I Tried American Service Pets for an ESA Letter — Here’s How It Went

If you’ve ever gone down the ESA letter rabbit hole online, you already know how messy it gets fast. Conflicting advice, sketchy “registries,” sites promising miracles for $29.99, and a lot of people talking very confidently while being… not exactly right. American Service Pets stands out because it doesn’t lean into that chaos.

Instead of selling you a flashy “registration” or a laminated badge that means nothing legally, it centers the process around what actually matters: a licensed mental health professional evaluating you and issuing a legitimate letter if you qualify. In a space full of noise, that simplicity is definitely noticeable.

I went through the entire American Service Pets process myself for this review from the questionnaire to the qualification flow to the pet info section, etc. The whole shebang. It was A LOT easier than I expected.

What Does American Service Pets Do?

Let’s get this out of the way first, in case you’ve never heard of them. American Service Pets is an online service that connects applicants with real licensed mental health professionals for an ESA (Emotional Support Animal) or psychiatric service animal (PSA) evaluation. If you qualify, they issue an official letter signed by that provider.

That letter is the part that matters.

There is no federal ESA registry or database that landlords and airlines use. The only thing that gives an ESA legal weight for housing is a valid letter from a licensed healthcare professional who has evaluated you. American Service Pets focuses on streamlining that step.

How Does the Process Work?

As I mentioned above, the process was a lot easier than I expected it to be. You’re really only involved in the first part (with multiple steps). Once you submit everything, the rest happens behind the scenes unless the psychologist needs you to clarify anything.

FYI, I’m a wordy person by nature, so I bolded some key points for all of you skimmers out there. 😀

Part 1: Online Questionnaire

Since this is the part that involves you the most, I’ll break it down into the different steps and go into more detail. You start with a free pre-screening questionnaire. It’s quick, non-invasive, and designed to determine whether it’s worth moving forward.

Don’t worry, they don’t ask you to upload medical records or write a personal essay about your mental health. It’s basically just a few questions about whether you’ve experienced anxiety and/or depression in the last 6 months.

Example of one of the pre-qualification questions

If you pass the pre-screen, then you decide whether to move forward with a professional review. One thing I like that you don’t have to commit to anything until the very end. You can see the packages and pricing, but you don’t submit your credit card info until after you’ve finished answering all of the questions. It’s very low-pressure.

After you tell them about your pet (or pets, you can get letters for more than one without having to go through the whole process multiple times), you’ll start the main questionnaire. It’s roughly 13 questions long.

They ask things like:

• Have you experienced depression in the last 6 months?
• Have you experienced significant anxiety or panic?
• Do you feel overwhelmed given your life circumstances?
• Check all symptoms that apply (racing thoughts, fatigue, low motivation, trouble sleeping, etc.)

Yes, it’s pretty personal, but it has to be. A licensed psychologist cannot ethically write an ESA letter without evaluating you. That evaluation has to establish that you have a qualifying mental or emotional condition and that the animal helps alleviate symptoms.

For me, the personal questions didn’t bother me. I’m pretty open about the fact that I have anxiety disorder and seasonal depression. Oddly, though, it’s summer that gets me instead of winter. I actually LOVE winter.

The questions range from “on a scale of” type things to “check all that apply.” It took me less than 5 minutes to get through it, and half of that was spent taking screenshots for this review.

After you’re done answering questions, you’ll choose which package you want. You can choose between a travel letter, a housing letter, or both. Once you get to the checkout page, you can also add on optional upgrades, like getting a hard copy letter by mail (versus one emailed to you that you print out yourself), rush processing, training courses, or an emotional support vest for your dog.

American Service Pets Packages

Part 2: Licensed Professional Review

This next step is pretty hands-off for you. You will need to sign off on allowing a medical professional to look at your questionnaire. It’s the law and they cannot review it without your say so.

Once you opt in, your information goes to a licensed psychologist or mental health professional in your state. This matters more than people realize. Housing providers can (and sometimes do) reject letters that aren’t written by a provider licensed where the tenant lives.

They claim a 95% approval rate, which sounds high—and it is—but that’s partly because of the pre-screening. People who clearly won’t qualify usually don’t make it to the paid stage.

Part 3: Receiving Your Letter

Approval time depends on provider availability. I submitted mine late on Thurs before a holiday weekend and it’s still pending review as of today, which I think is totally reasonable. Remember, REAL medical professionals need to review your information. Most, if not all, of them have their own practices and patients.

You’ll get an email like this right away though that tells you how you can check on the status of your application any time. If you do need your letter asap, you can pay an extra $9 to skip the regular line and get into a faster processing queue. It’s kind of like Disney World’s fast pass, except a whole lot cheaper. 😀

What’s in the Letter?

Since I’m still waiting for my letter, I asked for an example of one to get an idea of what it will look like. I’m not sharing screenshots of that though because it’s a real letter. I’ll just recap what to expect:

• Letterhead from the professional who reviewed your case.
• Issue and expiration date.
• Letter written in professional and legal language detailing that you meet the requirements for having an ESA and why.
• Your pet’s name and breed.
• The doctor’s signature, state of license, and license number.

There’s no American Service Pets logo or other “branding” on your letter. It looks 100% professional & legit because it is 100% professional & legit.

Oh, and speaking of legit, they also carry a BBB A+ accreditation, which shows that they’re an established business and not a pop-up website that disappears next month. In the ESA space, stability counts.

Who This Makes Sense For

This service makes sense if:

• You genuinely struggle with anxiety, depression, PTSD, or related conditions
• Your pet helps regulate your symptoms
• You need legitimate housing documentation
• You want a streamlined process instead of hunting down local providers

It’s not a loophole generator. It’s a telehealth-based evaluation service.

And if you don’t qualify, you don’t qualify.

Final Thoughts

I went in skeptical and I came out thinking, “Okay. That was actually handled well.”

The process was personal but not invasive, structured but not exhausting, and efficient without feeling shady.

If you need a legitimate ESA letter for housing and want to avoid the swamp of fake registries and novelty certificates, American Service Pets offers a legit and pretty easy path forward.