TSA to start new federal ID program at Columbus airports on Feb. 1

Columbus air passengers – and travelers nationwide – will be able to use a new federal identification method with the TSA starting Feb. 1, the Columbus Regional Airport Authority said in a Jan. 29 news release.

The new identification program, dubbed TSA ConfirmID, will allow people who do not have a REAL ID to verify their identities with the TSA before they reach airport security for a fee of $45. Passengers may apply to TSA ConfirmID online, and the verification is valid for 10 days.

Passengers who get verified with TSA ConfirmID will need to bring an electronic or printed copy of their receipt to the airport to show to the TSA officer at security, according to the Airport Authority.

The program is only for passengers who don't have a REAL ID or other acceptable documents. The vast majority of Ohio air travelers, 95%, already use a REAL ID or other acceptable documents, according to TSA officials.

All the documents that the TSA accepts, according to the Airport Authority, are:

  • REAL ID-compliant driver's licenses or other state photo identity cards.
  • State-issued enhanced driver's licenses or enhanced IDs
  • U.S. passports
  • U.S. passport cards
  • Department of Homeland Security trusted traveler cards
  • U.S. Department of Defense IDs, including IDs issued to dependents
  • Permanent resident cards
  • Border crossing cards
  • Acceptable photo IDs issued by a federally recognized tribal nation/Indian tribe, including enhanced tribal cards
  • HSPD-12 PIV cards
  • Foreign government-issued passports
  • Canadian provincial driver's license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada cards
  • Transportation worker identification credentials
  • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services employment authorization cards
  • U.S. Merchant Mariner credentials
  • Veteran health identification cards

TSA agents screen and direct passengers at John Glenn International Airport in Columbus, Ohio October 3, 2025.

Transportation and neighborhoods reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at [email protected], @NathanRHart on X and nathanhart.dispatch.com on Bluesky.

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