Back in May, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) instituted a change requiring all travelers to have a REAL ID-compliant form of identification. Up to this point, exceptions have been made for travelers who did not have compliant forms of identification, but now flying without a REAL ID is going to come at a cost.
On Monday, the TSA officially announced that it will begin referring passengers to a fee-based TSA “Confirm.ID” payment option if they do not present a valid, acceptable ID at airport security checkpoints.
TSA Confirms the New Change
Last month, the TSA announced that it was considering a plan to charge travelers without compliant forms of identification a small fee to go through a new identity verification process. On Dec. 1, however, the TSA officially confirmed the change.
Beginning on Feb. 1, travelers who do not present an acceptable form of ID and still want to fly will have an option to pay a $45 fee to use a modernized alternative identity verification system. This $45 fee will allow travelers to use TSA Confirm.ID for a 10-day travel period.
“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,” said Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator for TSA, Adam Stahl, said in a TSA news release on Monday.
“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. Beginning February 1, travelers who do not present an acceptable form of ID at our security checkpoints and still want to fly can pay a $45 fee and undergo the TSA Confirm.ID process,” Stahl said. “This fee ensures the cost to cover verification of an insufficient ID will come from the traveler, not the taxpayer. 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.”
TSA Urges Travelers to Update Their IDs
As the TSA prepares to implement this change, the agency has urged travelers to book an appointment at their local BMV or DMV to update their form of identification to a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or state ID.
The list of acceptable forms of identification includes passports, REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and learns permits, as well as a list of many other acceptable alternatives.
Needless to say, this is something a regular traveler would like to have figured out before Feb. 1, or it will cost a $45 fee at the airport.
