By Pedro Bianco
En esta noticia
Forgetting the document, losing it in the middle of the trip, or not yet having a Real ID has ceased to be, necessarily, the end of the plan to fly.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) enabled a paid alternative for those who arrive at security without an acceptable document: the Confirm ID process, which for 45 dollars allows you to try to verify your identity and board a domestic flight.
Confirm ID: the TSA identity verification alternative
Confirm ID is the identity verification procedure that the TSA offers, in exchange for a 45-dollar fee, to travelers who arrive at security without acceptable identification.
It began to be applied on February 1, 2026. Anyone who does carry a valid document does not need to pay anything: the fee is aimed exclusively at those who do not meet the identification requirement.
It allows you to travel by plane without a passport, Real ID, or another acceptable document
The fee applies to passengers who arrive at the airport without a Real ID or another acceptable document and who, even so, want to fly. That group includes both those who have not yet obtained a Real ID and those who forgot the document at home or lost it during the trip. Among the identifications that the TSA does accept and that therefore avoid the payment are the passport, the Global Entry card, and military identification, among others.
How it works
The process can be paid in advance, online through the TSA’s official channels, or directly at the airport. Once paid, the traveler presents themself at security with the receipt and is subject to additional identity verification and enhanced screening measures. The TSA itself warns that all this takes time: the process may take 30 minutes or more, so it is advisable to arrive with plenty of time to avoid missing the flight.
A key fact about the fee: it is nonrefundable, and it covers the traveler for a period of ten days, so a short round trip does not require paying it twice.
What happens if the TSA cannot verify your identity
Paying the 45 dollars is not a guaranteed pass to board. What is paid for is the verification process, not the result. If the TSA cannot confirm the traveler’s identity, they are denied entry to security and, therefore, cannot fly. In other words, the fee gives the possibility of attempting verification, but entry depends on that verification being successful.