TSA sets $45 Confirm.ID fee for non‑REAL ID flyers starting Feb. 1, 2026
Starting Feb. 1, 2026, TSA will charge travelers who don’t present a REAL ID or another accepted credential (such as a passport, passport card, DoD ID, DHS trusted traveler cards, enhanced driver’s licenses, permanent resident or border‑crossing cards) a $45 Confirm.ID fee to verify identity via knowledge‑based questions and issue a 10‑day verification receipt. The nonrefundable fee — which TSA had earlier proposed at $18 but raised to $45 — can be paid online in advance through private vendors or at the airport, may take 10–30+ minutes to complete, can lengthen checkpoint waits, and does not guarantee boarding if verification fails.
📌 Key Facts
- TSA will charge a $45 Confirm.ID fee for air travelers who do not present a REAL ID or other acceptable form of identification.
- Confirm.ID verifies identity with knowledge‑based questions and issues a receipt to present at screening; the verification covers a 10‑day period.
- TSA originally proposed an $18 checkpoint fee but raised it to $45 after reassessing program costs.
- Passengers without ID will be removed from the checkpoint line to complete the process; TSA and reporters say the identity‑verification process can take roughly 10–15 minutes and possibly 30 minutes or more.
- The fee is nonrefundable and payment does not guarantee travel — if identity cannot be verified, the traveler may be denied entry at the checkpoint.
- Travelers can pay Confirm.ID online before arriving or at the airport prior to entering security; TSA is working with private vendors and airlines to enable/pre‑promote prepayment during booking.
- TSA lists several accepted alternatives to REAL ID (U.S. and foreign passports, passport card, DoD ID, DHS trusted traveler cards, enhanced driver’s licenses/IDs, permanent resident and border‑crossing cards).
- TSA says more than 94% of passengers already present REAL ID or other acceptable ID; REAL ID compliance has been required since May, but until now some passengers were allowed through with extra screening and a warning — the fee is intended to encourage obtaining REAL ID.
📊 Relevant Data
In Ohio from 2016 to 2020, ZIP Codes in the high percent People of Color category had over 250% more debt-related driver's license suspensions than very low categories.
Race, Poverty, and Debt-Related Driver’s License Suspensions — Journal of Economics, Race, and Policy
In New Jersey based on 2004–2018 data, driver's license suspensions were 5 times higher in census tracts with high non-Hispanic Black populations compared to low.
Race, Poverty, and Debt-Related Driver’s License Suspensions — Journal of Economics, Race, and Policy
Barriers to obtaining identity documents include complicated and circular documentation requirements, needlessly expensive fees, limited availability of ID services, a confusing patchwork of state policies, and discrimination, which disproportionately affect racial minorities.
The ID Divide: How Barriers to ID Impact Different Communities and Affect Everyone — Movement Advancement Project
📰 Sources (5)
- TSA initially proposed an $18 fee but raised it to $45 after reassessing program costs.
- Travelers can pay the Confirm.ID fee online before arriving at the airport or online at the airport prior to entering security.
- TSA officials say the airport payment process may take up to 30 minutes.
- REAL ID compliance has been required since May, but passengers without it had been allowed through with extra screening and a warning until now.
- TSA initially proposed an $18 fee but raised it to $45 after determining the program would cost more than anticipated.
- Since May, REAL ID has been required, but travelers without it were allowed through with extra screening and a warning; the new fee is intended to encourage obtaining REAL ID.
- TSA tells Fox News the fee is nonrefundable and 'not guaranteed' (identity must still be verified or the traveler cannot fly).
- Process timing detail: expected 10–15 minutes, possibly 30+; passengers without ID will be removed from the checkpoint line to complete it online.
- TSA says it is working with airlines to promote the verification option in the booking process.
- Apple Wallet can now store digital passports for TSA screening at 250+ U.S. airports, per the report.
- Program name and process: TSA Confirm.ID will verify identity via knowledge-based questions and issue a receipt to present at screening.
- Prepayment option: TSA is working with private vendors so travelers can pay before arriving at the airport.
- Operational impact: Travelers without REAL ID may face longer waits; those who decline to pay may be denied entry at checkpoints.
- Fee validity window: The $45 verification covers a 10-day period.
- Adoption context: TSA says more than 94% of passengers already present REAL ID or other acceptable ID.
- Regulatory history: TSA previously floated an $18 checkpoint fee in a recent Federal Register notice; the finalized amount is $45.
- Accepted alternatives reiterated: passports (U.S./foreign), passport card, DoD ID, DHS trusted traveler cards, enhanced driver’s licenses/IDs, permanent resident and border-crossing cards.