Why flying without a compliant ID may cost you (and how to know if you have one)

(NEXSTAR) – There’s still about a month of summer left to squeeze in a vacation before kids head back to school and cooler weather starts to set in. Trying to take a flight without a crucial ID card could, however, make your trip more costly.

REAL ID requirements went into effect in May 2025, but travelers without a compliant ID had been receiving warnings in the months after.

Last year, the Transportation Security Administration announced it would instead make travelers without a REAL ID-compliant form of identification fork over $45 in order to catch their flight.

The process officially changed in February when the TSA rolled out TSA ConfirmID.

Now, those without a REAL ID-compliant form of identification are encouraged to complete the optional TSA ConfirmID process before arriving at the airport. Your “biographic and/or biometric information” is used to confirm your identity and confirm that you are not on a Secure Flight watch list, the agency previously explained.

You’ll also have to pay a $45 fee, which is meant “to cover verification of........

© The Hill