REAL ID enforcement is finally becoming real, and if you show up at an airport TSA security checkpoint unprepared next year, it will cost you.
TSA To Charge $45 If You Show Up Without REAL ID
Starting February 1, 2026, any adult traveler who does not present a REAL ID (or another accepted federal ID like a passport) will be charged a non-refundable $45 fee just to clear the security checkpoint. TSA calls the alternative verification program “Confirm.ID” and will allow travelers to pay the fee online in advance or at the airport.
If you pay in advance, clearing security should take only a few minutes. If you wait until you arrive at the checkpoint, expect delays. Either way, you will still pay $45. You’ll be directed to a kiosk where you can look up your passport, if you have one, or answer some “identity verification questions” (sort of like the ones you sometimes have to answer when applying for a credit card or opening a bank account).
Most flyers will never encounter this problem: passports, Global Entry cards, and military IDs remain accepted forms of identification and 94% of Americans have one of these. But a driver’s license without a REAL ID star will no longer be enough to reach the metal detectors without opening your wallet.
For nearly two decades, Americans have been warned that REAL ID was coming. The law passed in 2005, survived state-level resistance, and enforcement has been delayed repeatedly to avoid inconveniencing travelers. At this point, the grace period has been more than generous. There is no excuse for showing up unprepared after so many years of advance notice.
Personally, I think the fee is reasonable. Security screening has a cost, and if you are asking the government to verify your identity manually because you failed to obtain the proper identification, it is fair to pass that cost back to the traveler. REAL ID is not a surprise. It is not an obscure requirement. It has been plastered on DMV walls for years.
That said, I still greatly prefer the pre-9/11 style of security…there is no ID check at all. Australia still does it this way and it seems to work just fine. Everyone must still pass through the same metal detectors or full body scanners. But that ship sailed long ago…
If you still have not upgraded, now is the time to take care of it. In most states, REAL ID costs no more than a standard license renewal, and if you do not want to carry one, a passport will always work at TSA. Even an occasional flyer should ensure they have one valid document that meets federal standards. It’s not too much to ask…
CONCLUSION
The REAL ID deadline has been delayed again and again, and the bill is finally coming due. If you ignore the requirement and show up at the airport with the wrong ID, you will pay for the privilege of boarding your flight starting next year. Do yourself a favor: check your license, get REAL ID if you need it, or bring your passport. $45 is an expensive reminder that you’ve been warned (for 20 years)…
image: TSA
Follow. The. Money.
Some donor’s company is making a killing off new fees like this.
The corruption of this administration is astounding.
What donor company is going to make a killing? Or is that a false accusation?
The ones making money are 2 states run by Democrats, Washington and Pennsylvania, that charge extra for Real ID.
Project much? You’re the one making a false accusation, and blaming perceived enemies. As if only two blue states have TSA or airports…
If this is the case, I’d love to cover it. Have not heard anything about this. Let me know if you have anything on this.
“will be charged a non-refundable $45 fee just to clear the security checkpoint.” By/to whom? Directly in-cash to the agent? Using a third-party processor? Therein lies the answer.
If government services have to be provided “at cost,” this seems high. It either is punitive, which I don’t think is legal, or a company working with the administration had unnecessarily high implementation fees.
Look, it’s speculative, but it’s not implausible.
Yup. Something’s clearly up with this…
How about two forms of ID? “It’s not too much to ask”….
How about three forms of id? “It’s not too much to ask” …
Show us your papers!
Genius.
As I said, I would prefer not to show ID at all, but that’s not the world we live in and the process of ID verification seems reasonable after lawmakers have threatened it for 20 years.
Was in Australia recently, and so long as you have a boarding pass, for domestic flights, they don’t check ID.
Correct- Australia still does it like this. US sadly has not since 9/11/01.
Is that a yearly fee or every time you need to be checked at the airport? People have no excuse to not have a Real ID as most have had to renew their DLs and they would have to pay anyway for it. I still remember one guy in front of me going through security with his Costco card. That was very funny but he was allowed back in the day.
It’s good for 10 days, which is often long enough for one trip, but for many won’t be. I like this. It does cost money to do ID and background checks. This is like when someone applies to rent an apartment or something. Every adult over 18 on the application must pay the fee. Apply for 10 apartments or condos, pay 10 fees X 3 people per unit. This is called Real Life. I literally do not have a birth certificate (LONG story but one never existed for me–ever). I have THREE Read IDs because it is actually not that hard when you pay attention. I don’t want to pay for the people who don’t read directions or feel like standing in line. I had to stand in line, and I bet you did too, right? We paid our dues. I got my forms signed, notarized, whatever it took. I had a passport, Global Entry Card, Driver’s License with the Real ID Star, and I paid my bills to get there. So $45 sounds fair to me. A passport card is relatively inexpensive, and a state ID card even less than that.
Typically, in our culture, until there is a real cost to it, many will eschew the responsibility if they can. Not all, of course, but many. In my world I see it all-too-frequently. This will be effective. And I am glad.
Hey, here’s a though. Everyone has been alerted about the Real ID for years and years. It’s not hard to get and for those DMV’s that take appointments, it’s not even a long wait. I don’t have any sympathy for those procrastinators who’ve put if off for over a decade!!
I got mine years ago, however, it’s not just about having to go to the DMV, it’s unnecessary extra costs for many. Since you’re apparently doing fine and it doesn’t affect you, personally, sure, why not blame ‘procrastinators’ or whatever.
First, this motive is simple in my mind. The$45 is a fine (called a fee for regulatory reasons) to try to get the lazy to get/bring a RealID. Second, I’d be quite happy with the Australian model where you neither need an ID (at any domestic terminal) nor a boarding pass (at most airports) to clear security.
It was wild when I was going through Sydney and realized it… like, ‘oh, they’re not checking ID, huh…’
And, at some rural airports, they don’t even do security; like, flew KGC-ADL on Qantaslink, nice little airport, but no security check.