The Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) announced Monday that travelers who do not have a REAL ID form of identification “will be required to pay $45 to use one.”“Modernized Alternative Identity Verification System” called TSA Confirm.ID.
According to a TSA press release, starting February 1, 2026, people who do not have a REAL ID will have to pay a fee to board a flight. “This process will vary from airport to airport, and TSA is proactively working with private industry to provide online payment options prior to arrival at the airport,” TSA said in the release.
The agency notes that 94% of travelers currently have a REAL ID compliant form of identification, most commonly a driver’s license. But there are other accepted documents including passport, pPermanent Resident Card, and US Department of Defense ID, and much more.
The TSA encourages anyone who has not received a REAL ID form of identification to visit their local DMV to obtain it and warns that there will be a delay if they choose to pay the $45 fee with an old-school driver’s license or non-compliant ID. Anyone who loses their REAL ID will also be directed to According to the TSA website, the TSA Confirm.ID line.
The Real ID Act was passed in 2005, but its full implementation was delayed for two decades until the TSA decided in May that it would eventually demand that everyone have one to fly domestically. Oddly enough, the type of documents required to get a REAL ID can vary by state, but it’s fairly common for things like a birth certificate or Social Security card.
“Identity verification is essential to traveler security, as it keeps terrorists, criminals and illegal aliens out of the skies and other domestic transportation systems like rail,” TSA Deputy Administrator Adam Stahl said in a press release.
“The vast majority of travelers present acceptable identification, such as REAL ID and passport, but we must ensure that everyone flying is who they say they are. Starting 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 go through the TSA Confirm.ID process.”
The TSA is introducing the fee as a way to ensure that taxpayers won’t have to worry about any additional costs, although it seems like the real purpose behind the fee is just to help people get a Real ID.
“This fee ensures that the cost of covering verification of inadequate ID will fall on the traveler, not the taxpayer,” Stahl said. “The safety of the traveling public is our top priority, so we urge all travelers to obtain a REAL ID or other acceptable form of ID as soon as possible to avoid delays and potentially missed flights.”
When the Trump regime actually decided to pull the trigger on Real ID, some of the president’s biggest fans couldn’t believe it and insisted that he should be chided for fully implementing this alleged nefarious plot. For example, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones blamed everyone except Trump, claiming it was a secret conspiracy by Bill Gates and the Chinese government to control Americans.
Why hasn’t President Joe Biden actually implemented Real ID, if it’s a tool of the nefarious deep state or something? According to Jones, this would have hindered the “invasion” of America by illegal immigrants. Consistency or logical reasoning have never been conspiracy theorists’ strong suit.
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