TSA ConfirmID is a paid identity verification option for air travelers who arrive at the checkpoint without a REAL ID or another acceptable form of identification. The fee is $45, it’s non-refundable, and TSA makes no promise it will work. The program launched on February 1, 2026, after REAL ID enforcement began on May 7, 2025, made standard non-compliant driver’s licenses unusable at TSA checkpoints.1Transportation Security Administration. $45 Fee Option for Air Travelers Without a REAL ID Begins February 1 TSA’s own advice is blunt: get a REAL ID or another accepted document before you travel, and treat ConfirmID as a last resort.
Check Your Wallet Before You Pay
Plenty of travelers reach for ConfirmID when they already have something TSA will accept. The list is longer than most people think. Any of these gets you through without the fee:2Transportation Security Administration. Acceptable Identification at the TSA Checkpoint
- REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or state ID
- U.S. passport or passport card
- Permanent resident card
- U.S. military ID, including dependent IDs
- DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
- Foreign passport
- Enhanced driver’s license from certain border states
- Transportation Worker Identification Credential
- Federally recognized Tribal Nation ID
- Approved mobile driver’s licenses based on a REAL ID or enhanced ID
- Digital IDs currently being tested, including Apple Digital ID, Clear ID, and Google ID pass
The passport card is wallet-sized and cheaper than a full passport. A Global Entry or NEXUS card works on its own. If your state issues a mobile driver’s license tied to a REAL ID, your phone may be enough. Confirm what you have before spending $45.
How to Pay and Register
The $45 fee is paid through Pay.gov. Cash is not accepted at the airport, and TSA officers cannot take payment directly. Accepted methods include bank account (ACH), debit card, credit card, Venmo, and PayPal.3Transportation Security Administration. TSA ConfirmID FAQs
When you register, you enter the traveler’s legal name and a travel start date. The payment is valid for 10 days from that start date. Travel beyond the window means paying again. Bring the payment receipt, printed or on your phone, and show it at the checkpoint every time you fly during the 10 days.4Pay.gov. TSA ConfirmID Program Fee
Each traveler aged 18 or older who lacks acceptable ID registers and pays separately. Someone else can submit the payment on your behalf, but the traveler’s information has to be entered correctly.4Pay.gov. TSA ConfirmID Program Fee TSA strongly recommends paying before you get to the airport. Paying at the checkpoint eats into your time and can cause you to miss your flight.1Transportation Security Administration. $45 Fee Option for Air Travelers Without a REAL ID Begins February 1
What Happens at the Checkpoint
At the document-checking station, tell the officer you don’t have an acceptable ID and hand over the ConfirmID receipt. Verification takes 10 to 15 minutes on average and can run 30 minutes or longer.5Transportation Security Administration. About TSA ConfirmID Get to the airport at least two hours before your flight, more if you can.
TSA may ask for your legal name, date of birth, and address to run the check.6Transportation Security Administration. What Information May Be Required to Complete the TSA ConfirmID Identity Verification Process The system cross-references what you provide against commercial databases, so accurate recall of your current and previous addresses helps. Expect additional screening after verification. TSA has historically subjected travelers without ID to enhanced measures such as thorough pat-downs, manual bag inspection, and explosive trace detection swabs. Cooperation is not optional; refusing secondary screening can mean being denied access to the gate area.
If Verification Fails, the Fee Is Gone
This is the risk. The $45 fee is non-refundable. TSA will not refund it, in whole or in part, to travelers whose identities cannot be verified or who are unable to enter the secure area as a result.7Federal Register. TSA Modernized Alternative Identity Verification User Fee If the check fails, you don’t clear the checkpoint and you miss your flight.3Transportation Security Administration. TSA ConfirmID FAQs
TSA does not publish how often verification fails, and there is no guarantee the process will succeed.8Transportation Security Administration. TSA ConfirmID Recent name changes, incomplete personal records, or information that doesn’t line up with commercial databases can all cause the system to come up empty. If that happens, you’re out the fee with no way back through the checkpoint that day.
Children Don’t Need ConfirmID
TSA does not require children under 18 to show identification when traveling within the United States, and the ConfirmID fee applies only to travelers 18 and older. Unaccompanied minors who are eligible for TSA PreCheck do need an acceptable ID for expedited screening, which is a narrow exception. Check with your airline about carrier rules for minors flying alone.2Transportation Security Administration. Acceptable Identification at the TSA Checkpoint
What Happens to Your Data
ConfirmID involves sharing personal information with TSA and potentially with third-party database providers. TSA’s general checkpoint practice is to delete transactional and biographic information from checkpoint devices after each passenger interaction, and personally identifiable information associated with flight screening is retained in TSA’s infrastructure for no longer than 24 hours after the scheduled departure time.9U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Privacy Impact Assessment for the Travel Document Checker Automation Using Facial Identification TSA has not published a privacy impact assessment specific to ConfirmID’s database queries, so the retention practices of the commercial data providers used in the identity check are not clear from public documents.