TSA to Charge Fee to Travelers Without REAL ID in 2026

Starting next year, travelers who still do not have a REAL ID or other acceptable identification will need to pay more in order to fly.

Effective Feb. 1, 2026, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) plans to implement a $45 fee for travelers who arrive at airports without a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or ID such as a passport, trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS), military ID and permanent resident card.

Travelers who do not present an acceptable form of ID may opt to pay the fee and verify their identity through TSA’s alternative identity verification system, Confirm.ID, prior to entering the security screening checkpoint. The fee will allow travelers to be verified in the Confirm.ID system for a 10-day period.

Confirm.ID will ask passengers a set of questions to verify their identity. Once their identity is confirmed, passengers will show a TSA agent their receipt and ID, then pass through the screening checkpoint with other passengers.

To avoid delays, TSA advises travelers without a REAL ID to pay the fee online before traveling to the airport. TSA is working with private industries to proactively offer online payment options, which will vary airport-to-airport. Travelers who do not prepay the fee to use Confirm.ID will have payment information provided at marked locations at or near checkpoints in most airports but should expect longer screening times as a result.

TSA urges travelers without a REAL ID to schedule an appointment with their local DMV to update their ID as soon as possible. More than 94 percent of passengers already have a REAL ID or other acceptable forms of identification, according to TSA.

As of May 7, 2025, travelers 18 and older need a REAL ID or federally accepted ID, such as a passport or military ID, to board domestic flights as state-issued driver’s licenses and IDs are no longer accepted. (Courtesy of PennDOT)

Travelers without REAL ID who refuse to pay the fee could be denied entry at checkpoints. In addition, TSA stresses that the process does not guarantee boarding flights, as travelers can still be denied access if their identity cannot be confirmed.

“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 TSA official Adam Stahl said in a statement. “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.”

The fee is supposed to ensure that travelers, not taxpayers, fund the advanced verification system, Stahl said. TSA initially proposed an $18 fee in a Federal Register notice published on Nov. 20 but have set the fee at $45 due to larger-than-expected costs from analysis of operating the Confirm.ID system for fliers without REAL ID.

The REAL ID law went into effect on May 7, 2025, following numerous delays. The federal mandate resulted from stricter identification regulations passed by Congress in 2005 following a 9/11 Commission recommendation to set higher security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards.

Since the May 2025 deadline went into effect, travelers without a REAL ID or other acceptable identification have still been able to fly but with potential additional security screening such as bag checks, pat-downs or biometric scans, adding time to the screening process.

Officials said the Feb. 1 deadline was selected to give travelers time to prepare during the holiday travel period. TSA said it will create resources, such as a landing page on its website and airport signage, and work with partners, including airlines and industry trade organizations, to increase awareness for travelers.

A full list of acceptable forms of ID can be found on TSA’s website. TSA asks that passengers who are unsure if their identification complies with REAL ID to check with their local DMV. Travelers with additional questions on REAL ID are asked to visit TSA’s REAL ID page, text 275-872 (“AskTSA”) or tag @AskTSA on social media with questions.