DOT service animal form

What the DOT form is

Under DOT's service animal rule at 14 CFR 382.75, an airline may require a passenger traveling with a service animal to submit the U.S. DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form. DOT describes it as attesting to the animal's health, behavior and training.

DOT publishes a sample of the form on its website, and airlines that require it must make it available on their own websites in an accessible format. Airlines must also mail it on request and accept it electronically or on paper when they ask for it in advance.

Relief attestation form

For flight segments scheduled for 8 hours or more, an airline may also require the DOT Service Animal Relief Attestation Form. On it, you attest that your dog either won't need to relieve itself during the flight or can do so in a way that doesn't create a health or sanitation issue.

DOT form timing and submission

Check your airline's website for its own process, since many collect the form through an online portal.

• The form must be completed on or after the date you buy your ticket.
• If you booked more than 48 hours before departure, the airline may require the form up to 48 hours in advance.
• If you booked within 48 hours of departure, the airline can't require advance notice but may ask for the form at the gate.
• You can't be required to check in at the airport in person instead of online because of your service animal.

DOT form and PSD letters

The DOT rule says airlines may not require documentation beyond the DOT forms, except to meet federal, territorial or foreign animal-transport rules. A PSD letter from a licensed clinician isn't a replacement for the DOT form. Some people bring one as background, but the DOT form is what airlines may require.

Be accurate when you complete it. The form is a signed attestation to a federal agency's standard, and an airline may refuse transport if the dog poses a direct threat or is significantly disruptive regardless of the paperwork.

Tips before you fly

Download the current version from your airline or DOT rather than reusing an old copy, since the form has been updated over time. Have your dog's veterinary information handy when you fill it out, and save a copy of the submitted form on your phone in case gate staff ask to see it.