TSA finalizes $45 Confirm.ID fee for flyers without acceptable ID starting Feb. 1, 2026
TSA will charge a $45 Confirm.ID fee, effective Feb. 1, 2026, for travelers who do not present acceptable identification (such as a REAL ID, passport or trusted traveler card); the fee covers a 10-day travel period and temporary driver’s licenses are not accepted. TSA urges travelers to pay online before arriving — airport payment options and signage will be available but delays are expected — and warns that paying the fee does not guarantee identity verification or boarding, saying the charge shifts costs from taxpayers to travelers.
📌 Key Facts
- TSA will charge a $45 Confirm.ID fee for travelers who do not present an acceptable ID, effective Feb. 1, 2026; the fee covers a 10-day travel period.
- TSA urges travelers to pay the $45 online before arriving at the airport; airport payment options and signage will be available but delays are expected for on-site payments.
- Paying the fee does not guarantee TSA can verify a traveler's identity; if TSA cannot verify them even after payment, they may still be denied boarding and miss their flight.
- Acceptable IDs that avoid the fee include REAL ID–compliant driver’s licenses, U.S. passports, and trusted traveler cards; temporary driver’s licenses are not accepted.
- TSA framed the fee as shifting verification costs from taxpayers to travelers (official comment from TSA’s Adam Stahl).
- Local reporting for Minneapolis–St. Paul (TwinCities/Pioneer Press) provides MSP-specific examples and reminders about Minnesota’s REAL ID deadlines and which IDs will avoid the fee at MSP.
- Background: REAL ID compliance began in May 2025, making the new fee a follow-on enforcement/verification measure for travelers without acceptable identification.
📊 Relevant Data
6.2% of Black non-Hispanic voting-age US citizens (approximately 1.86 million people), who constitute about 12% of the voting-age population, lack a government-issued photo ID.
UMD Analysis: Millions of Americans Don’t Have ID Required to Vote — Maryland Today
6.1% of Hispanic voting-age US citizens (approximately 1.86 million people), who constitute about 13% of the voting-age population, lack a government-issued photo ID.
UMD Analysis: Millions of Americans Don’t Have ID Required to Vote — Maryland Today
4.5% of voting-age US citizens who identify as Native American, Native Alaskan or another race lack a government-issued photo ID.
UMD Analysis: Millions of Americans Don’t Have ID Required to Vote — Maryland Today
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Localized explanation from the Pioneer Press of how the $45 Confirm.ID fee will work specifically for MSP travelers starting Feb. 1, including practical examples of when it applies.
- Clarifies that paying the $45 does not guarantee you’ll make your flight; if TSA can’t verify your identity, you still may not be cleared to fly.
- Adds local guidance and reminders about Minnesota’s REAL ID deadlines and what forms of ID will avoid the fee at MSP.
- FOX 9 piece reiterates that the $45 ConfirmID fee becomes effective Feb. 1 and stresses TSA’s recommendation to pay online before arriving at the airport to avoid delays.
- It lays out, in one place, TSA’s full list of acceptable IDs and clarifies that temporary driver’s licenses are not accepted.
- The article underlines that TSA cannot guarantee they will be able to verify a traveler’s identity even after paying the fee, meaning some people could still miss flights.
- TSA will charge a $45 fee for travelers without acceptable ID to use its Confirm.ID verification system.
- The fee covers a 10-day travel period and takes effect Feb. 1, 2026.
- TSA urges travelers to pay online before arriving; airport payment options and signage will be available, but delays are expected.
- Official quote from TSA’s Adam Stahl framing the fee as shifting costs from taxpayers to travelers.
- Clarifies acceptable IDs (e.g., REAL ID, passports, trusted traveler cards) that avoid the fee; notes REAL ID compliance began in May 2025.