Heading though an airport without a REAL ID? That could c...

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Heading though an airport without a REAL ID? That could cost you

Previously travelers without an approved form of ID would simply be taken aside for extra screening

Io Dodds in San FranciscoMonday 01 December 2025 22:25 GMTComments

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Air passengers who try to fly in the United States without a REAL ID or another form of acceptable identification will be charged a $45 fee starting on February 1 next year, the Transportation Security Administration has announced.

In a press release Monday, the agency said it would soon begin requiring payment from any travelers without an approved ID in order to cover the cost of additional screening.

Travelers who previously rocked up with a non-compliant ID were often allowed to fly after being taken aside to verify their identity. Now, that process will incur a $45 fee — more than double what was proposed in a regulatory filing last month.

"The current alternative identity verification process is time and resource intensive, limiting the number of individuals for whom TSA can provide the service," the agency said in a notice in the Federal Register on November 20.

"Requiring a fee for the modernized alternative identity verification program will ensure that the cost to administer this program is recovered from the users who benefit from it."

open image in galleryTSA officials said they are working with private industry to let people pay the fee online before arriving (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

After 20 years of delays, REAL ID became mandatory for all air travelers within the U.S. in May 2025.

Originally created by Congress in 2005 in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, which were enabled in part by doctored IDs, the REAL ID program sets more stringent federal standards for state-issued driver's licenses and other identity documents.

Until now, passengers lacking a REAL ID have generally been allowed to clear security with additional screening and a warning. The Department of Homeland Security says 94 percent of passengers are already compliant in using their REAL ID or other acceptable forms of identification.

Under the new system, travelers 18 and older who fly domestically without a REAL ID — or some other form of TSA-accepted ID, such as a passport — will need to pay to verify their identity through TSA's 'Confirm.ID' system.

You won't be approved automatically, but if you do get through then your approval will persist for 10 days before you need to pay again. The exact process will differ from airport to airport.

The TSA also said that it was "working with private industry" to create ways to pay online before you arrive at the airport.

open image in galleryThe REAL ID program was recommended by the 9/11 Commission in 2004, but took until May 2025 to be fully implemented (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

"Identity verification is essential to traveler safety, because it keeps terrorists, criminals, and illegal aliens out of the skies and other domestic transportation systems such as rail," said senior TSA official Adam Stahl.

"This fee ensures the cost to cover verification of an insufficient ID will come from the traveler, not the taxpayer... we urge all travelers to get a REAL ID or other acceptable form of ID as soon as possible to avoid delays and potentially miss flights."

The TSA initially proposed an $18 charge for passengers without a REAL ID, but officials said Monday they raised it after realizing the alternative identification program would cost more than anticipated.

Other acceptable forms of ID include military IDs, permanent resident cards and photo IDs from federally recognized tribal nations. TSA also accepts digital IDs through platforms such as Apple Wallet, Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet at more than 250 airports in the U.S.