The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced 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 modernized alternative identity verification system, TSA Confirm.ID, to establish identity at security checkpoints beginning on Feb. 1, 2026.
Travelers will be able to pay $45 to use TSA Confirm.ID for a 10-day travel period. TSA urges travelers who do not have a REAL ID to schedule an appointment at their local department of motor vehicles (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 DMV.
- A temporary driver’s license is not an acceptable form of identification.
- State-issued enhanced driver’s license (EDL) or enhanced ID (EID)
- US passport
- US passport card
- DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST). TSA PreCheck does not count as REAL ID.
- 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)
All travelers 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 from airport to airport, and TSA is working with private industry to proactively offer online payment options prior to arrival at the airport.
Currently, more than 94% of passengers already use their REAL ID or other acceptable forms of identification, according to TSA. The agency expects increased wait times for passengers who do not provide an acceptable ID.
Adam Stahl, senior official performing the duties of deputy administrator for TSA, said the vast majority of travelers present acceptable identification like REAL IDs and passports, “but we must ensure everyone who flies is who they say they are.”
The $45 fee, said Stahl, ensures the cost to cover verification of an insufficient ID will come from the traveler, not the taxpayer.
TSA urges all travelers who do not have a REAL ID to pay the fee online before traveling. 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. Travelers who undergo TSA Confirm.ID processing at an airport should expect delays. TSA’s list of acceptable forms of ID can be found at TSA.gov/travel/security-screening/identification.
