Unlock the Skies: Discover the $45 Solution to Flying Without a REAL ID

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If you’re gearing up for air travel soon and your identification isn’t REAL ID-compliant, be prepared to potentially pay an extra $45 fee.

Last spring marked the implementation of a national standard for state driver’s licenses and ID cards, a regulation established two decades ago. Since May, it’s been mandatory for travelers to possess a REAL ID or another approved form of identification to board a domestic flight. This requirement also applies to accessing certain federal facilities and nuclear power plants.

According to the Transportation Security Administration, as of December, over 94% of travelers have complied with this rule. However, those who haven’t complied face the risk of being turned away at TSA security checkpoints. Fortunately, a new option is about to become available for these individuals.

Starting February 1, the TSA will introduce ConfirmID, offering a solution for non-compliant travelers to continue their journey by air.

If you don’t have a REAL ID-compliant form of identification, TSA recommends completing the optional TSA ConfirmID process before arriving at the airport. You’ll be asked to input “biographic and/or biometric information” to confirm your identity and that you are not on a Secure Flight watch list, the agency previously explained.

You’ll also have to pay a $45 fee, which is meant “to cover verification of an insufficient ID,” Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator for TSA Adam Stahl said in a previous press release.

After completing the ConfirmID process and paying the fee, you’ll receive a receipt to show at the TSA checkpoint. Once there, you’ll undergo “additional ID verification, screening measures and potential delays,” TSA warned. If you don’t have a compliant REAL ID and have not done the ConfirmID process, TSA says you “will be subject to additional delays which may result in a missed flight.”

“It is important that airline travelers plan ahead to ensure they have an acceptable form of ID to avoid these additional delays as the process can take up to 30 minutes,” the agency said in a Thursday press release.

Identity verification through ConfirmID will be good for 10 days, according to TSA. As long as your return flight is within that 10-day timeframe, you should not need to go through the TSA Confirm.ID process more than once.

You may already be REAL ID-compliant

As the TSA noted, more than 9 in 10 travelers it served in 2025 were in compliance, and there’s a good chance you’re among that group.

Take a look at your driver’s license or state-issued ID: if there is a star on your driver’s license or state ID card, you have a REAL ID-compliant card. The star may be black or gold, completely filled in or only an outline. Either way, you’re compliant.

This undated photo provided by the Kansas Department of Revenue shows Kansas’ new driver’s license design meant to comply with federal identification requirements for airport security purposes. (Kansas Department of Revenue via AP)

Some states — Minnesota, Michigan, New York, and Vermont — issue REAL ID-compliant IDs and enhanced driver’s licenses (Washington only issues the latter). State-enhanced driver’s licenses are marked with a flag rather than a star and include a chip that can make it easier to enter the U.S. by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean, according to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. REAL IDs cannot be used for crossing the borders.

If you are without a REAL ID, TSA accepts multiple other forms of identification, including a passport, a Department of Defense ID (including those issued to dependents), and photo IDs issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards.

Other acceptable forms of ID include:

Foreign government-issued passport
Veteran Health Identification Card
DHS trusted traveler cards
Permanent resident card
Border crossing card
HSPD-12 PIV cards
Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
Transportation worker identification credential
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential

You can find more details about TSA’s screening process here.

If you’re planning to fly domestically this year and have one of the aforementioned forms of ID, you don’t necessarily need a REAL ID. Ultimately, they are optional and the need for one varies based on your situation.

At select airports, Clear ID, Apple Digital ID, and Google ID passes will also be accepted, according to TSA.

Expired IDs are accepted for up to two years past date.