If you go to the airport without a Real ID or approved alternative like a passport, you’ll soon face an even steeper fee than expected — that is, if you want to fly.
The Transportation Security Administration on Monday announced it will begin charging travelers $45 to pass through checkpoints when they show up without a valid identification.
The fees are set to launch on Feb. 1, 2026.
It’s a sharp increase from the $18 fee the TSA first proposed last month.
These added charges would apply to flyers who show up to security checkpoints without either a Real ID-caliber driver’s license or one of numerous other IDs the agency accepts in place of a Real ID, like a passport, Global Entry card or military identification.
The TSA estimates 94% of passengers already have an acceptable form of identification, so this would affect a small sliver of the traveling public.
However, travelers who forget their ID at home (or lose it before a trip) would also have to pay the $45 fee to fly.
Doubling down on Real ID requirements
This move by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security comes months after the TSA began enforcing long-planned Real ID requirements at airports nationwide.
The agency said it requires more time and technology to verify the identity of travelers who don’t have an acceptable ID. Accordingly, it is launching a new program called “Confirm ID” to verify those passengers’ identification. The new $45 fees, the agency said, would cover the cost of that program.
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Passengers wait at a TSA checkpoint at Washington’s Dulles International Airport (IAD). SHA HANTING/CHINA NEWS SERVICE VCG VIA GETTY IMAGES
How TSA ‘Confirm ID’ would work
Travelers who don’t have an acceptable ID would be eligible to prepay through the federal government’s Pay.gov website before heading to the airport. The TSA also plans to offer a link to that portal on its own website, TSA.gov.
After paying, passengers would bring a receipt with them to the airport and go through airport security just like other travelers.
Passengers who don’t prepay — and who don’t have a valid ID — would have to exit the line to register and pay for their security verification. The TSA estimates the process could take up to 30 minutes.
Related: 8 ways to get free or discounted TSA PreCheck, Global Entry and Clear
A TSA checkpoint on day one of Real ID enforcement at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Terminal 3. SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
Passengers who pay the $45 fee would essentially “buy” themselves 10 days of access to TSA checkpoints — so, if you’re traveling on a short out-and-back trip or a one-week vacation, you wouldn’t have to pay the fee twice in a short period of time.
Registering for Confirm ID does not guarantee a successful screening, the TSA notes; if the agency for some reason can’t verify your identity, you may not be allowed to fly.
The $45 will be nonrefundable.
Bottom line
The vast majority of travelers won’t be affected by the TSA’s new fees.
As the TSA notes, more than 9 in 10 passengers have either a Real ID-compliant driver’s license or one of the many acceptable alternative IDs the agency accepts (most notably a passport).
If you’re a frequent traveler, these new $45 fees are most likely to affect you if you lose your ID while on a trip or forget it at home before heading to the airport.
For passengers who are subject to the fees, though, it’s yet another added cost associated with going to the airport — layered on top of the myriad add-on fees airlines charge passengers.
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