Want to get an emotional support animal?
Don’t know where to get your ESA letter from?
We can help you with it. Getting a legitimate ESA letter can be difficult and tricky. There are a number of online sources that claim to give you valid and legal letters but, how to know which one is true?
Learn how to get an emotional support animal ESA letter that will help you to acquire your desired animal and live and travel with it.
What is an ESA Letter?
An ESA prescription letter is an official letter from a licensed mental health professional, that is required to obtain an emotional support animal. Usually, an ESA letter is written and issued by a mental health practitioner. The practitioner confirms the person’s condition and symptoms and suggests an ESA as therapy and for the betterment of the individual.
These letters are used for three main purposes.
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1. ESA Housing Letters
This kind of letter helps the ESA owner in getting better and indiscriminate housing opportunities. According to the Fair Housing Act, no landlord in the United States will discriminate against any tenant, based on the presence of an emotional support animal. Due to this law, the ESA owners can have their pets in their house without paying any pet fees
This type of letter does not require any annual renewal.
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2. ESA Travel Letters
The travel letter allows the ESA owners to travel with their pets. Normally, flights do not allow passengers to travel with their pets. However, with an ESA letter, according to the Air Carrier Access Act, the flight is required to make proper arrangements for your companion animal. However, your ESA should be well mannered and you should know some important things before flying with your dog.
These types of letters are valid for up to a year and need to be renewed annually.
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3. ESA Housing/Travel Combo Letters
The combo type of letters works for both housing and traveling purposes. You can use them to practice your rights as a tenant as well as travel with your pet and ask for proper traveling arrangements for your ESA.
What are the benefits of an ESA letter? Some of the key benefits of getting a genuine and legitimate ESA letter is that you can live and travel with your animal for free. As per the laws, no landlords and airlines are allowed to discriminate against you and you get a chance of proper and suitable housing and traveling.
Who Can Write an ESA Letter?
Any doctor or therapist can write an ESA letter for you. But the doctor should be a licensed mental health practitioner and should be looking after your mental health. Many times people try to fake it by asking a random doctor to write their ESA letter, which is wrong and against the laws.
For people wondering if a family doctor can write an ESA letter for them. No, they can’t write an ESA letter for you. A mental health practitioner that is licensed and knows about your condition can write an ESA letter for you but it should be on his or her own official letterhead and with all the details.
Can a Physician Write an ESA Letter?
Many people and especially the new emotional support animal owners do not know whether a physician could write an ESA letter for them. The answer is no. A physician can write a service animal letter but, unfortunately, a physician could not write an ESA letter for you. He is not an authority on mental health and this is why he is not the right person to write an emotional support dog letter for you.
So, who can write an ESA letter for you? To get a valid letter, you will have to consult a mental health professional.
What are the ESA Letter Requirements?
Who qualifies for an emotional support animal? To qualify for an ESA, you will need to fulfill some requirements. Generally, people suffering from some mental illness or disorder, anxiety and depression, mental and emotional disabilities require some companionship to overcome their condition and live a normal life.
People suffering from severe physical limitations and disabilities take assistance from service animals like a service dog, who is trained to perform specific tasks as per the person’s physical requirements.
However, for an emotional animal, or dog, this special training is not needed since they will not be performing any special tasks or duties. Your ESA only needs to be well mannered and safe to have around yourself and others.
But the letter must be written by a professional mental health professional who is licensed to work in your state and knows how to identify your symptoms correctly.
How to Get an ESA Letter?
Getting an ESA letter should not be a problem if you are under treatment for any mental or emotional disability. The trend of having an emotional support animal is gaining momentum and now we see a number of people walking with their animals in public places, including restaurants. The benefits are huge as a companion animal helps the owner in combating isolation and loneliness and have a normal and happy life.
To get your ESA letter, you can choose either of the following methods.
Get a Legitimate ESA Letter Online
One of the ways to get a legitimate ESA letter is to find some online sources for it. There are many people who, for some reason, do not consult a doctor. For such people, online resources offering legitimate emotional animal support ESA letters is a blessing.
But, if you are looking to get an online ESA letter then you need to be really careful. Some red signs include cheap rates that are too good to be true. RealESALetter.com is a professional online resource that offers and provides legitimate, legal and cheap ESA letter for you.
To get your letter, follow the following steps:
- Fill in the online form.
- Fill in the symptoms of your condition.
- Get the results.
If you are eligible, we will inform you and proceed with preparing an ESA letter for you. We have a professional mental health practitioner that suggests an ESA based on your survey answers and symptoms.
Get in touch with us today and get ready to live and fly with your ESA according to the emotional support animal laws.
Ask your Mental Health Professional
Usually, your doctor will be happy to write it for you but, there are fair chances that they refuse to write it. The reason is that some doctors do not believe that an emotional support animal can help anyone and second, they are skeptical about them.
However, if your therapist agrees, make sure that they write it on their official letterhead, having all the information regarding their license number and expertise.
How to ask a doctor for an emotional support animal letter? Steps are as follows:
- Talk to your mental health professional about getting an ESA.
- Ask them to write it for you and add the details.
- Get the ESA evaluation letter written on the official and genuine letterhead.
What are the Elements of an ESA Letter?
A genuine ESA letter is not that difficult to identify and spot. Therefore, before getting one, especially online, make sure that your letter has everything in it. Some of the key things that go into an ESA letter include:
- Complete name of the patient
- Detail about the type of mental or emotional disorder the person has
- The time frame since the therapist is assisting the person
- The consequences of the person’s conditions
- Reasons why and how an emotional support animal will help
- The therapist’s license number
- Date of issuance and expiry of the letter
- Complete name of the doctor
- Signature of the doctor
Before moving forward, you must ask for an ESA letter sample to see if it has all the details mentioned in it.
How to Identify a Fake ESA Letter?
You can easily identify a fake ESA letter by the look of it. All you need to have is proper knowledge of what makes a genuine letter and you will be good to go. The matter is quite common when you work with an online ESA letter provider. However, you can recognize its legitimacy by noticing some points and details.
Is your chosen company giving you a blank copy of their ESA letter?
Consider it the very first step in identifying if the company is legitimate or not. Before proceeding, ask them to give you a blank copy of an ESA letter.
Read the letter and see what things are added in it. Is everything clear and properly written? Are all the details added in it? If anything is missing, ask them about it and see how they respond.
If a company refuses to give a blank letter then it is a red sign that you should avoid working with it.
Is the license of your chosen practitioner authorized in your state?
This is something that many people overlook, especially if it is their first time getting an ESA letter. To have a valid and legally sound ESA letter, it is essential that the practitioner is licensed to work in their respective state. So, if you are thinking of getting the letter from Texas when you are living in Illinois then chances are that your letter will have a big loophole.
Therefore, it is essential that you make sure that the practitioner holds the license to work in your state and if he or she is treating you for some mental or emotional issue then it is even better. This way your letter will be more credible.
Is the license valid and still working?
Having a practitioner from your state is not enough. The practitioner needs to have a valid license and he or she must be a practicing professional. See if the license number is given with all the details regarding its issuance, renewal and expiration. If all the details are in line, it is a good sign that you are working with a legitimate company.
Is the letter written on the official letterhead?
‘I got my emotional support animal ESA letter on a plain paper. Is it valid?’
No, my friend, it is not. Sorry to break the bad news but if you have got your letter on plain paper then it is fake. A legitimate and legally valid ESA letter is written on the mental health professional’s official letterhead. It contains the name of the institute from where the practitioner has obtained his degree, the details of the degrees and complete address and a contact number.
The key is transparency. More details mean that the person is reliable and trustworthy. Therefore, if any details are missing, give your decision a second thought.
Does the letter details about the ESA in question?
Now, this is something really important. An authentic letter always, always, contains details about the emotional support animal, if you are looking to certify your existing pet as an emotional support animal. The letter must contain all the details regarding it like the animal’s type, name, ID number, date of issuance and date of expiration.
Does it mention its issuance and expiration date?
If it does not then it should. The date of issuance and expiration should be added in the letter. It is important and essential to keep track of when the certificate is expiring because you will need to renew it annually.
Generally, for housing purposes, the letter does not need any renewal. However, for flights and to fly with your pet, the letter needs to be renewed annually.
How Much Does a Certified Letter Cost?
How much does a genuine emotional support letter cost? A simple answer to it is, it depends. The cost varies from state to state and where it could be easy to get the letter in one state, it could be difficult in another state. On average, a genuine letter could cost you about $200 and upwards.
To know about the cost of the ESA letter in your state, contact the concerned authorities of your state. One thing that you must remember is that an ESA letter is valid for a year only and you will need to renew it each year. If someone claims that they are giving you a letter, which will be valid for a lifetime then they are trying to spam you.
Renewing charges are different from certification charges and the authorities will inform you about everything.
Can I Get a Free ESA Letter?
Unfortunately, no you cannot. Many people think about getting a free ESA dog letter and free ESA letter for housing by downloading the ESA letter template from an online source. Doing this will only land you in trouble and you can also end up in prison. To avoid any unlikely situation, it is better to work by the law and get a real and legitimate emotional support animal letter.