A REAL ID sign is displayed while passengers wait to go through a security checkpoint at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on May 23, 2025.
Nam Y Huh/AP
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Nam Y Huh/AP
Air travelers in the U.S. without a REAL ID will be charged a $45 fee starting in February, the Transportation Security Administration announced Monday.
Updated ID has been required since May, but travelers without it have until now been allowed through security with extra checks and warnings. The Department of Homeland Security says 94% of travelers are already compliant and the new fee is intended to encourage travelers to get an ID.
Real ID is a federally compliant state-issued license or identification card that meets requirements mandated after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Getting the ID – which in most states is represented by a white star in a yellow circle – means taking more documentation to the motor vehicle agency than most states require for a regular ID. It was scheduled to be implemented in 2008 but implementation was repeatedly delayed.
Starting February 1, travelers 18 and older flying domestically without a REAL ID and who do not have another accepted form of ID, such as a passport, must pay a non-refundable fee to verify their identity through TSA’s optional “Confirm.ID” system.
TSA officials said payment of the fee does not guarantee verification, and passengers whose identity cannot be verified may be turned away. However, if approved, verification includes a 10-day travel period.
Fees can be paid online before reaching the airport. Passengers can also make online payments at the airport before entering the security line, but officials said the process could take up to 30 minutes.
The TSA initially proposed an $18 fee for travelers without REAL ID, but officials said Monday they increased it after the cost of the alternative identification program turned out to be higher than anticipated.
Other acceptable forms of ID include military ID, permanent resident card, and photo ID from federally recognized tribal nations. TSA also accepts digital IDs through platforms like Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, and Samsung Wallet at more than 250 airports in the US.
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