Travelers Without REAL ID Will Face Extra Screening, But Can Still Travel

Starting Feb. 1, 2026, travelers flying without a REAL ID will have to pay an extra $45.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Monday that they would begin charging adults aged 18-years and above traveling with a noncompliant ID (a non-REAL ID driver’s license, for example), $45 to be verified prior to travel.

The program is officially named the Modernized Alternative Identity Verification Program and was first unveiled in a rule published in the Federal Register on Nov. 20.

Officials on Monday said that the purpose of the fee is to fully recover the TSA’s costs of verifying a traveler’s noncompliant ID, costs that are currently being shouldered by the U.S. taxpayer, and will now shift to those who are noncompliant with the rules.

“The current alternative identity verification process is time and resource intensive, limiting the number of individuals for whom TSA can provide the service,” the TSA wrote in the Federal Register during the initial proposal.

The TSA also said that the new rule will make security more efficient, and will shift the burden of the extra steps to those who are non compliant rather than to the taxpayer.

“The current alternative identity verification process is time and resource intensive, limiting the number of individuals for whom TSA can provide the service,” it said.

Finally, the TSA said that the rule will encourage more travelers to opt for a REAL ID. Even with 94% of all U.S. travelers coming to the airport with a compliant ID since REAL ID enforcement began last spring, the TSA has been looking for more ways to motivate travelers to get compliant. It hopes the fee, plus the marketing it plans to build out around the fee, will do just that.

Verification Process

Travelers who require verification because they do not have a REAL ID or another acceptable form of ID, such as a passport, must have the verification receipt when they get in line at security checkpoints. The TSA is highly encouraging noncompliant travelers to complete verification and pay the fee online before arriving at the airport. TSA officers will check for the receipt prior to security screening.

If a traveler arrives without a receipt, they will be directed to leave the line and complete the verification process. Airports will have signage with QR codes that bring travelers to the verification page. The process relies on a passport lookup option and knowledge-based verification questions (KBA) to confirm identity and takes between 10 and 15 minutes, but may take up to 30 minutes in some cases, officials said.

Travelers who choose not to use the option or whose identity cannot be confirmed will be denied access beyond the security checkpoints. Currently, those without a REAL ID are still allowed to fly, but have to undergo more extensive screening at checkpoints.

Officials said on Monday that a portal allowing travelers to be verified will be available by mid-December or earlier. Payment will be made via Pay.Gov, and both the TSA and DHS websites will link to the pages (as will those signs in the airports). Once travelers have the receipt, they will be processed through the checkpoint just like any other passenger.

Once travelers have the receipt, they will be processed through the checkpoint just like any other passenger and will be able to use the receipt for multiple flights in a 10-day window.

The agency is also working with airlines to incorporate the message into their public communications and is still passing out bookmarks to noncompliant travelers at current checkpoints to ensure awareness.