Topline
Air travelers 18 years of age and older who do not have a REAL ID, but they will soon face an added fee at airports, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
Air travelers without a REAL ID will have to pay $45 beginning Feb. 1.
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Key Facts
Beginning Feb. 1, travelers without a REAL ID or other acceptable forms of identification can pay a $45 fee to use TSA’s alternative identity verification system called TSA ConfirmID.
The TSA ConfirmID process must be completed for domestic air passengers before they enter security, with the $45 fee for each verification only available to be paid digitally.
TSA encourages air travelers to check if they are REAL ID-compliant before they travel, and if they are not, they should visit tsa.gov/ConfirmID to pay the fee before showing their receipt to a TSA officer.
The option to complete the process can also be found at airports through QR codes, though TSA said the procedure will differ between airports.
According to TSA, the ConfirmID process verifies a traveler’s identity using biometric methods and biographic checks, including name, date of birth and other identifying details.
Originally proposed at $18, the ConfirmID fee was upped to $45 after a review found the original proposal would not fully cover the expenses associated with implementing and operating the system.
Crucial Quote
“The fee was needed. We started reinforcing REAL ID on May 7, and this is kind of the next step, and a $45 fee now puts the financial burden on the traveler instead of all the taxpayers and a $45 covers the cost of the service,” Gervais Joubert, a spokesperson with TSA, told THV11.
Key Background
The REAL ID requirement stems from the REAL ID Act of 2005, passed in Congress in response to recommendations from the 9/11 Commission to strengthen identification standards. It took until 2020 for all states to make the driver’s licenses REAL ID-compliant, with the COVID-19 pandemic further delaying the enforcement deadline. The ConfirmID process comes after the 2025 requirement for REAL ID and years of phased rollouts and extensions.
What Other Forms Of Id Are Compliant?
If travelers do not have a REAL ID, other forms of identification include passport; passport card; Department of Homeland Security-issued trusted traveler card (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST); U.S. Department of Defense ID (military ID, including identification issued to dependents); U.S. permanent resident card (green card); border crossing card; Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe photo ID (including Enhanced Tribal Cards); HSPD-12 PIV Card (issued to federal employees and contractors); foreign government-issued passport; Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card; transportation worker ID credential; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766); U.S. merchant mariner credential; or a Veteran Health ID card (VHIC).
Big Number
94%. That’s the percentage of Americans who, as of December, had a REAL ID-compliant form of identification.
Further Reading
TSA Proposes Air Passengers Without A REAL ID Can Pay $18 For Biometric Scan Instead (Forbes)
‘We Are Doing This’: TSA Warns Travelers Without REAL ID Could Miss Their Flights Beginning May 7 (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikestunson/2026/01/17/air-travelers-without-real-id-will-soon-face-45-fee-at-airports/
