Just a short 20 years after Congress passed the Real ID Act, which codified the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation of higher security standards for personal identification, there will be financial consequences for not having a Real ID driver’s license or non-driver's document when trying to board a commercial airplane.
For the 19% of people who arrived at airport security checkpoints in 2025 with neither a passport nor a Real ID license—even though the deadline to obtain a Real ID license was pushed back several times over two decades until it was finally set as May 7, 2025—what will those consequences be?
Well, come February 1, noncompliant passengers will have to stop at a biometric kiosk before getting to a checkpoint, then pay a $45 fee to cover the cost associated with new technology needed to verify their identity, said the TSA in a November 20 public notice.
From there, “TSA will use the individual’s biographic and/or biometric information to verify identity and match the individual to their Secure Flight watchlist result. …Individuals also may be subject to additional screening or experience delays.”
That passenger's security clearance would remain on file with TSA for 10 days, meaning that most round trips would require only one $45 payment.
Again, passports are an acceptable form of identification at security checkpoints for both domestic and international air travel. But for those who don’t have a Real ID license after 20 years: Perhaps it’s finally time to get one.
