The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is launching a new provision that could add an extra $18 sting for travelers who show up at the airport without an acceptable form of identification.
According to a notice published in the Federal Register, passengers who arrive at airport security lines without a REAL ID driver’s license or state ID, or other approved document, would be charged a non-refundable fee to use TSA’s new alternative ID verification process, per a November 20 notice. The agency says the fee would cover the cost of modernizing its alt-ID system — everything from software updates to customer service support.
As of May 7, 2025, travelers presenting state-issued driver licenses or photo identification cards at the TSA checkpoint must have a REAL ID-compliant card.
A REAL ID is one that meets the standardized federal requirements for driver’s licenses and identification cards issued by states and territories as established by the REAL ID Act of 2005. These IDs will bear a distinctive star symbol on the front of the card.
State IDs and driver licenses without the star symbol are now rejected at checkpoints, though they will remain valid for driving and voting. However, other documents, such as passports and permanent resident cards, are also acceptable forms of identification (AFOID) for travelers.
Click here for a complete list of AFOID documents.
Travelers who do not have any of the listed AFOIDs may have the opportunity to participate in an alternative identification process, but the current alternative identity verification process is “time and resource intensive, limiting the number of individuals for whom TSA can provide the service,” according to the notice in the Federal Register.
To increase efficiency, the “TSA is replacing the prior alternative identity verification process with a modernized alternative identity verification program that offers [a] technology-enabled alternative for individuals who do not have an AFOID available to present at the [travel document checker].”
The $18 fee would apply only to travelers using the new alternative ID-check system. Those who choose this option would sign up at the TSA checkpoint and provide some basic biographic and biometric information. TSA then checks that information through its Secure Flight system.
If everything checks out, the traveler can go through security and keep using this verified status for up to 10 days without paying the fee again, though TSA must still confirm their identity each time they fly during that time period.
No timeline for the rollout of the modernized alternative verification system was mentioned in the TSA announcement.
DHS said that all 50 states, including Texas, currently issue REAL ID-compliant licenses. Texans have been able to get their star-marked IDs since 2016 by visiting a Department of Public Safety driver license office with the proper documents.
Many U.S. residents already have their REAL ID-compliant cards, but DHS stresses that for those who do not, many renewals or replacements can be handled online.