U.S. air travelers without REAL IDs will be charged a $45 fee : NPR

A Real Identification sign is displayed as travelers wait to go through the security checkpoint at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, May 23, 2025.

Nam Y. Huh/AP

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Nam Y. Huh/AP

Air travelers in the United States without a REAL ID will be charged a $45 fee starting in February, the Transportation Security Administration announced Monday.

The updated ID has been required since May, but passengers who do not have it have so far been allowed to pass through security with an additional check and a warning. The Department of Homeland Security says 94% of passengers are already compliant and the new fees are intended to encourage travelers to obtain identification.

REAL ID is a state-issued, federally compliant license or identification card that meets enhanced requirements imposed following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Getting the ID – indicated by a white star in a yellow circle in most states – means bringing more documents to the auto agency than most states require for regular IDs. It was supposed to be rolled out in 2008, but its implementation was repeatedly delayed.

Starting February 1, travelers aged 18 and older traveling domestically without a REAL ID and who do not have another accepted form of identification on them, such as a passport, will pay the non-refundable fee to verify their identity through the TSA’s alternative “Confirm.ID” system.

TSA officials said paying the fee does not guarantee verification and travelers whose identities cannot be verified may be turned away. However, if approved, the check covers a 10-day travel period.

Fees can be paid online before arriving at the airport. Travelers can also pay online at the airport before going through the security line, but officials said the process can take up to 30 minutes.

The TSA initially proposed an $18 fee for passengers without a REAL ID, but officials said Monday they increased that amount after realizing the alternative ID program would cost more than expected.

Other acceptable forms of ID include military ID cards, permanent resident cards, and photo IDs from federally recognized tribal nations. The TSA also accepts digital IDs through platforms such as Apple Wallet, Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet at more than 250 airports in the United States.