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2w ago

TSA Sets $45 Fee for Flyers Without REAL ID Starting Feb. 1, 2026

The nonrefundable charge funds the Confirm.ID verification program to push travelers toward REAL ID compliance.

Real ID update: Travelers without one must pay $45 from Feb 2026 (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
Air travelers without a REAL ID are given a red tag before secondary screening as they go through security at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, CA, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. U.S. flyers arriving at the airport without a REAL ID will now be offered the option to pay $45 for an alternative process to prove their identities, Transportation Security Administration officials said Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A Real ID signage is displayed at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City, U.S., May 7, 2025. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
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Overview

  • Adults 18 and older who arrive without a REAL ID or other accepted ID must pay $45 to attempt Confirm.ID verification, which grants up to 10 days of checkpoint access once approved.
  • Paying the fee does not guarantee entry, with TSA saying identity checks typically take 10–15 minutes and can extend to 30 minutes or more.
  • TSA encourages online prepayment via pay.gov or partner portals before travel, while unpaid passengers will be directed to complete steps at or near the checkpoint.
  • The charge is nonrefundable and was raised from an earlier $18 proposal after TSA recalculated program costs, including technology and added screening needs.
  • Travelers can avoid the fee with passports, trusted-traveler cards, military or tribal IDs, and widely accepted digital IDs in Apple or Google Wallet; children under 18 are exempt.