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Travelers without a REAL ID will soon have a new option to verify their identity at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints, but it comes at a price.
The rollout comes less than a year after REAL ID’s May 7, 2025 deadline, which mandated the use of REAL ID-compliant licenses or other acceptable forms of identification at airport security checkpoints.
Starting February 1, the TSA rolls out its new, modernized system TSA Confirmation IDproviding travelers without a REAL ID or other acceptable form of identification a new option for air travel. Passengers who pay a non-refundable $45 fee will be able to use the alternative identity verification system.
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TSA officers check passengers’ ID documents at a security checkpoint at Reagan National Airport on the first day of the U.S. government shutdown in Arlington, Virginia, October 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 the TSA checkpoint and continue I want to fly” Adam Stahl, a senior official serving as deputy administrator of the TSA, 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, cover the cost of processing travelers without acceptable identification.”
Additionally, TSA Deputy Executive Assistant Administrator Steve Lorincz said in a recent interview that the receipt was valid for 10 days, meaning passengers on shorter trips could use it on their outbound and return flights. However, he recommended travelers always set aside time to obtain a REAL ID.
TSA officers check passengers’ identities at a checkpoint at Miami International Airport after TSA announced the imminent implementation of its REAL ID enforcement measures nationwide on May 7, 2025. (Pedro Portal/The Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images/Getty Images)
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Travelers wishing to use TSA ConfirmID will receive a payment receipt via email after completing the online form. The TSA recommends that passengers complete the process before traveling by plane starting February 1. Once at the airportPassengers who paid the $45 fee will need to show their receipt to a TSA agent and will then receive instructions on next steps.
The agency warns on its website that travelers who choose to use TSA ConfirmID “will be subject to additional identity verification, screening measures and potential delays.” The agency added that those who present at a TSA checkpoint without acceptable identification and have not already paid for TSA ConfirmID “will be subject to additional delays, which may result in a missed flight.”
Travelers pass through a TSA security checkpoint at Logan International Airport in Boston, November 7, 2025. (Brian Snyder/Reuters/Reuters)
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“It is important for airline travelers to plan ahead to ensure they have acceptable identification to avoid these additional delays, as the process can take up to 30 minutes,” the TSA says on its website.
Those who do not have a REAL ID do not necessarily need to use TSA ConfirmID because the agency accepts multiple forms of identification. ASD website lists multiple acceptable forms of identification, including U.S. and foreign passports, driver’s licenses or enhanced state identification cards (excluding temporary licenses), and permanent resident, border crossing, and work authorization cards, among others.
