Travelers without Real ID will incur $45 fee, TSA says

Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News on Dec 1, 2025

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NEW YORK — Americans attempting to clear airport security checkpoints without a Real ID or a passport will soon be charged $45, the Transportation Security Administration announced Monday.

The new fee will go into effect on Feb. 1, TSA leaders said. The agency teased a potential $18 fee in federal paperwork last month, but eventually decided on a significantly higher number.

“The fee was necessary because we needed to modernize the system. We needed to make sure that the system is safe,” Steve Lorincz, TSA’s deputy executive assistant administrator for security operations, told ABC News.

After decades of delays, Real ID requirements finally went into effect back in May, but travelers were still allowed to fly without the upgraded identity cards.

However, TSA officials signaled their plans to clamp down last month, when they proposed the $18 fee for travelers without a Real ID or passport.

The fee was designed “to address the government-incurred costs,” the agency said in a notice posted to the Federal Register.

After Feb. 1, anyone without a Real ID or passport will need to confirm their identity on the TSA website or through a series of forms at the airport, according to ABC News. Someone who reaches the front of the security line without a Real ID will be pulled out of line and required to fill out the forms in person.

“We still need to go through the process to make sure that we verify who you are. And for whatever reason, if we can’t do that, then you can’t go through the process,” Lorincz told ABC News.

The Real ID Act was passed in 2005 in response to the 9/11 attacks and was initially supposed to be implemented in 2008. However, years of administrative delays continued until 2025. According to the TSA, 94% of travelers already have a Real ID.