“Just a money grab”: Americans blast TSA after learning flying without a Real ID will cost $45 starting February
Starting in February, U.S. travelers who show up to airport security without a Real ID, passport, or another “acceptable” form of identification will be hit with a new $45 fee.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced the charge on Monday, framing it as funding for a modernized identity-verification system.
The timing, coming off a tense Thanksgiving travel season, sparked immediate frustration online, where critics accused the current administration of turning basic air travel into a pay-to-play system.
Get your Real ID before Feb. 1
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.
This will only allow these travelers air passage for a 10-day window. After that, those with only regular driver licenses will presumably have to pay again.
The TSA attempted to justify this by claiming that 94 percent of travelers already have a Real ID or other "acceptable" documents.
"Identity verification is essential to traveler safety, because it keeps terrorists, criminals, and illegal aliens out of the skies and other domestic transportation systems such as rail," said Adam Stahl, acting Deputy Administrator for the TSA.
Forms of ID that will get you through the gates without having to pay yet another fee include:
- Real ID
- State-issued Enhanced Driver's License (EDL) or Enhanced ID (EID)
- U.S. passport
- U.S. passport card
- Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs)
- Permanent resident card
- Border crossing card
- Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
If you're not sure if your ID counts, you can always head over to your friendly neighborhood Department of Motor Vehicles.
Trump enforces the rules nobody wanted
Congress passed the Real ID Act in 2005 as a response to 9/11, but state resistance delayed enforcement until President Donald Trump's second term. It took until 2024 for all states to come into line, but then-President Joe Biden appeared more interested in making air travel easier for the common traveler.
One of the more popular actions by the Biden administration was forcing airlines pay up for canceled or severely delayed flights. These consumer protections made airlines compensate customers with hotel rooms, free meals, and cash.
The Trump administration scrapped that policy in September. Airline CEOs praised the move, claiming regulations that made them give travelers money "don’t solve issues important to our customers."
On May 7, 2025, the current administration began to signal enforcement of the Real ID Act by funneling those without the correct form of identification through extra security measures. The new fee appears to be the next step toward strict enforcement, set to begin on May 5, 2027.
"Nothing more than extortion"
Trump critics were quick to blame him for the latest travel fee and inconvenience. Some implied that this is another tax on the poorest Americans, not unlike his tariffs.
"So the Real ID has nothing to do with security," wrote @amitylee13. “'Legal for a price' is nothing more than extortion."
"Hilarious. Biden kills junk fees and makes airlines pay up when they strand you. Basic consumer protection," wrote Democratic party chair Chris D. Jackson.
"Then this guy walks in, wipes it all out, and charges a fee for what conservatives have spent years calling a national ID. And we’re told this is 'conservative.'"
"We went from airlines paying you for ruining your trip to paying them if we don’t get an additional ID in a year," @forrestmcnealle summarized. "This administration is a**.",
"I sure do hope the Republican Administration starts charging every American who uses domestic air travel 45 bucks extra in an election year," wrote @newkingofmedia.
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