From February 1, 2026, air passengers in the United States who reach security without a REAL ID-compliant license or another acceptable ID will have to pay a $45 fee to travel. The policy, announced by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), applies to the small share of travelers who do not meet identification rules now enforced under the REAL ID Act of 2005, which became fully effective for air travel in May 2025.
Currently, people who forget their wallets or present non-compliant cards may still fly after extra questioning and manual checks. That labor-intensive option will be replaced by a standardized, technology-based system funded by users rather than general taxpayers. The $45 charge is more than double an earlier $18 proposal, which regulators concluded would not cover operating costs for the new program.
The TSA says most travelers will not be affected. The Department of Homeland Security estimates that more than 94% of passengers already show a REAL ID, passport or other approved document such as a DHS trusted traveler card when they pass through airport checkpoints.
How The Confirm.ID System Will Work
The new procedure is branded TSA Confirm.ID or Confirmed.ID. Travelers who arrive without acceptable ID will be referred to this process before entering the main screening line. Instead of phone calls and paper forms, officers will collect biographic details that are checked electronically against government and commercial databases to verify identity.
The $45 payment will normally be made online through a TSA portal. Once approved, the verification is valid for 10 days, allowing multiple flights during that period without paying again. The agency says the extra step may take 10～30 minutes, and passengers using Confirm.ID should expect longer waits than those who arrive with compliant documents. The fee is nonrefundable, and travelers whose identities cannot be confirmed will not be allowed to enter the secure area or board their flights.
REAL ID Rules And Accepted Alternatives
The policy is tied to the nationwide rollout of REAL ID, a federal standard for state driver’s licenses and identification cards designed after the September 11, 2001 attacks. To obtain a REAL ID, applicants must provide proof of name, date of birth, Social Security number or ineligibility, residential address, and lawful status. Compliant licenses are typically marked with a star symbol or similar icon, while non-compliant cards state that they are not valid for federal purposes such as boarding domestic flights.
A REAL ID license is not the only way to satisfy the rules. Acceptable alternatives include a U.S. passport, passport card, permanent resident card, Department of Defense ID, certain tribal identification cards, and credentials for trusted-traveler programs like Global Entry and TSA PreCheck. Some states also issue enhanced driver’s licenses, and digital IDs stored in smartphone wallets are being accepted at a growing number of airports. Travelers who present any of these documents will not be charged the new fee.
What Travelers Should Do Before Flying
For many people, the change simply reinforces existing habits, such as carrying a passport or checking for the REAL ID star before leaving home. For others, it introduces a new financial risk. A family that misplaces several IDs on a busy travel day could face more than $100 in unexpected charges, on top of airfare, baggage fees and airport parking.
TSA officials say Confirm.ID is intended as a back-up rather than a substitute for compliance. They urge passengers who do not yet have a REAL ID or another acceptable document to contact their state motor-vehicle agency well ahead of any trip. The warning comes amid record demand: during the 2025 Thanksgiving period, the agency reported screening more than 3.1 million people on a single day, the highest total in its history.
Travelers who cannot obtain a REAL ID before their next flight are being encouraged to use passports or other accepted IDs. Those who still end up relying on Confirm.ID may be able to reduce some delay by paying the fee and beginning the verification process online before they reach the checkpoint.
