Air travelers who show up to U.S. airports without a REAL ID will soon be met with a new cost.
Beginning Feb. 1, the Transportation Security Administration will charge a $45 fee to verify the identities of passengers 18 and older who attempt to fly domestically without a REAL ID or another accepted form of government identification.
The agency rolled out the REAL ID requirement in May, though travelers without the updated identification have still been allowed through security after additional screening and a written notice. The Department of Homeland Security reports that 94% of passengers already use a REAL ID-compliant license or state ID. The new fee aims to push the remaining travelers to secure the updated document.
Michigan’s previous license and ID design, scheduled to be phased out by January 2029, uses a star inside a gold circle to show REAL ID compliance.
The state’s updated design replaces that symbol with a star inside the outline of Michigan. TSA accepts both versions.
Enhanced licenses and IDs also meet REAL ID standards, even when the star symbol is not shown.
REAL ID stems from federal security changes enacted after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The law requires states to issue licenses and identification cards that follow nationwide verification standards. Most states mark compliant IDs with a white star inside a yellow circle. Obtaining one requires more documentation than a standard license, and the national rollout has taken years—first scheduled for 2008, then delayed multiple times.
Passengers who arrive without a REAL ID or another approved form of identification, such as a passport, military ID, permanent resident card, or a photo ID issued by a federally recognized tribal nation, will have to use TSA’s Confirm.ID system.
The $45 fee is non-refundable, and TSA officials made clear that the payment does not guarantee verification. If a traveler’s identity cannot be confirmed, they may be denied entry to the security checkpoint altogether.
Approval through Confirm.ID gives travelers a 10-day window to complete their round-trip. TSA says the fee can be paid online before arriving at the airport or at the airport before entering security, though passengers should expect processing to take up to 30 minutes if paying on-site.
TSA initially proposed an $18 fee for alternative identity verification. The agency increased it to $45 after determining the program would be more expensive to operate than early estimates suggested.
More than 250 airports already accept digital identification through Apple Wallet, Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet, offering another option for travelers who prefer to store their credentials on their mobile devices.
The updated identification rules close one of the last gaps in the long-delayed REAL ID law. For travelers who have not yet updated their licenses, the warning period is ending—and the cost of waiting will soon be felt at the airport door.
