TSA launches ConfirmID as alternative for passengers without valid ID

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will soon require air travelers who arrive at airport checkpoints without an acceptable form of identification to either present a valid REAL ID compliant credential or pay a newly established $45 fee to verify their identity through a modernized screening system.

This new development follows a notice posted November 19 in the Federal Register by TSA unveiling a new Modernized Alternative Identity Verification program that will allow passengers who cannot present an acceptable form of identification to pay an $18 fee to undergo a technology-assisted identity verification process instead.

Now, beginning February 1, 2026, any passenger who lacks an approved ID and still wants to fly will be directed to TSA Confirm.ID, a revamped alternative identity-verification process that has now been formalized as a paid option.

TSA officials say the fee will cover the cost of verifying travelers who cannot provide acceptable identification, shifting the financial burden from taxpayers to passengers.

For those who choose to use it, the payment grants access to Confirm.ID for a 10-day travel period, allowing round-trip or multi-segment itineraries without additional fees.

TSA emphasized that while the identity verification option will remain available, it is designed as a last resort measure and is expected to cause delays at airports.

TSA describes Confirm.ID as a technology-enabled replacement for older manual verification procedures.

Instead of relying primarily on labor-intensive call center checks (or similar manual identity verification), the new program leverages “biographic and/or biometric information” to confirm a passenger’s identity and match them against TSA’s watchlist or Secure Flight prescreening data.

TSA argues the fee is necessary because the “initial development and deployment” of the program – including software, IT infrastructure, data security, administrative overhead, and ongoing operations – represent significant costs, and that requiring a user fee ensures those costs are borne by the travelers who use the system, rather than by taxpayers.

During the process, TSA will collect biographic information and/or biometric information that will be used to attempt to verify that the traveler is indeed who they claim to be and to cross-check against TSA’s Secure Flight watchlist or other prescreening databases.

According to TSA, all travelers who fail to present an acceptable ID – including those carrying a non-REAL ID compliant driver’s license – will be routed to the Confirm.ID process before they can enter the security line.

TSA is working with industry partners to set up online payment platforms so travelers can pay the fee before reaching the airport, though on-site payment options will also be available at designated locations near security checkpoints.

The agency published an updated list of acceptable identification documents.

TSA said travelers who do not already have a REAL ID should schedule an appointment with their state DMV as soon as possible. The agency noted that REAL ID requirements, first mandated more than two decades ago, were not fully implemented by previous administrations.

Under President Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, the federal government began enforcing REAL ID at airport checkpoints on May 7.  TSA estimates that more than 94 percent of passengers now fly with REAL ID-compliant or otherwise acceptable ID.

The agency said passengers who depend on Confirm.ID should expect longer wait times and warned that identity verification is not guaranteed. Delays will vary by airport because each location is implementing the system differently.

If identity cannot be validated through Confirm.ID, passengers may be denied access to the secure area and unable to board their flights.

“Identity verification is essential to traveler safety, because it keeps terrorists, criminals, and illegal aliens out of the skies and other domestic transportation systems such as rail,” said Adam Stahl, the Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator for TSA.

“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,” Stahl  said.

Stahl said TSA’s top priority is protecting the traveling public and urged passengers to update their identification well in advance to avoid delays or missed flights. TSA is encouraging anyone who anticipates needing the Confirm.ID option to pay the fee online before arriving at the airport.

The full list of acceptable IDs is available on TSA’s website.

Article Topics

airport biometrics  |  biometrics  |  identity verification  |  Real ID  |  trusted traveller  |  TSA  |  TSA ConfirmID