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If you are 18 or older and your driver’s license has no star on it, bring a passport or another accepted ID to the airport for Thanksgiving. Without one, the TSA ConfirmID fee applies: a $45 payment that lets TSA try to verify who you are at the checkpoint. It is an option, not a guarantee, so the cheaper plan is to check your card tonight.
The TSA ConfirmID fee and ID rules in numbers
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| REAL ID enforcement start | May 7, 2025 | TSA |
| TSA ConfirmID fee | $45, available from Feb. 1, 2026 | TSA |
| How long a payment lasts | 10 days | Axios |
| Travelers expected to need it | About 6% | Axios |
| Added time at security | 10 to 30 minutes | Axios |
Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 26 this year, so the busiest travel days are weeks away but not far. TSA’s own ConfirmID pages are the place to confirm any detail before you fly.
What counts as acceptable ID
TSA says travelers 18 and older need a REAL ID-compliant license, a state-issued enhanced driver’s license or another acceptable ID to fly within the United States. A REAL ID card has a star at the top, and an enhanced license shows a flag. The acceptable alternatives TSA lists include a valid passport, a U.S. military ID, a federally recognized tribal photo ID and an enhanced license from Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont or Washington. Interim paper licenses are not accepted.
Axios adds a passport card and a Global Entry or NEXUS card to the list of things that avoid the fee. If you hold any of these, the TSA ConfirmID fee does not come into it.
How the TSA ConfirmID fee works
TSA introduced the $45 option on Feb. 1, 2026, for adults who arrive at a checkpoint without a REAL ID or another acceptable ID. According to Axios, you can pay in advance through Pay.gov by following the link on TSA’s ConfirmID page, or pay at the airport, and TSA strongly recommends paying ahead. The payment covers 10 days, which could matter on a round trip that fits inside that window.
Start from TSA’s own site if you pay online. Copycat payment pages are a standard trick, as our guide to government impersonation scams explains.
What to expect at the checkpoint
ConfirmID is an identity check, not a pass. Axios reports that it can add 10 to 30 minutes at security and that TSA cannot promise it will confirm who you are. Travelers who have no acceptable ID and do not go through the process may not be allowed through security, which TSA’s REAL ID page also states. Plan to arrive earlier than usual if there is any chance you will need it.
Children and companions
TSA says it does not require children under 18 to show ID when they fly within the country with a companion. The companion must have acceptable ID, so the adult with the child is the one to check.
Check your license tonight
Look for the star at the top of the card. If it is missing, check whether your passport is current, or ask your state’s motor vehicle agency what it needs for a REAL ID, since requirements vary by state. Then book with enough cushion: our holiday airfare guide covers when fares are moving.
Editor’s take
The fee is small next to the price of a holiday ticket, but the bigger cost is time and uncertainty at the busiest checkpoint of the year. A passport already in a drawer is the cheapest fix. The TSA ConfirmID fee is best treated as a backup plan for a forgotten ID, not a substitute for sorting out the right one before travel week.
