TSA Will Start Charging $45 to Travelers Without Real ID

Are you an American looking to board a domestic flight but still don’t have a Real ID-compliant form of identification? Pretty soon, it’s going to cost you.

The Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) announced on Monday that travelers who don’t have a Real ID form of identification will be need to pay $45 to use a “modernized alternative identity verification system†that’s called TSA Confirm.ID.

Starting Feb. 1, 2026, people who don’t have a Real ID will need to pay the fee to board a flight, according to a TSA press release. “This process will differ airport to airport, and TSA is working with private industry to proactively offer online payment options prior to arrival at the airport,†said TSA in the release.

The agency notes that 94% of travelers currently have a Real ID compliant form of identification, which is most commonly a driver’s license. But there are other accepted documents, including passports, permanent resident cards, and U.S. Department of Defense IDs, among a host of others.

TSA encourages anyone who hasn’t obtained a Real ID form of identification to visit their local DMV to obtain one and warns that there will be delays if they opt to instead 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 the TSA Confirm.ID line, according to the TSA website.

The Real ID Act was passed in 2005 but its full implementation was delayed for two decades until TSA decided in May that it would finally demand everyone had one to fly domestically. Oddly enough, the type of documents needed to get a Real ID can vary by state, but it’s fairly typical for things like a birth certificate or social security card to be required.

“Identity verification is essential to traveler safety, because it keeps terrorists, criminals, and illegal aliens out of the skies and other domestic transportation systems such as rail,†Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator for TSA Adam Stahl said in a press release.

“The vast majority of travelers present acceptable identification like REAL IDs and passports, but we must ensure everyone who flies is who they say they are. Beginning 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 undergo the TSA Confirm.ID process.â€

The TSA is positioning the fee as a way to make sure taxpayers aren’t on the hook for any additional costs, though it seems likely the real motive behind the fee is to get people to just get a Real ID.

“This fee ensures the cost to cover verification of an insufficient ID will come from the traveler, not the taxpayer,†said Stahl. “The security of the traveling public is our top priority, so we urge all travelers to get a REAL ID or other acceptable form of ID as soon as possible to avoid delays and potentially miss flights.â€

When the Trump regime decided to actually pull the trigger on Real ID, some of the president’s biggest fans couldn’t believe it and insisted that he must be getting tricked into fully implementing this supposedly nefarious plot. For example, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones blamed everyone but Trump, claiming it was a secret plot by Bill Gates and the Chinese government to control Americans.

Why didn’t President Joe Biden actually implement Real ID if it’s a tool of the nefarious deep state or whatever? It would have impeded the “invasion†of the U.S. by illegal immigrants, according to Jones. Consistency or logical arguments has never been a strong suit of the conspiracy theorists.