The Transportation Security Administration confirmed that, beginning 1 February 2026, passengers who arrive at U.S. airport checkpoints without a REAL ID-compliant licence or other acceptable identification will have to pay a US$45 “ConfirmID” processing fee.
Under the new program—outlined on 18 January and first piloted at Houston’s Bush Intercontinental and Dallas–Fort Worth—screeners will complete an enhanced identity verification using secure databases and facial-matching technology. The fee shifts the extra cost from taxpayers to non-compliant travelers and is payable online in advance or on-site by credit card. Travelers who cannot or will not pay will be denied access to the sterile area. TSA estimates that roughly 6 % of U.S. residents (about 15 million people) still lack a REAL ID despite a nationwide rollout that began in 2016.
If you’re uncertain about whether your existing documents will satisfy TSA’s tightened requirements, VisaHQ’s document-processing platform can walk you through the REAL ID checklist and help coordinate any supplementary travel papers you might need. The service—found at https://www.visahq.com/united-states/—specialises in expediting passports, visas and other official IDs, making it a one-stop resource for both U.S. residents and international visitors preparing for 2025 enforcement.
![TSA to Charge $45 Fee for Travelers Who Show Up Without REAL ID from 1 February]()
The move comes as DHS prepares for full enforcement of the REAL ID Act for domestic flights on 7 May 2025 and for federal-facility access on 1 January 2026. Airlines have lobbied for a monetary deterrent to avoid last-minute checkpoint slow-downs that ripple through departure banks. TSA says the ConfirmID check could add up to 30 minutes of processing time per passenger, increasing the risk of missed connections during peak periods.
Corporate travel managers should verify that employee driver’s licences display the required star symbol (gold or black, depending on the issuing state). Companies with large travelling workforces may wish to run internal audits or sponsor on-site DMV clinics to upgrade IDs before the fee takes effect. International assignees who use foreign passports to fly domestically will be unaffected, provided their passports are valid and in their possession.
Civil liberties groups have questioned the equity of the fee, warning that it could disproportionately impact lower-income travellers and create de facto barriers to domestic mobility. TSA counters that the REAL ID rollout has been publicised for more than a decade and that fee waivers will be available for documented indigent passengers in “extraordinary circumstances.”
Under the new program—outlined on 18 January and first piloted at Houston’s Bush Intercontinental and Dallas–Fort Worth—screeners will complete an enhanced identity verification using secure databases and facial-matching technology. The fee shifts the extra cost from taxpayers to non-compliant travelers and is payable online in advance or on-site by credit card. Travelers who cannot or will not pay will be denied access to the sterile area. TSA estimates that roughly 6 % of U.S. residents (about 15 million people) still lack a REAL ID despite a nationwide rollout that began in 2016.
If you’re uncertain about whether your existing documents will satisfy TSA’s tightened requirements, VisaHQ’s document-processing platform can walk you through the REAL ID checklist and help coordinate any supplementary travel papers you might need. The service—found at https://www.visahq.com/united-states/—specialises in expediting passports, visas and other official IDs, making it a one-stop resource for both U.S. residents and international visitors preparing for 2025 enforcement.
The move comes as DHS prepares for full enforcement of the REAL ID Act for domestic flights on 7 May 2025 and for federal-facility access on 1 January 2026. Airlines have lobbied for a monetary deterrent to avoid last-minute checkpoint slow-downs that ripple through departure banks. TSA says the ConfirmID check could add up to 30 minutes of processing time per passenger, increasing the risk of missed connections during peak periods.
Corporate travel managers should verify that employee driver’s licences display the required star symbol (gold or black, depending on the issuing state). Companies with large travelling workforces may wish to run internal audits or sponsor on-site DMV clinics to upgrade IDs before the fee takes effect. International assignees who use foreign passports to fly domestically will be unaffected, provided their passports are valid and in their possession.
Civil liberties groups have questioned the equity of the fee, warning that it could disproportionately impact lower-income travellers and create de facto barriers to domestic mobility. TSA counters that the REAL ID rollout has been publicised for more than a decade and that fee waivers will be available for documented indigent passengers in “extraordinary circumstances.”
