TSA announces $45 fee for travelers with no REAL ID

The Transportation Security Administration announced Monday that travelers passing through airport security checkpoints without a REAL ID or passport will have to pay a $45 fee starting Feb. 1.

This fee is part of the next phase of the agency’s REAL ID implementation process and will require individuals to verify their identity through a biometric or biographical system before being allowed to cross through a checkpoint if they do not have a compliant form of identification.

This announcement follows a proposed rule published in the Federal Register last month, But the agency increased the fee from its previously proposed amount of $18.

“The fee was necessary because we needed to modernize the system. We needed to make sure the system is secure,” Steve Lorincz, TSA’s deputy acting assistant administrator for security operations, told ABC News.

The TSA says the fee will cover the administrative and IT costs associated with the ID verification program and ensure that expenses are covered by travelers, not taxpayers.

Persons traveling without REAL ID can go online tsa.gov And follow the instructions listed to verify their identity and pay the fee effective next year.

After completing the steps, they will receive an email confirmation to show to the TSA officer before passing through the checkpoint. The entire process should usually take 10 to 15 minutes, but it may take 30 minutes or more.

Still, there is no guarantee that individuals will be allowed to pass the security checkpoint, the agency cautioned.

“We still need to go through the process to make sure that we verify who you are. And for whatever reason, if we can’t do that, you can’t go through the process,” Lorincz said.

Passengers in line who arrive at the checkpoint without an acceptable form of ID will be escorted out of the line to complete the online verification process before proceeding. The TSA says those with a lost or stolen REAL ID or passport will also have to pay a fee.

Once verified, the fee will cover access through a TSA checkpoint for ten days. After that, if the person travels again without a REAL ID, he or she will have to pay a fee.

The agency says about 94% of travelers are already using a REAL ID or another acceptable form of ID.