Emotional Support Animal Certificate

An Emotional Support Animal (ESA) certificate is a document that verifies that an individual has a mental or emotional disability and that an emotional support animal is necessary for their daily life.  The certificate should include the individual’s name, the type of animal, and the professional’s statement that the animal provides. The certificate is important documentation that is needed to verify the need for an ESA, it is used to confirm the animal is an ESA and it can be required by landlords, airlines, and other organizations.

Emotional support animals play the role of moral support and loyal companion to people with any type of mental health issues and disabilities.

Unlike service dogs, ESAs do not need to be specially trained to assist their owners.

A person can choose any type of animal to become their emotional support; the main thing here is for them to get comfort and calmness because of the pet’s presence. People find the following animals the most helpful – dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, horses, miniature pigs, goats, etc. Their main task is to support the handler during anxiety attacks, depressive episodes, and other unfortunate mental health problems.

How to get an emotional support animal certificate?

Pet certifying for emotional support is obligatory for making the status of your pet official and getting a certificate. To do that, a letter of recommendation from the healthcare provider is required; he proves your need for an emotional support animal in it, and after that, you can easily complete the registration.

Provide us with all the needed information to get the certificate:

• Your name;
• The name of your pet, its type, and breed;
• The email address and physical address we can send you a certificate.

Your pet will be registered and added to our database as soon as our manager confirms all the info.  If there are any questions, our team customer support will gladly help you with everything.

MyServiceAnimal is your trusted assistant in registering animals in the United States that recognizes the value of service animals. Founded in 2019, we have registered tens of thousands of clients in an effort to facilitate the process of obtaining ESA certification. Our work extends to specially trained service dogs and emotional support animals, recognizing their vital role in maintaining mental health. We are distinguished by a team of experts who will guide you through the registration process and offer comprehensive services – from registering your service animal to producing certificates, vests and harnesses. Choose MyServiceAnimal for competence, efficiency and value and join us in protecting your rights and the well-being of your service animal.

At Myserviceanimal.org, we offer more than just certification for your emotional support animal. In addition to certifying your ESA, you can also register emotional support animal in our database to make its status easily verifiable online. We also offer physical ID cards, as well as various accessories such as tags and ESA vests, leashes, and collars. Our goal is to provide you with all the resources you need to make the most of your emotional support animal and ensure that you have the documentation and support you need for travel, housing, and other accommodations.

Who can be certified as an ESA handler?

If you are not sure whether you can qualify for dog emotional support, here is a list of mental health issues that require moral support and companionship in order not to be so harsh on a person:

• Anxiety;
• Depression;
• Learning disabilities;
• Attention deficit disorder;
• Chronic stress;
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In order to know for sure, consult with your health care provider and, if the answer is positive, get a note/a special letter of recommendation from them. Without it, you won’t be able to register your pet as an ESA.

Benefits of the certified ESA

For those who are not sure why they need to register their animals, we would like to provide you a list of benefits that are available only for registered ESAs:

• Live with your pet in “no pets” policy housing. A landlord cannot decline your request because of your ESA; they also cannot charge you extra just because you need your companion to live with you. The only thing they can charge you for is the stuff damaged by your animal;
• Fly anywhere you want with your ESA. You need to inform the airline that you will be traveling with an animal in advance to use this option. After that, they will let you know if it is okay with their policy;
• Help people to become more aware of the topic of ESAs. Nowadays, some people do not understand the concept of emotional support completely. That is why it is so important to explain it to them and demonstrate that it is normal and doesn’t really differ from service animals.

What’s the difference between an ESA ID card and a certificate

An emotional support dog ID card and emotional assistance dog certification are two different types of documents that are often used to identify and verify the status of an emotional support animal (ESA). Here are some key differences between the two:

1. Purpose: An emotional support dog ID card is typically used to identify the animal as an ESA and to provide information about the animal and its handler. An emotional support dog certificate, on the other hand, is typically used to verify that the animal has been prescribed as an ESA by a qualified mental health professional and meets the standards for an ESA.
2. Issued by: An ID card is typically issued by an organization that registers ESAs, while an emotional support dog certificate is typically issued by a qualified mental health professional or organization.
3. Legal recognition: An ID card may be recognized by some entities as proof of the animal’s status as an ESA, but it may not have the same level of legal recognition as an emotional support dog certificate. An emotional support dog certificate may be required by certain entities, such as airlines or housing providers, as proof of the animal’s status and prescription as an ESA.
4. Format: An emotional support dog ID card is typically a physical card that the handler carries with them, while an emotional support dog certificate is typically a document that is issued and signed by the mental health professional or issuing organization.

An emotional support animal certificate and a doctor’s letter are related but different documents

An ESA doctor’s letter, also known as a prescription letter, is a document issued by a licensed mental health professional, such as a therapist or psychiatrist, that confirms that an individual has a mental or emotional disability and that an emotional support animal is necessary for their daily life. This letter should be on the professional’s letterhead and include their signature, the date of issue, the individual’s name, the type of animal, and the professional’s statement that the animal provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified symptoms of the individual’s disability.

An ESA certificate, on the other hand, is a document that verifies that an individual has been evaluated by a licensed mental health professional and has been found to have a mental or emotional disability that can benefit from an emotional support animal. It may include the same information as a doctor’s letter but it’s not the same document. It is a supplementary document that can be used in conjunction with the doctor’s emotional support animal letter to verify the need for an ESA. Also get a service dog certificate on our website.

Both the doctor’s letter and the ESA certificate are important documentation that is required to verify the need of an emotional support animal. Landlords, airlines, and other organizations may require one or both of these documents before allowing an ESA on their property or during travel.

Description Last update: May 19, 2025