As of February, passengers without the government-approved identity card will be required to pay for alternative screening at U.S. airports.

TSA Confirm.ID will verify the identities of travelers who want to fly without a Real ID. It's expensive. What to know about the new TSA program.

The TSA announced Monday that fliers who don't have an acceptable REAL ID or passport can pay a $45 fee and use Confirm.ID to verify their identities.

The fee will begin being implemented on Feb. 1 and will allow those with a non-Real ID compliant driver's license or ID to board their flight.

The Digital ID can then be used at TSA security checkpoints at around 250 airports that are participating in a beta version of the program, according to a press release from Apple. To add an ID to your Apple Wallet, iPhone users should tap the + button in the Wallet app and select the driver’s license or ID card option.

The US Transportation Security Administration will charge travelers $45 for a new Confirm.ID identity verification option starting on February 1, 2026, up from an earlier planned $18 fee for those flying without valid ID.

The toolset is designed to speed up onboarding while ensuring that sensitive client data never leaves the user’s device or the organization’s servers.

Travelers who show up to airport security without the right identification will soon face a new cost to keep their plans on track. A modernized identity-verification system is being rolled out nationwide,