Flyers who don't have a Real ID or other acceptable form of identification now have the option of purchasing the TSA's new ConfirmID for flights beginning Feb. 1. Flyers can register and pay the $45 charge online ahead at the Pay.Gov website.
The ConfirmID is good for 10 days once payment has been made.
Real ID requirements took effect last May, and the TSA said 94% of travelers who pass through airport screening use either a state-issued Real ID driver's license or another acceptable form of identification such as a passport, passport card or DHS trusted-traveler card like Global Entry. The other 6%, however, can be subject to enhanced screening.
The TSA said the new ConfirmID fee will ensure that noncompliant travelers shoulder the cost of that extra screening, rather than taxpayers.
Flyers without compliant IDs who pay the ConfirmID fee in advance will receive a payment receipt by email, which they will be asked to show to a TSA agent at the security checkpoint in either digital or printed form along with their identification. The TSA did say, however, that such flyers could still be subject to additional delays.
Flyers without compliant IDs who haven't paid the ConfirmID fee in advance can expect longer delays, which the TSA warned may result in missed flights. For those flyers, information about how to pay for ConfirmID will be available at marked locations at or near security checkpoints in most airports.
"It is important that airline travelers plan ahead to ensure they have an acceptable form of ID to avoid these additional delays as the process can take up to 30 minutes," the TSA website reads.