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If you’ve been noticing that little star on other people’s driver’s licenses and telling yourself you’ll deal with REAL ID “eventually,” here’s your nudge: starting February 1, 2026, showing up at the airport without an acceptable form of ID could cost you $45.
The TSA is rolling out a new fee for travelers who arrive at security without a REAL ID (or another approved form of identification) and still want to fly. Instead of being turned away, passengers will be routed into a new identity-verification process called TSA ConfirmID, which lets you pay your way through extra screening to prove who you are. The $45 charge covers a 10-day travel window, so if you’re taking a couple of flights in the same week, it’s a one-time hit. But TSA officials stress this is meant to be a last-ditch option, not the new normal. (Who wants to pay for the privilege of longer waits and more questions?)
Despite years of airport anxiety, a REAL ID isn’t the only thing that gets you through security, though. Travelers who already carry a U.S. passport or passport card, a state-issued REAL ID or enhanced driver’s license, trusted traveler cards like Global Entry or NEXUS or federally approved IDs such as military credentials or permanent resident cards are already covered. If you always travel with a passport tucked into your bag, you can skip the DMV scramble entirely.
REAL ID matters mainly to people who rely on a standard state driver’s license that doesn’t have the star or flag indicating federal compliance. Since May 2025, those licenses haven’t been accepted on their own at TSA checkpoints. Until now, that usually meant extra screening but, next month, it will mean opening your wallet, too.
The agency reports that more than 94 percent of passengers already use a REAL ID or another acceptable form of identification. The new fee targets stragglers, who will be encouraged to pay online in advance, but those who arrive unprepared will still find payment options at or near checkpoints, along with a reminder that the ConfirmID process can add significant time to the airport routine.
If you don’t love the idea of paying $45 for the privilege of extra hassle, the path forward is pretty simple: upgrade your license to a REAL ID, start traveling with a passport or get comfortable with the TSA’s new identity desk. One way or another, the era of winging it at airport security is officially over.