Passengers without REAL ID or another accepted form of identification will face longer wait times at airports, the TSA warned.
Passengers who lack a REAL ID, passport, or another equivalent document will have to pay a $45 fee to travel domestically, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced on Dec. 1.
The agency will start charging air travelers $45 on Feb. 1 if their IDs do not meet the new, stricter federal standards.
Travelers without a REAL ID will have to use the TSA Confirm.ID for 10 days, which will cost $45, according to the agency. It advised people to schedule an appointment at a local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) location to update their IDs as soon as possible before traveling by plane.
“All travelers without an acceptable ID, including those who present a non-REAL ID-compliant state driver’s license or ID, will be referred to the optional TSA Confirm.ID process for identity verification upon TSA check-in and prior to entering the security line,” the TSA said.
“This process will differ airport to airport, and TSA is working with private industry to proactively offer online payment options prior to arrival at the airport.”
Passengers without REAL ID or another accepted form will face longer wait times at airports, the TSA warned.
Around 94 percent of passengers have a REAL ID or another form of acceptable identification, the agency said on Monday.
Last month, the TSA said in a notice posted in the Federal Register that travelers could face an $18 fee if they did not have a REAL ID, but officials in a briefing with reporters said that they had raised the price because expenses for the option were higher than forecast.
Travelers who don’t have a REAL ID or equivalent form of identification may be forced to undergo additional screening at airports, such as verifying their names and addresses, the TSA said when it announced the REAL ID requirement in May.
REAL ID legislation was passed decades ago in Congress in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. However, its implementation was repeatedly delayed until the second Trump administration.
Officials have said that the REAL ID requirement would block illegal immigrants from traveling via domestic flights.
“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 official performing the duties of Deputy Administrator for TSA Adam Stahl said in a statement.
Stahl added in his statement that the $45 fee will ensure that the cost of verifying another type of ID will not be borne by taxpayers, but by the traveler.
“The security of the traveling public is our top priority, so we urge all travelers to get a REAL ID or other acceptable form of ID as soon as possible to avoid delays and potentially miss flights,” he said.
What Forms of ID Can Be Used?
A TSA list of IDs that can be used to travel domestically includes the following:
- REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses or state photo identity cards that have been issued by a DMV or equivalent agency
- State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License or Enhanced ID
- U.S. passport or a passport card
- Department of Homeland Security trusted traveler cards, such as the Global Entry
- A lawful permanent resident card, also called a green card
- A border crossing card
- A photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation or Indian Tribe
- Department of Defense ID, including those that are issued to their dependents
- Veteran Health Identification Card
- U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
- Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)
- Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12 PIV) card
- A foreign government-issued passport card
- Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
The TSA said that people who lack a REAL ID or accepted documentation should pay their fee online before they travel.
