
The therapist contacts you in 24-48 business hours.
3. Letter Delivery
Receive your ESA letter by email within 24-48 hours.
*Arkansas, California, Iowa, Louisiana, and Montana have a 30-day turnaround period as per state regulations.
What Does an ESA Letter Look Like?
An ESA letter is authored and signed by a qualified mental health professional. It’s proof of your need for an emotional support animal and shields your right to housing.
What’s in an ESA Letter?
What’s in an ESA Letter?
- Name and license number of therapist
- Date and duration of issue and renewal
- FHA statement confirming housing protections
- Issue on official letterhead from a licensed provider
ESA letters are valid for housing only, Airlines no longer accept ESA letters for travel. You may be eligible for a PSD assessment.
Trusted by clients with a 4.6/5 rating
Trusted by clients with a 4.6/5 rating
Great experience. The process was very simple and when I didn’t respond via email to set up a phone meeting with the therapist, they reached out via text to set up the meeting. The whole process took about a week or two, but would’ve been quicker if I had responded promptly to the initial email.
My dog is essential to my emotional well-being. ESA Pet easily secured a legitimate ESA Letter, ensuring she can stay with me wherever I go. The process was fast, and the support was incredible.
Obtaining an ESA letter online was straightforward. Now, I have peace of mind, and my emotional support dog can be with me without issues.
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Each ESA letter is carefully reviewed and comes from a real licensed mental health professional. Our staff is professional, caring, and committed to your health.
Meet Our Licensed Therapists
Each ESA letter is carefully reviewed and comes from a real licensed mental health professional. Our staff is professional, caring, and committed to your health.
Licensed nationwide, including Puerto Rico. HIPAA-compliant and private portal.
Licensed nationwide, including Puerto Rico. HIPAA-compliant and private portal.
Vanessa Shoop
LCSWVanessa Shoop is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Georgia and has been providing individualized services to clients for over 20 years. She has expertise in anxiety management, trauma recovery, and family relationships. Vanessa is passionate about non-traditional interventions like naturopathy, emotional support animals, and art therapy. Her greatest success is helping clients find their inner peace during difficult times through spiritual connections and creative care. When not working, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and 2 teenagers and reading books.
Braulio Fernandez
LMHCLife’s challenges can sometimes feel overwhelming. I chose this profession to help people find healing and rediscover joy. My approach focuses on Life’s challenges can sometimes feel overwhelming. I chose this profession to help people find healing and rediscover joy. My approach focuses on Life’s challenges can sometimes feel overwhelming. I chose this profession to help people find healing and rediscover joy. My approach focuses on
Darren Rafel
Licensed TherapistDarren has over ten years of experience with clients of all ages. He combines integrative therapies, including pet therapy, to support emotional well-being. He finds it rewarding to help individuals benefit from the comfort that ESAs provide.
Get Your ESA Letter Online
for Emotional Support
The presence of an emotional support animal in your life can mean the difference between having a good day and a bad one, living with them! If you are suffering from anxiety, depression, PTSD, or other emotionally related conditions, an ESA letter provides you with the comfort and support that you deserve. When you have an Emotional Support Animal Letter, you can be with your friend anywhere and not fear housing situations or surprise pet levies.
ESA Letters vs. PSD Letters
It’s crucial to understand the distinction between an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) and a Psychiatric Service Dog (PSD). So, while ESAs offer comfort and emotional support, PSD letters are something else; they are there for dogs that have been trained to do tasks to assist someone in relation to their mental health. While ESA letters protect housing rights, PSD letters also protect air travel rights under the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA).
If you require your pet to travel with you on flights, you might want to consider requesting a PSD letter.
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More Frequent Questions
About ESA Letters
A licensed mental health provider must determine that you suffer from an eligible condition for you to be prescribed an ESA letter. So yes.
ESA Letters are valid documents for Housing rights, so yes. Under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), landlords are required to accept legitimate ESA letters and cannot charge pet rent or deposits.
Any animal can qualify as an emotional support animal, even though cats and dogs are the most prescribed ESAs. Other commonly prescribed domestic animals are rabbits, ferrets, and miniature horses. Any animal that can be proven to help with a recognized mental health disability will be prescribed.
Legitimate ESA Letters are the ones issued by a qualified mental health professional following a thorough evaluation. These letters provide many legal benefits.
Be careful of instant or “no evaluation” sites, as landlords may turn down their letters.
The differences between ESAs and Service Animals are pretty clear. While service animals are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, they are generally allowed in embedded housing under the ADA. ESAs provide emotional comfort but are covered only by housing laws.
Unlike service animals, an ESA only offers emotional support and requires no specific training. A Psychiatric Service Dog is trained to do work/task for a psychiatric disability and is allowed to
fly on an airplane.
Landlords cannot refuse a legitimate ESA letter, though they can require documentation from a licensed professional. They can refuse requests if they believe the animal is a health or safety threat.
Several mental health conditions can qualify someone for an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) letter when the animal is part of a licensed professional’s treatment plan to support the individual’s mental well-being. Common qualifying conditions include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), major depressive disorder, and social anxiety disorder.
Other anxiety disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and even chronic stress, may also make someone eligible if symptoms significantly affect daily functioning. Ultimately, a licensed mental health professional determines eligibility based on how an ESA can help alleviate emotional or psychological symptoms as part of a comprehensive treatment plan.
Your existing pet can qualify as an emotional support animal (ESA) if it meets the necessary clinical criteria established by a licensed mental health professional. This determination typically involves an evaluation process to confirm that your pet provides meaningful emotional support that helps manage your symptoms.
If approved, the provider will issue the proper ESA documentation, such as an official letter, verifying your need for the animal. With this documentation, your pet gains certain legal protections under federal housing laws, allowing it to live with you even in residences that typically prohibit pets.
A licensed therapist can provide a single ESA letter that encompasses all of your assistance animals, or update your letter when you obtain a new ESA.
ESA letters do not have an expiration date in the eyes of the law under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), but renewing on an annual basis indicates your ESA letter is based on a recent assessment; most landlords will require that at least annually.
Only licensed mental health professionals (LMHPs) like therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, or clinical social workers can legally write and sign ESA letters.
The FHA provides federal protection for ESAs when it comes to housing. Public places (stores, restaurants, airlines) do not have to accept ESAs — they are only ADA-protected animals.
No, unfortunately, ESAs are no longer accepted by most airlines. If you want to travel with your pet, you will need a Psychiatric Service Dog (PSD) letter.
Yes. You can use an official ESA letter in the vast majority of housing situations, from rentals to college dorms and even Airbnb, as long as they comply with FHA guidelines.
You can take your psychiatric service dog anywhere a business or public accommodation is open to the public, including restaurants, stores, hotels, and on public transportation, as they are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Fair Housing Act.
According to state and federal laws, they are also allowed to fly in the cabin of an airplane free of charge under U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) rules.
An ESA can be denied if it endangers people’s safety, inflicts undue harm and disturbance, isn’t being properly managed, or caring for the animal places an unreasonable burden on the landlord. Tenants also pay for any damage their emotional support animal causes.
An emotional support animal can provide powerful therapeutic benefits for individuals facing emotional challenges. As part of a broader mental health care plan, ESAs help alleviate symptoms of anxiety, depression, and loneliness by offering consistent companionship and comfort. They can also reduce the frequency and intensity of anxiety attacks, helping people feel more grounded in stressful situations.
Even an existing pet can qualify as an emotional support animal if a licensed professional determines it provides meaningful emotional stability and supports the person’s ongoing mental health care needs.
Emotional Support Animal State and Federal Regulations
Choose your state below, and always refer to your local guidelines for conditions that are specific to your state, which would affect the rights of your ESA.
Learn more about your State’s Laws and Regulations - Choose your state
These states require a 30-day client–therapist relationship before an ESA letter can be issued.
These states require a 30-day client–therapist relationship before an ESA letter can be issued.
Federal protections for ESAs are largely provided by the Fair Housing Act, which requires landlords to permit them without charging extra.
The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) is no longer clear on ESAs for in-cabin flights, and some states have their own laws. For example, California, Iowa, and Arkansas mandate a 30-day client-therapist relationship before an ESA letter is provided.
You deserve to have your emotional support animal by your side. Start your pre-screening today to see if you qualify for an ESA Letter.