Get a same-day allergy certificate, signed by a private doctor — suitable for school, university, or personal use.
Get an emotional support animal letter from a UK-registered doctor, confirming your need for an ESA to support your mental and emotional wellbeing.
If you experience mental health challenges or emotional distress and find comfort and stability through your animal companion, you may benefit from an emotional support animal (ESA) letter from a doctor.
This medical letter confirms that you have a recognised mental or emotional health condition — such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, or another hidden disability — and that your animal provides meaningful therapeutic support.
Many individuals need an ESA letter to inform housing providers, travel companies, or education institutions of their need to keep an emotional support animal. In the UK, while ESAs don’t have the same legal status as assistance dogs, a doctor-signed medical letter adds credibility and helps ensure your situation is treated with understanding and respect.
At Merlin Health, our UK GMC-registered doctors issue same-day ESA letters that confirm your health-related need for an emotional support animal. There’s no appointment required — simply complete our secure online form and receive your letter by email within a few hours.
Getting your ESA letter online is straightforward, confidential, and handled by licensed UK doctors. Here’s how it works:
Fill out our short online medical questionnaire, including details about your condition and your emotional support animal.
One of our GMC-registered UK doctors reviews your submission to determine if an ESA letter is appropriate.
If approved, your doctor’s letter for an emotional support animal is issued the same day and delivered directly to your email inbox. Each letter includes a unique QR code and doctor verification details for authenticity.
To help our doctors issue a medical letter for your emotional support animal (ESA), you’ll be asked to complete a short online form. This ensures we have all the information needed to assess your request accurately and prepare a letter that meets the requirements of landlords, airlines, universities and others.
All information is handled confidentially and securely online. There are no in-person appointments required — our doctors review your submission with care and discretion before issuing your letter.
“For many people, an emotional support animal is more than a pet — it’s a vital part of managing mental and emotional wellbeing. At Merlin Health, we understand the importance of this bond. Our doctors review each request with the utmost compassion and care — providing trusted medical documentation that helps you access the support you need with confidence and peace of mind.”
Dr Michael Jones, Co-Founder & Lead Doctor at Merlin Health
“For many people, an emotional support animal is more than a pet — it’s a vital part of managing mental and emotional wellbeing. At Merlin Health, we understand the importance of this bond. Our doctors review each request with the utmost compassion and care — providing trusted medical documentation that helps you access the support you need with confidence and peace of mind.”
Dr Michael Jones, Co-Founder & Lead Doctor at Merlin Health
Every Emotional Support Animal Letter from Merlin Health is clear, easy to understand, and includes everything you need to show landlords, airlines, or universities that your emotional support animal is part of your wellbeing plan. It includes:
Emotional support animals play an important role in helping people manage mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other hidden disabilities.
A doctor’s ESA letter confirms that your animal provides a recognised emotional or psychological benefit — helping you access housing, travel, or environments where animals might not usually be allowed.
You may need a medical letter for an emotional support animal in the following situations:
In the United Kingdom, emotional support animals (ESAs) are not legally classified as assistance or service animals and therefore do not have the same access rights. However, they are increasingly recognised for their therapeutic value — particularly in supporting people with mental health conditions and hidden disabilities.
Key UK laws that provide protection include:
While ESAs themselves are not directly protected by these laws, a doctor’s emotional support animal letter demonstrates that your animal is part of your care plan — often leading to greater understanding and flexibility from landlords, employers, and institutions.
Yes. Our ESA letters are recognised internationally, and our UK-registered doctors can issue an ESA letter for you no matter ehere you are in the world.
We provide digital, verifiable ESA letters suitable for use in most countries, including the UK, EU, USA, and Commonwealth nations — helping you travel, study, or live with your emotional support animal wherever you go.
An emotional support animal can be any domesticated animal that helps you manage a mental health condition. The most common ESAs include dogs and cats, but other small animals — such as rabbits, guinea pigs, or birds — may also qualify.
However, local housing and transport regulations may limit certain species (such as reptiles or exotic pets) for safety and welfare reasons. If you’re unsure whether your animal qualifies, our doctors can assess your situation and confirm eligibility where appropriate.
No — an ESA is different from a service animal. Service animals, such as guide dogs, are professionally trained to perform specific tasks that assist people with physical or sensory disabilities and have full public access rights under UK law.
Emotional support animals, on the other hand, provide comfort, companionship, and emotional stability simply through their presence. While they aren’t task-trained, they can significantly improve mental wellbeing, reduce stress, and help individuals manage everyday challenges associated with conditions like anxiety, depression, or PTSD.
A doctor’s emotional support animal (ESA) letter is an official medical document written by a licensed doctor confirming that your animal provides therapeutic support for a recognised mental health condition or hidden disability — such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, or chronic stress.
This letter serves as medical evidence that your companion animal forms part of your wellbeing or treatment plan, helping to request reasonable accommodations from housing providers, universities, or airlines.
In the UK, doctors cannot “prescribe” an emotional support animal in the same way they prescribe medication. However, a GMC-registered doctor can issue a medical letter confirming that an animal helps alleviate symptoms of a diagnosed or ongoing mental health condition.
This written confirmation acts as clinical evidence to support requests for housing, travel, or study accommodations — even though emotional support animals don’t yet have the same legal status as assistance dogs.
Getting a doctor’s ESA letter in the UK through Merlin Health is quick and secure:
Complete our online form describing your health background and your emotional support animal.
Doctor review: A UK GMC-registered doctor assesses your case.
Receive your ESA letter: If eligible, you’ll receive your signed, verifiable ESA letter by email on the same day.
In the UK, emotional support animals (ESAs) are not legally classified as assistance or service animals. However, they are increasingly recognised under The Equality Act 2010, which protects individuals with disabilities or long-term health conditions from discrimination.
While the law doesn’t automatically grant ESAs access to all public spaces, a doctor’s ESA letter can support reasonable accommodation requests — particularly for housing, university halls, and mental health-related adjustments.
All ESA letter requests submitted before 9 PM (UK time) are reviewed and processed the same day. Most customers receive their letter within a few hours of submission, once assessed by a UK GMC & NHS-registered doctor.
A same-day ESA letter from Merlin Health costs £49, which includes the doctor’s review, verification, and a secure digital copy with a QR authentication code.
There are no hidden fees — and if our doctors determine that an ESA letter isn’t clinically appropriate, you’ll receive a full refund.
Every Merlin Health ESA letter includes:
Confirmation of your health condition or emotional wellbeing concern
Details of your emotional support animal, including name and species
A medical statement explaining the therapeutic role of your ESA
The doctor’s full name, GMC registration number, and digital signature
A unique QR code for online verification and authenticity
Yes. A doctor-signed emotional support animal letter can be submitted to landlords, letting agents, university accommodation offices, and housing associations to request permission to keep your support animal.
While landlords aren’t legally obliged to accept all ESA requests, the Equality Act 2010 encourages them to make reasonable adjustments for tenants with a disability or mental health condition supported by medical evidence.
Most commonly, dogs and cats serve as emotional support animals. However, smaller pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs, and birds can also qualify if they provide emotional or psychological benefit.
Each case is assessed individually by a doctor. Local health and housing regulations may limit certain species (e.g. reptiles or exotic animals).
Some airlines and transport providers accept ESA letters as part of their medical documentation process. However, policies vary by country and airline.
Always check the specific airline policy in advance — especially for international travel. A Merlin Health ESA letter provides official confirmation that your animal supports your mental health and may assist in your request.
Yes. You can apply for an ESA letter even if you haven’t yet adopted your animal. During the assessment, you can state your intention to acquire a support animal — and our doctors can confirm that having one would benefit your mental health or wellbeing.
Yes, Merlin Health ESA letters are recognised internationally, though acceptance varies by jurisdiction. Many universities, airlines, and housing providers in the EU, US, and across the world accept a verified UK doctor’s letter.
We always recommend checking local requirements before submitting your letter abroad.
If the reviewing doctor requires clarification or additional details, they may contact you by email or phone. This ensures that your letter is clinically accurate and fully compliant with medical documentation standards.
You can contact our support team at info@merlinhealth.com for any questions, special requests, or document verification queries. Our UK-based team operates 7 days a week to assist you.
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