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After years of delays, the REAL ID requirement took effect earlier this year. This has marked a major shift in airport identification standards across the United States. REAL IDs or valid passports are now required to pass through TSA security checkpoints, travelers have still been able to fly without these documents by undergoing additional identity-verification procedures. Beginning tomorrow, February 1st, those extra steps will come with a $45 cost.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will require passengers without the right credentials to pay a $45 fee to complete identity verification through a new biometric or biographic system. The fee replaces an earlier proposal of $18 and reflects what the agency says is the necessary cost to cover the technology, staffing, and administrative work required to authenticate travelers who lack compliant identification.
Passengers who know in advance that they will need identity verification will be able to pay online through Pay.gov (with TSA.gov soon offering a similar option). Once payment and verification are completed, travelers will receive an email confirmation to present to the TSA officer at the checkpoint. The verification process is expected to take 10 to 15 minutes on average, though TSA warns it could take up to 30 minutes or longer depending on circumstances. Even after completing the steps and paying the fee, approval to pass through security is not guaranteed (as the system must still successfully confirm the traveler’s identity).
Travelers who show up to the checkpoint without an acceptable ID will be removed from the line and required to complete the online verification and payment before rejoining screening. Once paid, the $45 fee covers identity verification for up to 10 days, which allows most round-trip travelers to return through TSA without paying again. After the 10-day window expires, the fee must be paid again for any future trip without compliant ID. The policy also applies to individuals whose REAL ID or passport has been lost or stolen (even if they previously had valid documentation).
Acceptable forms of ID include:
- REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent)
- A temporary driver’s license is not an acceptable form of identification.
- State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) or Enhanced ID (EID)
- US passport
- US passport card
- DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
- US Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
- Permanent resident card
- Border crossing card
- An acceptable photo ID 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)
- US Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
- US Merchant Mariner Credential
- Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
Anthony’s Take: With the February 1st effective date announced long ago, there is no reason for anyone traveling to not have a compliant ID. I think this is a great idea as REAL ID warnings have been issued for some time and people should have prepared. If not, $45 feels like the right amount as a penalty.
(Image Credits: TSA.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
