TSA Proposes New $18 Fee for Travelers Without REAL ID
A new layer of airport stress may soon be landing in travelers’ carry-ons. The Transportation Security Administration has proposed an $18 fee for passengers who show up to airport security without a REAL ID, a change that could impact millions of fliers across the country.
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REAL ID officially became required for all domestic air travel in the United States on May 7, 2025 after years of delays. The updated IDs follow federal security standards passed under the 2005 REAL ID Act, a post-9/11 measure aimed at strengthening identity verification. While passports are still perfectly acceptable, travelers relying on a standard driver’s license must now have an ID marked as REAL ID compliant.
But TSA’s new proposal adds a wrinkle for those who don’t.
According to the agency’s notice in the Federal Register, travelers without a REAL ID would be able to pay an $18 non-refundable fee to use an upgraded biometric kiosk designed to verify their identity for up to ten days. The fee is meant to help offset the cost of the new verification technology.
The kiosk falls under what TSA calls a “modernized alternative identity verification program.” After providing the required biographic or biometric information, TSA would use the system to authenticate the traveler, confirm their identity, and match them with their Secure Flight screening result. Even so, the notice makes it clear that paying the fee does not guarantee access. Travelers may still face additional screening, delays, or denial if their identity cannot be verified to TSA’s security standards.
The agency also notes that non-REAL ID licenses remain valid for driving and general identification. The proposed fee only applies to clearing TSA airport checkpoints without a REAL ID. Passports, military IDs, and other TSA-approved forms of identification continue to work without issue.
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A TSA spokesperson said the proposal represents “the next step in the process” of fully implementing REAL ID nationwide, noting that the agency is working with partners to balance security and efficiency. No effective date has been announced yet, and TSA has not provided additional details on when travelers could expect the fee to take effect.
For those who have been putting off updating their license, the message is clear: the REAL ID countdown might be back on, and skipping it could soon cost you.
