PSD letter for travel

DOT service animal definition

Air travel is covered by the Air Carrier Access Act and its regulations, not the ADA. Under the DOT's rule, a service animal is a dog, regardless of breed or type, that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability, including a psychiatric disability.

The DOT announced that airlines must treat psychiatric service animals the same as other service animals. The same rule ended the requirement for airlines to accept emotional support animals, which the DOT no longer considers service animals. Airlines may choose to carry them as pets under their pet policies.

DOT service animal form

Under 14 CFR 382.75, an airline may require a current, completed DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form for a service dog traveling in the cabin. The form must be completed on or after the date you bought your ticket. On flights scheduled for eight hours or more, the airline may also require the DOT Service Animal Relief Attestation Form, confirming your dog can avoid relieving itself or can do so in a sanitary way.

You complete the DOT form yourself. It asks you to attest to your dog's health, behavior and training. Airlines that require it must make it available on their websites, and the DOT posts a sample copy.

The DOT says airlines are not permitted to require other documentation from service animal users, except to comply with animal transport rules set by a federal agency, U.S. territory or foreign government. That's why we say it plainly: a PSD letter is not what airlines require.

Where a PSD letter fits

A letter from a licensed clinician can be useful to carry with you. It gives context if questions come up, and it may help if your trip includes a longer stay in rental housing, where Fair Housing Act accommodation requests can apply. Some foreign destinations have their own animal entry rules, which a letter does not replace.

Think of the letter as background paperwork that sits alongside the DOT form. It doesn't substitute for the form, and the form doesn't require a clinician's signature.

Flight timing and check-in

If you book more than 48 hours before departure, the airline may ask you to submit the forms up to 48 hours in advance. If you book closer to departure, the airline may ask for them at the gate. When advance submission is required, the airline must offer electronic or hard-copy options.

An airline can't make you check in at the airport just because you are traveling with a service dog if online check-in is available to other passengers.

When an airline can refuse a service dog

An airline may deny transport if the dog poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others, causes significant disruption in the cabin or gate area, would violate health or safety rules of a government, or if you don't provide required forms. The airline must consider ways to reduce the problem first and give you a written reason if it refuses.

Your dog is expected to stay under your control, which in practice means calm behavior in tight, busy spaces. Training is what makes air travel go smoothly, more than any document.

• Check your airline's service animal page before you book
• Fill out the DOT form after buying your ticket, and keep a copy
• Add the relief attestation form for flights of eight hours or longer
• Pack your PSD letter if you'd like, but don't treat it as a substitute

Preparing your dog for travel

Airports and cabins are crowded, loud and confined. Before booking, practice the situations your dog will face: settling quietly in a small space at your feet, walking calmly through crowds, and ignoring food and other animals.

Plan relief breaks around connections and long security lines, and bring water, waste bags and any items your dog uses for its tasks. A well-prepared dog is the best way to avoid problems at the gate.

Travel beyond airlines

Once you land, other rules take over. Hotels, restaurants, buses and trains are generally covered by the ADA, which doesn't allow staff to require documentation for a service dog and limits them to two questions when the dog's role isn't obvious.

International trips can add steps, such as veterinary certificates and entry requirements set by the destination country. Check those well in advance, because a clinician's letter doesn't satisfy animal import rules.