No Real ID? Pay a $45 Fee.
A new rule published by the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) will make travel more expensive for those without a real ID.
Starting Feb. 1, 2026, travelers going through airport security checkpoints without a real ID or other approved document will have to pay a $45 fee under the TSA Confirm.ID program, the agency announced on Dec. 1.
Notice of the fee was first published on Nov. 20. At the time the proposed fee was $18, however it was updated due to a reevaluation of costs and historic precedent. Once the fee is paid, travelers will be able to use their ID for 10 days.
While 94% of travelers currently use a Real ID or other accepted form of ID, TSA expects those who don’t a real ID to have longer waits at checkpoints.
“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 Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator for TSA Adam Stahl. “The vast majority of travelers present acceptable identification like REAL IDs and passports, but we must ensure everyone who flies is who they say they are. Beginning February 1, travelers who do not present an acceptable form of ID at our security checkpoints and still want to fly can pay a $45 fee and undergo the TSA Confirm.ID process. This fee ensures the cost to cover verification of an insufficient ID will come from the traveler, not the taxpayer. The security of the traveling public is our top priority, so 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.”
Acceptable forms of ID include:
• REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent) State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) or Enhanced ID (EID)
• U.S. passport
• U.S. passport card
• DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
• U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
• Permanent resident card
• Border crossing card
• An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs)
• HSPD-12 PIV card
• Foreign government-issued passport
• Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
• Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
• U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential
• Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
The TSA is encouraging those without a Real or acceptable form of ID to pay the fee in advance of their flight with more information to come regarding how to pay at specific airports.
The Real ID law was first passed in 2005 and started roll out in 2008 buy has faced challenges due the COVID-19 pandemic and state implementation, according to reporting from the Associated Press. TSA began requiring a Real ID in May 2025 however passengers without one only got a warning and additional screening.