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Travelers wait in line to check in for flights at Los Angeles International Airport ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, on Nov. 22, 2023. Mario Tama/Getty Images
About 6 percent of U.S. air travelers still are not displaying identifications that meet stricter federal standards such as the REAL ID, a senior official at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said on Jan. 21.
From Feb. 1 onward, passengers without enhanced identification or other acceptable forms of ID will be charged $45 to use the optional alternative identity verification system, TSA ConfirmID, for accessing flights. The agency noted that ConfirmID is an attempt to verify identity, but it’s not a guarantee. If the attempt fails, the passenger will not be allowed through security and may miss the flight.
“This fee ensures that noncompliant travelers, not taxpayers, cover the cost of processing travelers without acceptable IDs,” senior TSA official Adam Stahl said. “To avoid delays or missed flights, all travelers should obtain a REAL ID or another acceptable form of identification before heading to the airport.”
The enforcement of REAL ID, a new form of government-issued photo identification, began on May 7, 2025. This ID is needed to board a domestic flight or enter a federal facility.
It usually takes the form of a driver’s license or a nondriver photo ID card issued by a state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). It can also include an individual U.S. passport booklet or passport card, a Lawful Permanent Resident card, Department of Defense ID, DHS trusted traveler card, or a foreign government’s passport.
An illegal immigrant is not eligible to obtain a REAL ID. When the ID was enforced last year, there were severe backlogs reported for getting an appointment with the DMV.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, more than 3 million airline passengers fly in and out of U.S. airports every day.
In a May 2025 hearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, TSA Deputy Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill wrote in prepared remarks that nearly 7 percent of travelers flying through U.S. airports did not have a REAL ID-compliant form of identification.
Travelers who have no REAL ID and have not paid the TSA ConfirmID fee will be subject to delays as the verification process can take up to 30 minutes, the TSA warned.
For making the ConfirmID pre-payment, individuals can visit Pay.gov, and enter the traveler’s legal name, journey start date, and valid bank account details.
The $45 payment can be made through a debit card, credit card, Venmo, or PayPal, according to the TSA.
After arriving at the airport, the travelers can show a printed or electronic copy of the TSA ConfirmID receipt to an officer at the TSA checkpoint to begin the identity verification process.
The TSA in a Jan. 17 post on X said, “REAL ID is the standard for flying. TSA ConfirmID is your backup, using secure tech to verify your identity if you don’t have REAL ID-compliant identification at the checkpoint.”
The REAL ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005, enacted the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the federal government set minimum security standards for identification.
