TSA Identification Requirements: REAL ID and Mobile Licenses

To pass through a TSA checkpoint for a domestic flight, every traveler 18 or older must present a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, a U.S. passport, or another federally approved photo ID. The standard TSA identification requirements took full effect on May 7, 2025, and a state license without the REAL ID marking no longer works on its own.¹ Show up without an acceptable ID and you face a $45 verification fee, a wait of 10 to 30 minutes, and no promise that TSA will clear you in time for your flight.

IDs TSA Will Accept

TSA publishes a specific list of documents that satisfy the checkpoint requirement. Any one of the following works on its own:

REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or state ID card
Enhanced Driver’s License or Enhanced ID card issued by a border state
U.S. passport or U.S. passport card
DHS trusted traveler cards, including Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, and FAST
U.S. Department of Defense ID (active duty, retirees, and dependents)
Permanent resident card
Border crossing card
Federally recognized tribal photo ID, including Enhanced Tribal Cards
Foreign government-issued passport (unexpired)
Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)
HSPD-12 PIV card
USCIS Employment Authorization Card (Form I-766)
U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential
Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card

TSA also accepts certain mobile driver’s licenses and digital IDs, covered further down.²

What REAL ID Means for Your License

The REAL ID Act of 2005 set minimum security standards for state-issued licenses used for federal purposes, and boarding a domestic flight is one of those purposes.³ To get a compliant card, applicants had to prove identity, Social Security number, and legal status at the DMV.

You can spot a compliant license by a star at the top of the card. Enhanced driver’s licenses carry a flag symbol instead and are equally acceptable.⁴ If your card says “Not for Federal Identification” or has neither marking, it will not get you through the checkpoint by itself.

You do not need a REAL ID at all if you carry one of the other documents on the list. A passport, passport card, military ID, or trusted traveler card works just as well. REAL ID only matters when your primary travel document is a state-issued driver’s license or ID.

Expired IDs

TSA accepts an expired ID for up to two years past the expiration date, provided the document type is on the acceptable list.² An ID that expired three years ago will not work. Useful to know if your renewal is running late, but not a reason to keep putting it off.

Temporary Paper Licenses

The paper interim license a DMV gives you while your permanent card is being printed is not accepted at TSA checkpoints. Hold onto your old physical card until the replacement arrives, or carry a passport as backup.²

Mobile Driver’s Licenses and Digital IDs

TSA now accepts mobile driver’s licenses at more than 250 checkpoints. Over 20 states and Puerto Rico participate, with support through Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet, and various state-specific apps depending on where you live.⁵ Apple Digital ID, Clear ID, and Google ID passes are also accepted under TSA’s digital identity testing program.²

One catch matters: a mobile driver’s license only meets the requirement if it is built on a REAL ID-compliant or enhanced physical license. A digital copy of a non-compliant license still fails.⁶ TSA also encourages carrying the physical card as a backup. Batteries die and not every lane has the reader hardware.

The Name on Your ID Must Match Your Boarding Pass

TSA compares the name on your reservation to the name on your ID at the checkpoint. If you booked with your middle name, it needs to appear on your ID. Same goes for suffixes like Jr. or III.⁷

This trips up more travelers than you would think. Frequent flyer profiles sometimes drop middle names, and recent marriages, divorces, or court-ordered changes can leave your license and your ticket out of sync. If your name has changed, update the ID before you fly or book under the name that still matches. Sorting out a mismatch at the airport is slow.

Do Children Need ID?

No. Travelers under 18 do not need identification for domestic flights, whether they are flying with a parent, another adult, or alone as an unaccompanied minor. The adult with them still needs an acceptable ID.²

One narrow exception: an unaccompanied minor enrolled in TSA PreCheck must show an acceptable ID to get expedited screening. Without one, the child goes through standard screening instead.⁸ Airlines also set their own paperwork rules for unaccompanied minors, so check with the carrier. International travel is a different matter entirely: every traveler needs a valid passport regardless of age.

If You Arrive Without an Acceptable ID

The old informal identity interview is being phased out. Starting February 1, 2026, travelers without an acceptable ID must use TSA ConfirmID, which costs $45 per adult.⁹

The process is straightforward on paper. Go to TSA.gov/ConfirmID before your trip and pay $45 through Pay.gov using a bank account, debit or credit card, Venmo, or PayPal. Enter the traveler’s legal name and a travel start date. The payment is good for a 10-day window from that date. You will receive a confirmation email from Pay.gov; print it or save it to your phone. Show the receipt to a TSA officer at the airport to start verification.⁹

Each adult pays separately. Verification runs 10 to 15 minutes on average and can go past 30.¹⁰ Paying does not guarantee you get through. TSA states there is no guarantee they can verify your identity, so you could pay, wait, and still miss the flight.⁹ Skip ConfirmID with no ID at all and you will not clear security. Treat this program as an emergency fallback, not a plan.

Fraudulent IDs

Presenting a fake ID at a checkpoint is a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. § 1028. Producing or using a counterfeit driver’s license or birth certificate carries up to 15 years in prison; other identity fraud carries up to 5. Cases tied to drug trafficking or violent crime rise to 20 years, and terrorism-related cases to 30.¹¹

Facial Recognition and Opting Out

Many airports use facial recognition at the checkpoint, taking a live photo and comparing it against the picture on your ID. TSA also runs a PreCheck Touchless ID program at roughly 65 airports for enrolled travelers on participating airlines.¹²

Biometric screening is optional. Tell the officer before the camera captures your photo that you want to opt out, and you will be routed to manual document review with no additional screening or penalty.¹³ Signage near the checkpoint is supposed to indicate when facial identification is in use, though how visible it is varies. Images are deleted within 24 hours of the scheduled flight departure.¹²

1
Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID
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Transportation Security Administration. Acceptable Identification at the TSA Checkpoint
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Transportation Security Administration. About REAL ID
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Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID – Your Destined for Stardom Self
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Transportation Security Administration. Participating States and Eligible Digital IDs
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Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID Mobile Drivers Licenses (mDLs)
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Transportation Security Administration. Does the Name on My Airline Reservation Have to Match the Name on My Application?
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Transportation Security Administration. My Child Is Traveling Alone, Do They Need a REAL ID?
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Transportation Security Administration. TSA ConfirmID
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Transportation Security Administration. About TSA ConfirmID
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 1028 – Fraud and Related Activity in Connection With Identification Documents
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Transportation Security Administration. TSA PreCheck Touchless ID
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Transportation Security Administration. TSA PreCheck Touchless ID