Air travelers without a Real ID-compliant driver’s license or passport will be required to pay a fee to get through airport security.
The Transportation Security Administration announced Monday that starting on Feb. 1, 2026, travelers who do not present an acceptable form of identification may opt to pay the fee and verify their identity through TSA’s alternative identity verification system, known as Confirm ID.
Passengers will be able to fill out the form and pay the fee online through pay.gov. before getting to the airport, or they can do so at the airport through a different line.
Once approved, the identity verification would be valid for 10 days. After that period, travelers without a REAL ID or passport will need to pay the fee again if they travel.
The announcement comes just over a week after the agency proposed an $18 fee for travelers without a REAL ID. In a Nov. 20 notice published in the Federal Register, the TSA explained the fee was needed to fund the “modernized alternative identity verification program.” However, officials said Monday that subsequent analysis showed that the actual expenses associated with the Confirm ID system were greater than initially projected.
The fee will cover operational, technological, and administrative costs associated with verifying a traveler’s identity.
A DHS spokesperson said the Confirm ID process will take about 10 to 15 minutes, but can be as long as 30 minutes or more, depending on verification requirements and airport security wait times.
The REAL ID Act was signed into law in 2005, but it didn’t start being enforced until earlier this year following a series of delays. The law requires travelers to have a REAL ID-compliant license or another form of acceptable identification to get through security for a domestic flight.
What are acceptable forms of identification at TSA checkpoint:
- Real ID
- 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)
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
- U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential
- Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
0 Comments