Flying Without Real ID? Be Ready To Pay $45, TSA Says US Air Travellers

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The senior official at the Transportation Security Administration said on Wednesday that about 6% of U.S. air travellers are not displaying IDs meeting stricter federal standards, as the agency prepares to begin charging passengers without enhanced identification $45 to access flights from February 1.

In May 2025, the TSA began enforcing the standards known as "REAL ID" but gave warnings and conducted enhanced screening for passengers without the new identification. TSA announced the new fee in December, urging passengers without REAL IDs to obtain them or pay the charge before arriving at the airport. The $45 fee will cover travel for a 10-day period.

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TSA Deputy Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeil said at a U.S. House of Representatives hearing that compliance has improved slightly from about 93% last year to 94% today. She also said the Trump administration had decided to hike the fee from $18 to $45 after reassessing the costs of dealing with travellers without "REAL ID."

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There are about 2.5 million daily air travellers in the United States. McNeil said the fee is meant to address the costs of processing people without acceptable ID and "to ensure they do not pose a threat to our skies."

The $45 will be nonrefundable and it may take travelers up to 30 minutes to pay the fee to go through security if they fail to pay before arriving at the airport. Children under 18 do not have to present an ID at an airport checkpoint. Most travelers use state-government-issued driver's licenses that meet the requirements but passports issued by any government are also acceptable, as are other forms of ID, including permanent resident cards, Department of Defense IDs and DHS trusted traveler cards.

Congress last year approved new, stricter federal standards for issuing identification cards but enforcement has been pushed back repeatedly. People also need those IDs to visit a federal building.

The 2005 law enacted the September 11, 2001 commission's recommendation that the U.S. government set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver's licenses. The law sets minimum security standards for license issuance and production.

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