The TSA made a few overhauls last year that travelers love: You can keep your shoes on; the new TSA family lanes speed up security for families and individuals alike. But the latest airport rule change is more annoying than exciting.
Next month, the agency will begin charging a $45 fee for passengers going through security without a REAL ID or an acceptable alternative. "This fee ensures that non-compliant travelers, not taxpayers, cover the cost of processing travelers without acceptable IDs," the agency said in a statement earlier this month.
Taking effect February 1, the fee applies to anyone using the agency's new "alternative identity verification program" designed specifically for passengers without a compliant form of identification. Here's what you need to know ahead of your next flight.
TSA to charge $45 fee to travelers with no REAL ID
After repeated delays, the TSA officially began enforcing the use of the REAL ID to get through airport security last May. While many states had already switched over by then, Americans who hadn't renewed their driver's license since the switch or who lived in states that hadn't made the change yet scrambled to get the compliant form of identification.
Now that travelers have had a few months to get their driver's license updated to the new format, the TSA has announced plans to start charging a fee to travelers who still haven't done so.
"This fee ensures the cost to cover verification of an insufficient ID will come from the traveler, not the taxpayer. The security of the traveling public is our top priority, so we urge all travelers to get a REAL ID or other acceptable form of ID as soon as possible to avoid delays and potentially miss flights,” the agency said in a press release in November.
If you're going through security without a REAL ID or one of the government-approved REAL ID alternatives, you'll see a $45 fee for doing so starting on February 1. The price is based on the estimated cost of operating the TSA ConfirmID process, an alternative identity verification program created to screen passengers who don't have a compliant form of ID.
REAL ID alternatives to avoid the TSA fee
If you want to avoid the new TSA fee but have run out of time to go to the DMV before February, you may already have an acceptable alternative. According to the TSA, 94% of passengers are already using either a REAL ID or a valid alternative.
Acceptable REAL ID alternatives include:
- A U.S. passport or passport card
- Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI or other trusted traveler card issued by the Department of Homeland Security.
- A permanent resident card
- A border crossing card
- A Veteran Health Identification card
- A photo ID issued by a federally recognized tribal nation, including Enhanced Tribal Cards
- A USCIS Employment Authorization card
If you don't have any of those alternatives, you'll have to go through an additional screening process. In addition to the extra $45 fee, expect the process to take longer than it would normally. That means showing up earlier than usual to make sure the additional screening doesn't cause you to miss your flight.
