In order to prove that an animal is an emotional support animal, you may be asked to provide documentation from a licensed professional (doctor, psychiatrist, or other mental health professional) stating that the animal is an essential part of treatment for a disability. A landlord or business may ask you to provide a doctor’s note or they could deny you and your emotional support animal. All airlines require the letter.
Regardless of whether you are asked to show a doctor’s letter, it is very helpful to have one on file just in case.
To travel with an emotional support animal on an airplane, you must provide supporting documentation that must be from a licensed mental health professional or a medical doctor which states the following:
*** UPDATE! As of 2018, American Airlines, United Airlines, Alaska Air and Delta require extra documentation filled out by a medical professional to accompany the doctor’s letter. If you would like to have this filled out by one of our medical professionals, please let us know and we can send a supplemental document along with the doctor’s letter for a small additional fee.
Landlords are required to make a reasonable accommodation for a person who requires an emotional support animal that allows that person to live with the animal, even if the landlord has a no-pet policy. However, the landlord may require written documentation that the animal is truly a prescribed emotional support animal.