TSA reveals when new $45 fee goes into effect for flying without a REAL ID

If you’re expecting to fly this Christmas, the TSA some good news: That new $45 fee for not having a REAL ID will not go into effect this month.

Now for the bad news. After years of delays, federal officials have set a date for when it will go into effect: Feb. 1.

That means airline passengers who “do not present an acceptable form of ID” at TSA check points will end up paying $45 to get verified with a TSA Confirm.ID, according to a Dec. 2 TSA news release.

The process will differ from airport to airport, and could add up to 30 minutes to the time you spend at the airport, officials say.

“During the month of November, about 91% of airline passengers at North Carolina airports have arrived with an acceptable form of ID, which includes the state-issued REAL ID and passports,” TSA officials told the Charlotte Observer.

A REAL ID requirement to board domestic flights went into effect in May. However, passengers without one were still allowed to fly – after submitting to “additional screening” that did not have a fee attached.

The Confirm.ID program is part of a 20-year effort to set federal “standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses and identification cards,” TSA says.

The REAL-ID act, passed by Congress in 2005, is based on recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, and is intended to keep terrorists and “other bad actors” from boarding flights, TSA says.

This story was originally published December 2, 2025 at 12:12 PM with the headline "TSA reveals when new $45 fee goes into effect for flying without a REAL ID."