Beginning Feb. 1, TSA will offer the ConfirmID process as an alternative for travelers who lack a REAL ID-compliant form of identification.
The ConfirmID process requires travelers to submit biographic and/or biometric information online to verify their identity and ensure they are not on a Secure Flight watch list.
The big picture: A $45 fee will be charged to cover the cost of verifying insufficient identification.
- After completing the process, travelers receive a receipt, which must be shown at the TSA security checkpoint.
- Those using ConfirmID will face additional screening measures, potential delays, and should expect the process to take up to 30 minutes.
Go deeper: ConfirmID verification lasts for 10 days, covering round-trip flights as long as both flights are within the time frame.
- More than 94% of travelers are already REAL ID compliant, according to TSA data from December.
- REAL ID-compliant cards are typically marked with a black or gold star, while enhanced driver’s licenses (available in certain states) display a flag instead.
- TSA accepts other forms of identification, such as U.S. passports, Department of Defense IDs, Tribal Nation IDs, foreign passports, and several other government-issued documents.
- At select airports, digital IDs from Clear, Apple, and Google will also be accepted.
- Expired IDs are accepted if they are within two years past the expiration date.
