Emotional support animal
Helps by being there, without task training. US airlines may treat it as a pet since January 2021, and they do.
ESA guides · US & Europe
Travelling with an emotional support animal
An emotional support animal (ESA) helps a person with a mental health condition by being there. It isn’t trained to perform a specific task. That help is real, and for many people it’s the reason they can face the journey at all.
Where are you travelling with your animal?
Rules differ from country to country and from one carrier to the next. Most airlines in the US and Europe carry an ESA as a pet; a few carriers make an exception, each with its own forms.
Your emotional support animal guide
PDF guide · 11 pages
Emotional support animals in Europe
Rules change from carrier to carrier and from border to border. This guide shows what each one accepts, what paperwork you need, and how not to get turned away at check-in.
One-time payment. The download link arrives by email right after payment.
The exceptions: who still takes an emotional support animal
Most European airlines carry an emotional support animal as a pet. An airline, a train operator and a few ferries in the UK and Europe make an exception, and two Canadian airlines fly ESAs to and from Europe.
For each of them the guide shows which animals they accept, where the animal travels on board, the fee and the paperwork, and the rule that decides how you get back into the UK.
Also in the guide
- 01ESA or assistance dogWhy training decides how your animal is treated, and how terminology differs by country.
- 02The documents that actually existLetters from a doctor or health professional, carriers’ own ESA forms, and online certificates.
- 03The trap: getting homeWhy your ESA may fly out of the UK in the cabin, but can’t fly back in that way.
- 04Everywhere else, travel as a petCabin limits, trains, ferries and the realistic cruise exceptions.
- 05The rule that never changesMicrochip, rabies, the 21-day wait, passport or health certificate, and tapeworm treatment.
Emotional support animal or service dog?
The key difference is training, and it decides how your animal travels.
Service dog
Trained to do a specific task for a person with a disability, such as guiding, alerting or interrupting a panic attack.
Travelling as a pet
Where no exception applies: cabin weight limits, an approved carrier, pet fees and limited places per flight.
The documents that actually exist
There is no official ESA registry in the US and no EU-wide ESA certificate.
A letter from a health professional
What the few exceptions ask for — from a doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist or licensed mental health professional; some carriers want it dated within the last year.
The carrier’s own ESA form
The carriers that accept ESAs usually want their own paperwork on top of the letter, such as Air Transat’s Emotional Support Dog form.
A certificate bought online
Private databases run by the websites themselves. None of the carriers in our guides lists them as a recognised issuer.
What people assume, and what the rules say
Europe
Rules change from carrier to carrier and from border to border. This guide shows what each one accepts, what paperwork you need, and how not to get turned away at check-in.
The assumption
An ESA certificate gets my animal into the cabin anywhere in Europe.
What the rules say
There is no EU-wide ESA certificate, no central registry and no official ID. EU Regulation 1107/2006 gives free cabin access to recognised assistance dogs, not to emotional support animals — most European carriers treat an ESA as a pet.
- 5
- European carriers that make an exception
- 2
- Canadian airlines flying to Europe
- 0
- official EU ESA registries
- 11
- pages, PDF
United States
Since 2021, US airlines treat emotional support animals as pets. This guide shows what that means, who still says yes, and how to plan your trip without check-in surprises.
The assumption
An ESA letter or an online registration lets my animal fly in the cabin for free.
What the rules say
Not on US airlines. Since January 2021 DOT rules let airlines treat emotional support animals as pets, and US airlines now do — with pet fees, pet carriers and pet limits. There is no official ESA registry in the US.
- 7
- carriers that make an exception
- 2021
- year the DOT rule changed
- 0
- official US ESA registries
- 9
- pages, PDF
Frequently asked questions
Answers to help you prepare your pet's perfect itinerary
On most airlines, no. Since January 2021 US airlines may treat an emotional support animal as a pet, with pet fees, carriers and limits, and most European airlines do the same. A few carriers make exceptions; our guides list them with their forms.
Plan the rest of the trip
Service dogsWhich documents count for a trained service dog in the US and in Europe.Open Which carriers go your wayPick where you start and see the airlines, trains and ferries that take pets on your route.Open Talk to a pet travel expertAn expert checks your route and documents, or arranges the whole move.Open
