The Transportation Security Administration announced Monday that starting in February, U.S. air travelers who don't have a REAL ID will be required to pay a $45 fee.

The TSA has announced it will charge airline passengers a $45 fee if they do not have a Real ID, effective early in 2026.

Beginning on Feb. 1, the TSA will charge passengers without REAL ID-compliant ID a $45 fee.

The TSA’s press release confirmed that anybody who does not bring a Real ID, passport, or other enhanced form of identification through airport security will have to pay $45 to fund the agency’s “modernized alternative identity verification system” starting on Feb. 1, 2026.

In May 2025, the REAL ID regulation officially went into place after the act was passed two decades ago in response to the 9/11 terrorism attacks. The goal of the act was to make airline boarding and identification procedures tighter,

Since the law went into effect in May, TSA has cleared air travelers with a warning and extra security screening if they don't have a REAL ID, according to the AP.

All REAL ID documents, including driver's licenses, have a star stamp on the right-hand corner to indicate that it is federally compliant.