February 2, 2026
Quick reminder if you are getting on a plane – even for a domestic flight – without a Real ID or a passport, the US government is going to hit you with a $45 fee.
The Trump administration announced back in December that they were going to do this – and now it’s here. The $45 fee officially rolled out yesterday February 1st.
So what’s this fee about?
The TSA says if you are 18 years old or older — and you don’t have a passport or a Real ID – which let’s be fair – the law which was signed 20 years ago says you must have to fly or enter any federal building — but if you still don’t have one you’re going to have to go through a separate verification system at the airport so they can figure out who exactly you are. And TSA says that verification check will cost you $45.
Now if you do pay that $45 fee it will be valid for a 10-day travel period. So in theory – it should cover the travel to your destination and back home if you’re only gone for 10 days.
In the notice released by TSA they say travelers who don’t have an acceptable id will not even be allowed into get in the security line. Instead – if they want to get on the airplane – they will be moved into a separate line so they can go through this new verification system. They say to avoid all this “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.”
If you don’t have an acceptable form of ID to get on a plane you can pay the $45 fee ahead of time through the TSA’s new ConfirmID website.
So how do you know if you have a real id? Usually there is a star or a star with a circle in the top corner. And if you don’t have a real id or a passport – or a passport card what type of id is acceptable so you can avoid that fee? Well – there’s a list the TSA provided.
See the list of acceptable forms of ID here.
Pay the $45 head of time here.
