Who qualifies for an emotional support animal?
There is no list of qualifying conditions in UK law. Here is what a doctor actually considers, and where the Equality Act definition of disability comes in.
The short answer. No UK law lists who qualifies for an emotional support animal, because emotional support animals are not defined in law. Whether you can get a letter is a clinical decision: a doctor reviews your mental health and decides whether they can confirm that your animal supports it. No diagnosis guarantees a letter, and none rules one out.
There is no qualifying list
UK law does not define emotional support animals, so it does not say who can have one. Anyone can keep a pet that is legal to own. The question people are really asking is usually narrower: will a doctor write a letter for me? That is a clinical judgement, made by a doctor who has reviewed your health, and it turns on two things.
- Your mental health. What you are dealing with and how it affects your day-to-day life.
- What the animal does for it. Whether the doctor can confirm that the animal supports your mental health.
If a doctor cannot confirm that, they will not write the letter. With us, that means a full refund.
Anxiety, depression, PTSD, ADHD and autism
People ask about emotional support animals for all of these, and more. We do not publish a list of conditions that “qualify”, because there is no such list in law, and because a diagnosis alone does not tell a doctor what they need to know. Two people with the same diagnosis can be affected very differently, and an animal can matter a great deal to one and little to the other. The doctor looks at you, not at a label. How our doctor’s letter works · asking your own GP · emotional support dogs · cats.
The mental health charity Mind says being around animals can have positive effects, and also advises thinking carefully about your personal, living and financial situation before getting a pet.
Where the Equality Act comes in
Some of what an emotional support animal can do for you depends on the Equality Act 2010: asking a service provider or employer for a reasonable adjustment. That route is for disabled people, and the Act has its own test. A person has a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Long-term means it has lasted, or is likely to last, at least 12 months, or for the rest of their life, and GOV.UK says substantial means more than minor or trivial.
That test is separate from the letter. A doctor’s letter does not decide whether you are disabled in law, and you do not need to meet the test to ask a private landlord in England for a pet: that request is open to every private tenant. Emotional support animal law in the UK · how to get an emotional support animal.
Common questions
What disabilities qualify for an emotional support animal?
No law lists any. UK law does not define emotional support animals, so no condition qualifies or disqualifies you automatically. Whether a letter is appropriate is a clinical decision made by a doctor who has reviewed your health.
Do I need a diagnosis to get an ESA letter?
The doctor needs to understand your mental health and what the animal does for it. They decide whether they can confirm that the animal supports your mental health. If they cannot, they will not write the letter, and with us you get a full refund.
Can I get an emotional support animal for anxiety or depression?
Anxiety and depression are among the reasons people ask, but no condition guarantees a letter. The question for the doctor is how your condition affects you and whether the animal supports your mental health.
Does having an ESA letter mean I am disabled under the Equality Act?
No. A letter confirms a doctor’s view that the animal supports your mental health. Whether you meet the Equality Act definition of disability is a separate legal question.
Sources. The legal and clinical facts on this page were checked against these primary sources on 25 September 2026. Law and landlord, university and airline policies change, so check the source before you rely on it.
Find out if a letter is right for you
Answer a few questions online. A GMC-registered UK doctor reviews your answers, and if a letter cannot be issued on clinical grounds you get a full refund.
Start your requestReviewed by a GMC-registered doctor. Full refund if a letter cannot be issued on clinical grounds.