You will be charged a fee of $45.00 to use a modernized alternative identity verification system for a travel period of ten days effective as of Sunday, February 1, 2026 if you want to fly as a passenger aboard an airplane but do not have an official form of identification that is compliant with REAL ID.
$45 Fee If You Do Not Have REAL ID
According to this press release from the Transportation Security Administration of the United States, acceptable forms of identification include:
- REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent)
- If you are not sure if your identification complies with REAL ID, check with your state Department of Motor Vehicles.
- A temporary driver’s license is not an acceptable form of identification.
- State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) or Enhanced ID (EID)
- United States passport
- United States passport card
- Trusted traveler cards from the Department of Homeland Security — such as Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, or FAST
- United States Department of Defense identification — including forms of identification that are issued to dependents
- Permanent resident card
- Border crossing card
- An acceptable photo identification 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)
- United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
- United States Merchant Mariner Credential
- Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
TSA ConfirmID is a modernized alternative identity verification system that will be used to establish identity at the security checkpoints of airports of passengers who do not have an official form of identification that is compliant with REAL ID, which will likely increase wait times for those passengers.
The REAL ID Act never got its act together, as the date of full enforcement was extended at least six times since the 9/11 Commission — which was established after the historic events which occurred on Tuesday, September 11, 2001 — gave its recommendation for the standardization of official documents which are issued by state governments.
The date of enforcement finally was Wednesday, May 7, 2025 — which is essentially a full 20 years which had elapsed since the REAL ID Act was passed in 2005 — but it was arguably not a full enforcement of the act.
Final Boarding Call
Greater than 94 percent of passengers already use an official form of identification that is compliant with REAL ID; so you are likely one of them…
…but if you do not have identification with REAL ID, schedule an appointment at your local Department of Motor Vehicles in your state to update your official identification as soon as possible.
All photographs ©2018, ©2020, and ©2022 by Brian Cohen.
