Listen to this articleBeginning Feb. 1, 2026, airline passengers without acceptable identification can pay $45 to use TSA‘s Confirm.ID alternative verification system.
The fee covers a 10-day travel period and allows the traveler to proceed if identity can be verified. The Transportation Security Administration warns that travelers using Confirm.ID should expect delay. Additionally, TSA advised the process may differ by airport. It urges all travelers who do not have a REAL ID to pay the fee online before traveling.
The agency notes that more than 94% of passengers already use their REAL ID or other acceptable forms of identification. However TSA urges travelers who do not have a REAL ID to schedule an appointment at their local Department of Motor Vehicles to update their ID as soon as possible. The TSA’s full list of acceptable forms of ID is available here.
New Jersey residents can obtain a REAL ID through the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC), which continues to offer appointments statewide. More information can be found here.
Safety first
NJBIZ has previously reported on this when the Trump administration fully implemented the REAL ID starting in May. New Jersey initially lagged behind in REAL ID compliance rates, which led to beefed-up efforts and initiatives from the Murphy administration to meet the demand.
Adam Stahl is senior official performing the duties of deputy administrator for TSA. In a press release, he said that identity verification is essential to traveler safety. “Because it keeps terrorists, criminals, and illegal aliens out of the skies and other domestic transportation systems such as rail.”
“The vast majority of travelers present acceptable identification like REAL IDs and passports, but we must ensure everyone who flies is who they say they are,” said Stahl.
“This fee ensures the cost to cover verification of an insufficient ID will come from the traveler, not the taxpayer,” he continued. “The security of the traveling public is our top priority, so we urge all travelers to get a REAL ID or other acceptable form of ID as soon as possible to avoid delays and potentially miss flights.”
Traveling and don’t have a REAL ID or another acceptable form of ID? You’ll want to get yours soon. Starting on Feb. 1, 2026, travelers may pay a $45 fee to verify their identity through TSA Confirm. ID.
Learn more: https://t.co/8RMsLuqyB7 pic.twitter.com/9ExDjh5GFS
— TSA (@TSA) December 1, 2025
