The Transportation Security Administration has begun charging a $45 fee to travelers who arrive at airport checkpoints without a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, passport, or other TSA-accepted form of identification. The new process, called TSA ConfirmID, launched February 1 and gives travelers without compliant documents a way to verify their identity on the spot rather than being turned away.
Travelers who know in advance they lack an acceptable ID can pay the $45 fee online at TSA.gov/ConfirmID before their trip and bring a printed or digital payment receipt to the checkpoint along with any government-issued identification they do have. The verification, once completed, is valid for 10 days, covering a round trip for most travelers.
TSA says the ConfirmID system relies on a combination of biometric kiosks, database queries, and sworn identity affidavits to confirm who a traveler is when primary documents are missing or non-compliant. The agency reports the rollout has coincided with a rise in REAL ID compliance rates nationally, as travelers who previously relied on standard licenses upgrade to avoid the added cost and delay.
The fee applies only to travelers without any acceptable identification; those with a REAL ID-compliant license, valid passport, or other TSA-approved document are unaffected. With REAL ID enforcement now in its second year, travelers who haven’t yet updated their license are encouraged to do so at their state DMV to avoid both the fee and extra screening time at the checkpoint.
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