If you’ve been through an airport for a domestic flight this year, you’ve probably noticed that they’re really strict about having a Real ID. Starting in May 2025, you’ll need to have one, or a passport, if you want to get on a plane and visit your cousin in another state in the United States. However, the TSA is going one step further to encourage the American population to get their Real ID: starting February 1, 2026, if you are an adult traveling without federally accepted identification at an airport, you will have to pay a fee to pass through security.
The Transportation Security Administration is thus ending years of extensions for the adoption of Real ID. If you want to go through the airport but don’t have the necessary documentation, you will have to pay a symbolic fee of $45. Although it is intended as an incentive, the truth is that it will be an unexpected expense for any unsuspecting traveler.
Real ID in Airports
Real ID is not new: in fact, it was enacted by the US Congress back in 2005, following the events of September 11. The aim was to establish minimum general security standards for issuing driver’s licenses and state ID cards. It was a way to create IDs that were difficult to forge, which could be used to board domestic flights or access secure federal facilities. In short, it was an ID card for Americans adapted to the needs of the 21st century.
A Real ID is not just a driver’s license, but a state-issued ID card that has undergone a more rigorous document authentication process. It is not a completely new document, but rather a symbol of the star in the upper corner of the card you have always used. The date of full implementation of this law was May 7, 2025, but we are still in the transition period where people have not yet renewed their driver’s licenses, so there is still a portion of the population without this Real ID.
But before you panic, don’t worry; the TSA still accepts several alternative forms of identification that will always allow you to pass through security:
- A valid U.S. passport;
- A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) trusted traveler card, such as Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, or FAST;
- A U.S. military ID; or
- A permanent resident card.
If you already have a passport or are a member of a trusted traveler program, you can continue to use it without any problems.
The $45 Fee
The new $45 fee applies to adult travelers who do not have any form of acceptable identification when they arrive at the checkpoint. Rather than a fine or penalty for breaking the law, it is a cost recovery fee. The TSA needs to invest in resources and technology to verify the identity of a traveler who is not properly documented, so this is a payment to cover those costs. This type of technology takes the form of a new identity verification system called TSA Confirm.ID.
Although the original proposed cost for this service was only $18, it has been increased to $45 after reviewing all costs and modern technological infrastructure, biometric data integration, and the payment of all operational staff who are not needed to use them.
This process is much longer than standard ID checks. To minimize disruptions, TSA recommends preparing the $45 fee online before arriving at the airport. The payment is valid for a period of 10 days, which covers a typical domestic round-trip journey. However, this system has a flaw: if someone arrives at the airport without the necessary identification, they will likely also be unaware that they needed to prepare for a specific TSA identification system. The only thing we can recommend is that you make sure you have valid identification and meet TSA requirements before going to catch a flight.