Starting Feb. 1, air travelers without a REAL ID or another acceptable form of identification will have to pay a $45 fee to get through airport security.
According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the fee will be used to cover costs associated with the operations and technology of its modernized alternative identification verification system, known as Confirm ID.
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TSA authorities hiked the fee from the $18 first proposed in November, citing higher expenses than initially forecast.
“This fee ensures the cost to cover verification of an insufficient ID will come from the traveler, not the taxpayer,” the announcement read.
Officials recommend travelers pay the fee in advance by uploading documents into a future online portal, otherwise they could be hit with delays at airports.
According to the NCDMV, in November 2025, around 57 percent of people in North Carolina had a Real ID.
The announcement comes on the heels of a busy travel weekend, with victims of delayed flights and cancellations continuing to pour into Raleigh Durham International Airport Monday morning.
Bonnie Burnham’s flight out of Detroit got delayed several times due to the heavy snow hitting parts of the Midwest.
“We were supposed to come home Saturday evening at about 9:30 p.m., that got delayed, then we were supposed to come home Sunday morning at 7 a.m. Delayed. So we just threw in the towel and decided to come home today,” Burnham said.
There were more than 20 delayed flights arriving to RDU Monday morning.
Those strategically flying in after the weekend in hopes of missing the holiday chaos still found themselves faced with long TSA lines.
“As soon as we got off the plane there were just people everywhere,” said Tieska Jumbo, who flew in from Charlotte.
The announcement of a fee for those without government-accepted identification means a potentially more turbulent travel experience at airports in the new year.
Below is a list of what’s currently an acceptable form of ID at airports:
- REAL ID-compliant driver's licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent)
- State-issued Enhanced Driver's License (EDL) or Enhanced ID (EID)
- U.S. passport
- U.S. passport card
- DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
- U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
- Permanent resident card
- Border crossing card
- An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs)
- HSPD-12 PIV card
- Foreign government-issued passport
- Canadian provincial driver's license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
- Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
- U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential
- Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)