US EditionREAL ID rule takes effect, introducing $45 TSA identity verification fee for some travelers
Travelers without REAL ID must pay a $45 fee for TSA ConfirmID verification valid for 10 days; 94% of U.S. air travelers are already compliant, TSA said.
- On Feb. 1, 2026, the Transportation Security Administration will begin charging U.S. travelers 18 and older a $45 fee at airport security if they lack a REAL ID or approved ID, using the ConfirmID system.
- Federal officials say the fee was designed to recover costs tied to additional screening and to push holdouts toward REAL ID compliance after years of delays under the REAL ID Act.
- Passengers can pay online at pay.gov or at the airport, and the process can take 10 to 30 minutes; approval grants a ConfirmID receipt valid for 10 days but does not guarantee TSA officers will allow entry.
- The policy immediately raises costs for the roughly 6% of Americans without compliant IDs, adding a $45 ConfirmID fee and TSA warns screening can take 10 to 30 minutes.
- Full enforcement since May 7, 2025 places this fee in the larger REAL ID Act rollout, and TSA is testing Apple Digital ID and Google Wallet at more than 250 U.S. airports.
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If you fly without a REAL ID, the TSA may now charge you a $45 fee
Passengers walk through the entrance of a TSA PreCheck in Terminal one at O'Hare International Airport Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, in ChicagoArmando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty ImagesA driver's license is officially no longer enough to fly within the US without paying a fee.The TSA is now charging travelers $45 if they show up without a REAL ID, passport, or Green Card.The new fee will apply only to domestic travelers.…
Travelers without a REAL ID are about to be hit with a TSA fee
Travelers without a REAL ID will soon have a new option to verify their identity at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints, but it comes with a price tag. The rollout comes less than one year after the May 7, 2025, REAL ID deadline, which mandated the use of REAL ID-compliant licenses or other acceptable forms of identification at airport security checkpoints.Starting Feb. 1, the TSA is rolling out its new modernized TSA Confir…
Passengers with unacceptable IDs must go to the TSA website, register, and pay the fee before accessing the security area.
Arkansans urged to get REAL ID before TSA fees begin
Arkansans can now obtain a REAL ID at any of the state’s more than 130 Revenue Offices, with no wait required, the Department of Finance and Administration says. Starting February 1, the Transportation Security Administration will begin charging a $45 fee to travelers 18 and older who try to board a flight without a REAL ID. An active U.S. passport is also acceptable for air travel. Arkansas residents can transfer the expiration date from their …
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