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40m ago

TSA to Charge $45 at Virginia Airports for Travelers Without REAL ID Starting Feb. 1

The agency says the fee funds ConfirmID identity checks for travelers who lack acceptable ID.

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Overview

  • Passengers who arrive without a REAL ID-compliant license or other accepted identification must pay $45 before reaching TSA checkpoints at Virginia airports beginning Feb. 1.
  • The payment enables TSA ConfirmID, a biographic and biometric verification system that is valid for 10 days and can cover an outbound and return flight within that window.
  • TSA advises that the ConfirmID process can take about 30 minutes, encouraging early arrivals or advance online payment and presenting the receipt at the checkpoint.
  • Officials frame the charge as shifting the cost of processing travelers without acceptable ID from taxpayers to those using the alternative verification.
  • About 94% of Virginia passengers already present acceptable ID, with alternatives including U.S. passports, enhanced driver licenses, and DHS trusted-traveler cards.