Emotional Support Animal Questions, Answered

No. Registration with ESA Card involves no evaluation, no appointment, and no health questions. You tell us about your pet, and your certificate, wallet card and registration number are issued instantly. If you also want an ESA letter for housing, that one comes from a licensed mental health professional, and our free sample letter shows exactly what it should say.

No law requires it. People register for what it gives them: a Certificate of Registration for the wall, a wallet ESA Card with their pet's photo, and a registration number anyone can check at esacard.com/verify in seconds. For housing, the Fair Housing Act looks to a letter written by a licensed mental health professional. Keep that letter in your lease file and your ESA Card in your wallet.

An ESA letter comes from a licensed mental health professional who knows you, and it is what a housing provider asks for under the Fair Housing Act. Registration gives your pet its wallet card, its certificate and a registration number anyone can check, which make everyday moments easier. They work together: the letter in your lease file, the card in your wallet. Our free sample letter shows exactly what a letter should say.

What a landlord has to consider is a valid letter from a licensed mental health professional, the document the Fair Housing Act recognizes. Keep that letter in your lease file and your ESA Card in your wallet: the card puts your pet's photo, details and a checkable registration number in front of a building manager in seconds.

Dogs and cats are most common, but you can register any household companion: rabbits, birds, reptiles, and more. Each registration covers one animal, with its own number, card, and certificate, so a second pet needs a second kit.

Yes, as a pet. Since early 2021, under a December 2020 DOT rule, U.S. airlines fly emotional support animals under each airline's pet policy, so book yours the way you would any pet. Many airlines take small dogs and cats in the cabin in a carrier.

Yes. Registration is open worldwide, and the kit is identical wherever you live: instant certificate, wallet ESA Card with your pet's photo, and a number anyone can verify from any country. Pick "Another country" on the owner step and choose yours. Your PDFs are laid out for A4 unless you are somewhere that uses US Letter, so they print at the right size on the paper you own. The housing rules we write about, starting with the Fair Housing Act, are United States law, and assistance-animal rules differ country by country. Prices are charged in US dollars.

$39$59$79$99 for the Digital Kit: your ESA Certificate of Registration, your wallet ESA Card, and a listing on our public verification page, delivered instantly as two print-ready documents. The Complete Kit ($69$89$109$129) adds a printed wallet card and certificate, shipped to United States addresses. One payment either way for the kit, and a 30-day money-back guarantee on the registration; the Complete Kit's printed card and certificate are made to order for your animal and are not refundable. Your verification listing is included for the first 12 months, and a yearly renewal at $1.67 / month (billed annually) keeps it listed after that: it switches on when you buy, charges nothing until the 12 months are up, and can be turned off any time. Prices are in US dollars wherever you order from.

In practice, yes: the two words are used interchangeably. What you receive from us either way is the same: a Certificate of Registration for your wall, a wallet ESA Card with your pet's photo, and a registration number anyone can check.

Your card and certificate carry no expiry date and stay yours. Your verification listing is included for the first 12 months. After that a yearly renewal keeps it listed: it switches on when you buy, at $1.67 / month (billed annually), and nothing is charged for it until the 12 months are up. Cancel any time from your kit page, or choose a one-time lifetime listing instead. Without a renewal, the verification page shows the number as lapsed once the 12 months are up; only a refund marks a number inactive.

Every registration carries a unique number. Anyone you choose to show the card, such as a leasing agent, a building manager, or a hotel clerk, can enter it at esacard.com/verify and see whether the registration is genuine and still listed, with no personal information beyond what's printed on the card and, where the listing has a term, the date it is listed through. A listing whose included or renewed year has run out shows as lapsed, never as invalid; only a refunded registration shows as inactive.

Yes, and it's everyone's favorite part. Your pet's photo appears on the wallet ESA Card. Email us with your registration number any time and we'll reissue your kit with a new photo, free.

Ask a licensed mental health professional. If you already see one, many will write an ESA letter at no extra charge as part of your care. Our free sample letter at esacard.com/sample-esa-letter shows exactly what a valid letter looks like so you know what to ask for.

It depends on your state and building. Many landlords waive pet rent and pet fees for an emotional support animal backed by a valid ESA letter from a licensed professional, the document the Fair Housing Act recognizes, so ask yours. Keep the letter in your lease file and your ESA Card in your wallet.

Beyond your email for delivery, we collect only what appears on your kit: your name, your pet's details, and your city and state. No health questions are asked and no health data is collected, so there is none to leak or share. We never sell your data for money, but we do run ads, and the platforms that carry them receive information about your visit and your order. Our privacy policy names every one of them and exactly what they get.