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TSA Raises the Price of Showing Up Without a REAL ID starting February 2026
If you’ve been procrastinating that REAL ID upgrade like it’s the laundry pile you keep pretending isn’t there, TSA just added a little extra motivation. Starting February 1, 2026, travelers who show up to airport security without a REAL ID or passport will now have to fork over a $45 fee before they can head through the checkpoint. Yep, that’s more than double the $18 fee they floated earlier this year, so consider this your sign to stop dodging the DMV.
Related: Free Water Park Access Back for Disney World Resort Hotel Guests
Instead of waving you through with a shrug, TSA will require travelers without an acceptable ID to verify their identity using biometric or biographic systems before they’re allowed to continue. That means hopping online at TSA.gov, paying the new fee, and completing the verification process. It usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes, but can stretch to 30 minutes or more, which is not the kind of vacation pre-game anyone wants before their flight to Orlando.
It’s also not a guaranteed pass. TSA officials emphasized that if they can’t confirm who you are, you won’t be allowed through security, fee or not. And if you show up at the checkpoint without an ID, you’ll be pulled out of line to complete those online steps before you can come back. Even travelers with lost or stolen IDs will be charged the fee.
Related: Big Changes Coming to Walt Disney World in 2026!
Once verified, the fee covers your TSA access for up to ten days. After that, you’ll have to pay again if you still haven’t wrangled a REAL ID into your wallet. TSA says roughly 94 percent of travelers already use REAL IDs or acceptable documents, so most folks won’t be affected, but if you’re in that 6 percent… now may be the time to get one!
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