- Agency will refer passengers to the fee-based TSA “Confirm.ID” payment option if they do not present a valid, acceptable ID at checkpoints
WASHINGTON, USA – The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced that it will refer all passengers who do not present an acceptable form of ID and still want to fly an option to pay a $45 fee to use a modernised alternative identity verification system, TSA Confirm.ID, to establish identity at security checkpoints beginning on February 1, 2026.
Travellers will be able to pay $45 to use TSA Confirm.ID for a 10-day travel period. TSA urges travellers who do not have a REAL ID to schedule an appointment at their local DMV to update their ID as soon as possible.
Acceptable forms of ID include:
- REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent)
- If you are not sure if your ID complies with REAL ID, check with your state Department of Motor Vehicles.
- A temporary driver’s license is not an acceptable form of identification.
- State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) or Enhanced ID (EID)
- U.S. passport
- U.S. passport card
- DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
- U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
- Permanent resident card
- Border crossing card
- An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs)
- HSPD-12 PIV card
- Foreign government-issued passport
- Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
- Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)
- US Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
- US Merchant Mariner Credential
- Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
All travellers without an acceptable ID, including those who present a non-REAL ID-compliant state driver’s license or ID, will be referred to the optional TSA Confirm.ID process for identity verification upon TSA check-in and prior to entering the security line. This process will differ airport to airport, and TSA is working with private industry to proactively offer online payment options prior to arrival at the airport.
The REAL ID law was signed more than 20 years ago, but previous presidential administrations failed to properly implement it. Under President Trump’s leadership, the law was finally implemented and enforced by Secretary Kristi Noem as of May 7, 2025.
Currently, more than 94 percent of passengers already use their REAL ID or other acceptable forms of identification. TSA expects increased wait times for passengers who do not provide an acceptable ID.
“Identity verification is essential to traveller safety, because it keeps terrorists, criminals, and illegal aliens out of the skies and other domestic transportation systems such as rail,” said senior official performing the duties of deputy administrator for TSA Adam Stahl.
“The vast majority of travellers present acceptable identification like REAL IDs and passports, but we must ensure everyone who flies is who they say they are. Beginning February 1, travellers who do not present an acceptable form of ID at our security checkpoints and still want to fly can pay a $45 fee and undergo the TSA Confirm.ID process. This fee ensures the cost to cover verification of an insufficient ID will come from the traveller, not the taxpayer. The security of the travelling public is our top priority, so we urge all travellers to get a REAL ID or other acceptable form of ID as soon as possible to avoid delays and potentially miss flights.”
TSA urges all travellers who do not have a REAL ID to pay the fee online before travelling. For passengers who arrive at the airport without paying the fee, information about how to pay for the TSA Confirm.ID option will be available at marked locations at or near the checkpoint in most airports. Travellers who undergo TSA Confirm.ID processing at an airport should expect delays.
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