TSA ConfirmID starts with a $45 fee for travelers without acceptable IDs
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Travelers without REAL ID will soon have a new option to verify their identity at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints — but it comes with a price tag.
The issuance comes less than one year after the May 7, 2025, REAL ID deadline, which mandated the use of REAL ID-compliant licenses, or other acceptable forms of identification, at airport security checkpoints.
Starting Feb. 1, the TSA introduced its new state-of-the-art TSA ConfirmID, giving travelers who do not have REAL ID or other acceptable forms of identification a new option for air travel. Passengers who pay a non-refundable $45 fee will be able to use an alternative ID verification system.
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TSA agents check passenger IDs at a security checkpoint at Reagan National Airport on the first day of the U.S. government shutdown in Arlington, Va., on Oct.1, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
“TSA ConfirmID will be an option for travelers who do not bring a REAL ID or other acceptable form of ID to a TSA checkpoint and still want to fly,” TSA Chief Acting Deputy Administrator Adam Stahl said in a statement. “Affected travelers will have the option to pay $45 and use the TSA ConfirmID process. This fee ensures that non-compliant travelers, not taxpayers, pay the cost of processing travelers without acceptable IDs.”
Additionally, TSA Deputy Administrator Steve Lorincz clarified in a recent interview that the receipt is good for 10 days, meaning that passengers on short trips will be able to use it on their departing and returning flights. However, he recommended that travelers still set aside time to obtain a REAL ID.
TSA agents verify passenger identities at the checkpoint at Miami International Airport as the TSA announces the imminent implementation of its nationwide REAL ID enforcement measures, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (Pedro Portal/The Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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Travelers who want to use TSA ConfirmID, will receive a payment receipt by email after completing the online form. The TSA recommends that passengers complete the process before any flight on Feb. 1 or later. Once at the airport, passengers who paid the $45 fee will need to show their receipt to a TSA agent and be given instructions on next steps.
The agency warns on its website that travelers who choose to use TSA ConfirmID “will be subject to additional ID verification, screening steps and potential delays.” In addition, the agency said those who appear at a TSA checkpoint without an acceptable form of ID and who have not paid for TSA ConfirmID “will be subject to additional delays that may result in a missed flight.”
Travelers pass through a TSA checkpoint at Logan International Airport in Boston, Mass., on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (Brian Snyder/Reuters/Reuters)
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“It is important that air travelers plan ahead to ensure they have an acceptable form of identification to avoid these additional delays as the process can take up to 30 minutes,” the TSA said on its website.
Those without REAL ID do not need to use TSA ConfirmID, as the agency accepts many forms of identification. The TSA website lists several acceptable forms of identification, including US and international passports, state enhanced driver’s licenses or identification cards (except temporary licenses), and permanent resident, border crossing and employment authorization cards, among others.
