TSA ConfirmID Introduces $45 Fee for Travelers Lacking Acceptable IDs
Check out what’s clicking on FoxBusiness.com.
Travelers without a 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 rollout comes less than one year before the May 7, 2025, REAL ID deadline, which mandates the use of REAL ID-compliant licenses or other acceptable forms of identification at airport security checkpoints.
Starting February 1, the TSA will introduce its modernized TSA ConfirmID. This new option allows travelers without a REAL ID or other acceptable forms of identification to pay a non-refundable fee of $45 to utilize an alternative identity verification system.
REAL ID DEADLINE IS HERE, HOW TO NAVIGATE IF YOU DON’T HAVE ONE
TSA agents check passenger identity documents 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 the TSA checkpoint and still want to fly,” said Adam Stahl, Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator for TSA. “Impacted 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 IDs.”
TSA agents verify passengers’ identities at a checkpoint at Miami International Airport as the TSA announced the imminent implementation of its REAL ID enforcement measures nationwide, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (Pedro Portal/The Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images / Getty Images)
AIRLINES INCREASE FLIGHTS AT MAJOR US AIRPORT AS RIVALRY HEATS UP – WHAT IT MEANS FOR TRAVELERS
Travelers opting for TSA ConfirmID will receive a payment receipt via email after completing an online form. The TSA recommends that passengers finalize this process before any air travel on or after February 1. Once at the airport, those who have paid the $45 fee must present their receipt to a TSA officer, who will provide further instructions.
The agency cautions that travelers using TSA ConfirmID “will be subject to additional ID verification, screening measures, and potential delays.” Furthermore, those arriving at a TSA checkpoint without an acceptable form of ID and who have not already paid for TSA ConfirmID “will face additional delays that may result in a missed flight.”
Travelers make their way through a TSA security checkpoint at Logan International Airport in Boston, Mass., on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (Brian Snyder/Reuters / Reuters)
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
“It is important that airline travelers plan ahead to ensure they have an acceptable form of ID to avoid these additional delays, as the process can take up to 30 minutes,” the TSA advises on its website.
Travelers without a REAL ID do not necessarily need to use TSA ConfirmID, as the agency accepts various forms of identification. The TSA’s website lists several acceptable IDs, including U.S. and foreign passports, enhanced state driver’s licenses or ID cards (excluding temporary licenses), and permanent resident, border crossing, and employment authorization cards, among others.
The TSA did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.
Check out what’s clicking on FoxBusiness.com.
Travelers without a 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 rollout comes less than one year before the May 7, 2025, REAL ID deadline, which mandates the use of REAL ID-compliant licenses or other acceptable forms of identification at airport security checkpoints.
Starting February 1, the TSA will introduce its modernized TSA ConfirmID. This new option allows travelers without a REAL ID or other acceptable forms of identification to pay a non-refundable fee of $45 to utilize an alternative identity verification system.
REAL ID DEADLINE IS HERE, HOW TO NAVIGATE IF YOU DON’T HAVE ONE
TSA agents check passenger identity documents 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 the TSA checkpoint and still want to fly,” said Adam Stahl, Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator for TSA. “Impacted 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 IDs.”
TSA agents verify passengers’ identities at a checkpoint at Miami International Airport as the TSA announced the imminent implementation of its REAL ID enforcement measures nationwide, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (Pedro Portal/The Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images / Getty Images)
AIRLINES INCREASE FLIGHTS AT MAJOR US AIRPORT AS RIVALRY HEATS UP – WHAT IT MEANS FOR TRAVELERS
Travelers opting for TSA ConfirmID will receive a payment receipt via email after completing an online form. The TSA recommends that passengers finalize this process before any air travel on or after February 1. Once at the airport, those who have paid the $45 fee must present their receipt to a TSA officer, who will provide further instructions.
The agency cautions that travelers using TSA ConfirmID “will be subject to additional ID verification, screening measures, and potential delays.” Furthermore, those arriving at a TSA checkpoint without an acceptable form of ID and who have not already paid for TSA ConfirmID “will face additional delays that may result in a missed flight.”
Travelers make their way through a TSA security checkpoint at Logan International Airport in Boston, Mass., on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (Brian Snyder/Reuters / Reuters)
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
“It is important that airline travelers plan ahead to ensure they have an acceptable form of ID to avoid these additional delays, as the process can take up to 30 minutes,” the TSA advises on its website.
Travelers without a REAL ID do not necessarily need to use TSA ConfirmID, as the agency accepts various forms of identification. The TSA’s website lists several acceptable IDs, including U.S. and foreign passports, enhanced state driver’s licenses or ID cards (excluding temporary licenses), and permanent resident, border crossing, and employment authorization cards, among others.
The TSA did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.
