ByHow to Register an Emotional Support Animal the Easy Way
Hundreds of thousands of emotional support animals (ESA) are working in the United States. These animals, primarily dogs, may support their owners through depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other emotional and mental health conditions. When utilizing the essential services of these animals, it's crucial to have an ESA letter verifying that your animal is a legitimate emotional support provider and necessary to have with you. While some online ESA registration sites want to charge you a fee, you can access by utilizing DoNotPay to contact your mental health provider.
Understanding how to apply for a free emotional support animal letter can help you travel hassle-free on airlines such as United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and American Airlines. It can also help you get your ESA into buildings and facilities that might otherwise try to ban them. In many cases, gaining your emotional support animal certification for free can help you access essential housing options. Federal law protects an ESA owner's right to bring their animal on an airplane and live with their animal in rented accommodation.
Instead of using services that promise cheap ESA registration, you can approach your healthcare provider yourself and request ESA-free registration instead. We'll show you how to do it yourself or put DoNotPay's automated service to work on your behalf.
What is an Emotional Support Animal
An emotional support animal, by definition, is an animal companion that offers a lot of benefits to individuals with some form of disability. The animal is intended to provide companionship and support to those who are suffering from anxiety or depression.
Benefits of an Emotional Support Animal
| Lessens Anxiety | Creates a relaxation response which helps improve people’s mood. |
| Gives Support | Provide comfort to people who are dealing with a difficult or traumatic experience. |
| Improved Health | Studies have found that emotional support animals can help in lowering blood pressure and improve the ability to cope with pain. |
| Lowers the Feelings of Loneliness | Animals provide a sense of companionship which helps alleviate depression and loneliness. |
| Gives Purpose | Taking care of an emotional support animal can be emotionally rewarding. They provide you with unconditional love that gives people a sense of purpose. |
What Is an ESA Letter?
An emotional support animal letter will let authorities know that your ESA is a necessary companion who should stay with you. Different states and organizations may have different rules on what an ESA letter should contain, but in general, it will need to have:
- Your mental health provider's license number
- The expiration date of their license
- Information on how to contact the issuing medical professional
The letter should also be dated and on your mental health provider's official letterhead. Your therapist will want to include the information that they are currently treating you for a condition. They do not have to go into detail about that condition or reveal any details regarding your treatment. They should also include information about your ESA, including what type of animal it is along with their breed and weight.
How to Register My Dog as an Emotional Support Animal For Free
The only legitimate way to get an ESA letter is from a licensed mental health professional. There is no such thing as cheap ESA certification outside of contacting a mental health professional. Many online services promise to register a therapy dog free on your behalf or provide you with cheap emotional support animal registration. However, these are not official documents, and these databases won't provide any protection when trying to get your ESA on a flight or into rented accommodation. Remember that an ESA is not a service animal and may not have the same rights, even with an ESA letter.
You'll need to approach your mental health care provider to get emotional support animal certification free yourself. This may include a licensed counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist. They will need to be licensed in your state. For example, if you need , you'll need to contact a therapist licensed in Texas.
Here is how to get a letter for a free emotional support animal yourself:
- Contact your licensed mental health care provider
- Let them know you need an ESA letter
- Provide them with a sample ESA letter if requested
If you aren't currently seeing a mental health provider, you may be able to book an appointment with one online and make the request for an ESA letter then.
Why Use DoNotPay to Get the Cheapest ESA Certification
While you can contact your therapist yourself, there may be an easier method as to how to make your dog an emotional support animal for free. That's by using DoNotPay. We can contact your mental health provider on your behalf and request an ESA letter. This is a convenient and fast way to get your emotional support animal letter at a cheap price from your therapist and addressed it to a specific airline or landlord.
Here is how you can use DoNotPay in just a few steps to get a free ESA letter:
- Search "service animal" on DoNotPay.
- Select the type of issue you need help with, including contacting your landlord about your ESA/service animal, asking your airline about ESA options, or requesting ESA/service accommodations at other venues.
- Answer a series of questions about your current situation and the details of your ESA/service animal, so we can generate the best results for you.
Click submit, and you are done! We will take care of the rest, making this one of the easiest methods possible on getting a dog certified as an emotional support animal for free.
DoNotPay can also help you with any other ESA-related topics such as:
What Else Can DoNotPay Do?
DoNotPay can do so much more than providing therapy dog registration free of charge. You can also:
- Contact animal control in your area
- Obtain a pet license in your area
- Cancel an unwanted subscription
- Request compensation from an airline
- Request hotel upgrades when traveling
- File a claim in small claims court
We're the world's first automated AI Consumer Champion helping you take care of many of the items on your to-do list. Put our service to work today and see what we can do for you!