JACKSON, Miss.—Airline passengers without proper REAL ID-compliant identification will have to pay a $45 verification process fee when traveling through Mississippi airports and others nationwide starting Feb.1, the launch date for the new federal fee policy.
The Jackson Municipal Airport Authority, in partnership with the Transportation Security Administration, held a press conference on Jan. 21 at the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport to announce the policy and explain what travelers must do if they do not possess a REAL ID.
REAL ID is federally compliant identification, first introduced in 2005 after Congress passed legislation to establish minimum security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and other forms of identification. For example, a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license has a star on its upper right corner, though other forms of identification also meet the requirement.
Monya Bates, the TSA assistant federal security director for screening for the state, said that airline passengers without REAL ID-compliant identification must pay the $45 fee for the alternative TSA ConfirmID, a verification screening process.
“If a traveler enters the security line without an acceptable ID, they will be escorted to a separate location to pay the TSA ConfirmID payment process. Once the process is completed, the traveler will return to the checkpoint to proceed through screening,” Bates said.
The U.S. government has delayed the deadline for people to possess a REAL ID for travel numerous times, but the policy finally kicked in last May. The TSA announced the $45 fee for those without REAL ID last month.
The TSA ConfirmID process takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete, depending on available information and wait times. Once a traveler has paid the fee, they will be emailed a receipt to show a TSA officer so that the identity verification process can begin.
Once verified, the processing fee receipt is valid for 10 days after purchase, covering both arrivals and departures when traveling. If the passenger travels after 10 days, he or she will be required to restart the verification process and repay the $45 fee.
While the verification processing fee of $45 is required to begin the screening process, it does not guarantee clearance to travel.
“Our message to the traveler is simple. Check your ID before you leave home. Arrive early. And if you are unsure whether or not your ID is acceptable, please visit our website at tsa.gov before traveling,” Bates said.
Gervais Joubert, TSA spokesman for the State of Mississippi, added that this fee takes the expense of verification away from taxpayers and places it with the traveler.
“There was no charge before. Before, the taxpayers were paying for it, and now we’re putting that charge on the actual traveler who needs the process,” he said.
While there are no exemptions for the processing fee, Joubert said that TSA Cares will assist passengers who have disabilities in the process.
“We do have TSA Cares. If (someone) needs assistance, they can call the TSA Cares Hotline. If you call within 72 hours of your flight, someone can be there to assist you,” Joubert stated.