No REAL ID? TSA Will Charge You $45 at the Airport Starting Feb. 1

Are you taking a domestic flight soon?

You should know: Starting Feb. 1, if you don’t have a REAL ID driver’s license — or another federally approved document like a passport — you’ll need to pay a $45 fee at the airport to be able to get on your flight.

This new fee was announced by the Transportation Security Administration back in December.

Federal REAL ID requirements were originally introduced for domestic air travelers in May 2025. Until now, anyone who lacked a REAL ID license or other acceptable form of identification was still allowed to go through airport security, albeit with additional screening.

But as of Feb. 1, every person 18 or older attempting to board a domestic flight without a REAL ID will face the $45 fee – or won’t be allowed through TSA screening to board their flight.

While TSA says that “more than 94% of passengers already use their REAL ID or other acceptable forms of identification,” in 2025, the California DMV reported that only about 58% of all driver’s license and ID cardholders in the state were REAL ID-compliant.

So if you’re one of those people who doesn’t have a REAL ID yet, here’s what to know about making sure you’re still able to travel, from how to swiftly apply for a REAL ID driver’s license to how to pay the $45 TSA fee, either the day you travel or before you arrive at the airport.

Jump straight to:

• How does the new $45 TSA fee work?
• How can I apply for REAL ID ASAP?

What kind of REAL ID identification do I need to avoid the new $45 TSA fee?

Remember, if you’ve applied for or renewed your driver’s license in the past few years, there’s a good chance you already have a REAL ID. (Here’s more information on how to tell, but in short: look for the golden bear with a white star in the top right of your license.)

If you don’t have a REAL ID driver’s licence yet, you might have access to several other documents you can show TSA instead of a REAL ID, like:

• A U.S. or foreign passport
• A green card (permanent resident card)
• A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) trusted traveler card, like Global Entry
• A military ID
• A Tribal Nation ID

See other federally recognized documents that TSA says are an “acceptable alternative” to a REAL ID.

I don’t have a REAL ID, a passport or other compliant documents. Why will I now be charged a $45 TSA fee?

Since REAL ID requirements were introduced across U.S. airports for domestic flights in May 2025, passengers who don’t have REAL ID-compliant identification have still been able to fly — but they’ve been asked to undergo extra checks to verify their identity before entering the TSA security line, through a process called TSA ConfirmID.

According to TSA, this entails completing “an identity verification process which includes collecting information such as your name and current address to confirm your identity.”

And while TSA says using TSA ConfirmID is “optional,” they warn that if you choose not to use it “and don’t have an acceptable ID, you may not be allowed through security and may miss your flight.”

What’s changing on Feb. 1: TSA now intends to pass on the costs of those extra checks directly to the passenger, by charging them this $45 fee to receive the TSA ConfirmID identity verification and make their flight.

Be warned, though: TSA says even if you pay the new $45 TSA fee starting Feb. 1, “there is no guarantee” they’ll be able to successfully verify your identity through TSA ConfirmID.

A spokesperson for TSA confirmed to KQED by email that the $45 fee is non-refundable in this instance. But because payments are “valid for a 10-day period after their original first flight date,” travelers who miss their flight because their identity couldn’t be verified can “use the receipt once they are able to rebook their flight within that 10-day period,” the spokesperson says.

Where do I pay the $45 TSA fee?

You can pay at the airport itself, or beforehand, but either way, TSA says you have to pay online at pay.gov, the same federal website that processes payments like Department of Veterans Affairs medical bills and Social Security remittances.

You won’t be able to pay TSA staff directly at the airport.

You can create a pay.gov account to make the $45 payment or check out as a guest. TSA says it will accept credit cards, debit cards, bank account details, PayPal and Venmo.

Make sure you enter an email address you have instant access to, as you’ll need to open the pay.gov receipt that will be sent to that inbox and show it to TSA staff at the airport to prove you’ve paid the $45 fee for TSA ConfirmID identity verification.

Will TSA automatically know I’ve paid my $45 fee?

No, TSA says you’ll need to manually show staff in the security line proof of payment by producing the email receipt.

The agency says that your receipt should arrive via email “immediately” after payment. Consider screenshotting the email receipt as soon as you receive it to be sure.

“If a traveler is unable to produce a confirmation email at the checkpoint, you may need to pay again,” TSA says.

If I’m having trouble paying online, can someone else do it for me?

Yes, as long as the name and travel dates match the traveler who needs TSA ConfirmID identity verification, someone else can pay online for you, TSA says. The payment card does not have to match the traveler’s name.

Will I have to pay another $45 TSA fee when I fly home?

TSA says the ConfirmID service is valid for 10 days, so if your trip is 10 days or less, you won’t have to pay again — but “any travel beyond the expiration date will require a new payment.”

However, you’ll need to show your original receipt of payment to pay.gov that arrived in your email when you first paid online, so make sure you don’t delete it on your trip.

How long will all this take?

In general, TSA warns you to expect “increased wait times for passengers who do not provide an acceptable ID.”

For one thing, expect the actual process of verifying your identity through TSA ConfirmID to take a while. Even if you pay the $45 in advance, the actual identity verification will take place at the airport itself.

You should also factor in the time required beforehand for paying your $45 online, either before you leave or at the airport itself. And if you don’t have a REAL ID-compliant ID and you haven’t already paid the $45 fee when you arrive for your flight, TSA says that “you must leave the [security] line to pay” and return to the end of the line once you’ve done it.

So, in short, if you don’t have a REAL ID driver’s license or other compatible ID, you should arrive at the airport with a lot of time to spare.

Do the REAL ID requirements and TSA fee apply to children?

TSA says it “does not require children under 18 to provide identification when traveling within the United States” — so the REAL ID requirements, and the TSA fee for those who don’t have them, don’t apply to kids.

However, “unaccompanied minors who are eligible for TSA PreCheck must show an acceptable ID to receive expedited screening,” and the agency suggests you contact the airline you’re flying with about any specific ID requirements they may have for passengers under 18.

OK, how do I get a REAL ID ASAP to avoid this new TSA fee?

Firstly, remember that even if you don’t have a REAL ID driver’s licence yet, you might have access to several other documents you can show TSA instead of a REAL ID — like a U.S. or foreign passport, a green card (permanent resident card) or a Tribal Nation ID — that mean you won’t have to pay the $45 TSA fee starting Feb. 1.

To apply for a REAL ID driver’s license or identification card in California, you’ll need several documents, including one that proves your identity and contains your full name, like a U.S. passport or a permanent resident card (green card).

You’ll need to visit a California DMV office to obtain your REAL ID card, with or without an appointment, but you can upload your documents online in advance to save time in the field office. Check current wait times for your closest California DMV office without an appointment.

According to the REAL ID Act, states must require individuals to prove that they are either U.S. citizens or are in the country “lawfully.”

Non-U.S. citizens who can apply for a REAL ID include permanent residents (green card holders), holders of a valid student or employment visa and recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

If you don’t have any type of legal status, like the ones above, then you will not be able to request a REAL ID.

This story contains reporting from KQED’s Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí.