TSA to start charging travelers $45 if they don’t have a Real ID. Here are the details.
(CBS NEWS) – According to CBS, U.S. air travelers who haven’t upgraded to a Real ID can still fly without one, but starting Feb. 1 they’ll be charged a $45 fee, the Transportation Security Administration said Monday.
Fliers without a Real ID, a passport or another acceptable form of ID will need to have their identities confirmed through a fee-based verification system called TSA Confirm.ID, the agency said.
The announcement of a $45 fee for people without Real IDs comes after the TSA started requiring the identification or other approved documents in May. The Real ID is a federally compliant state driver’s license, learner’s permit or nondriver ID card, identified by a black or gold star in the upper right corner.
Passengers without Real IDs “will be referred to the optional TSA Confirm.ID process for identity verification upon TSA check-in and prior to entering the security line,” the TSA said.
The process will vary from airport to airport, according to the agency, which said it is working with private vendors to allow consumers to pay for the screening process before they arrive at the airport. The TSA warned that people without Real IDs could encounter increased wait times at airports while their identities are verified.
The fee verifies passengers for a 10-day period, according to the TSA. The agency is still urging passengers without Real IDs to visit their local DMV to update their IDs.
The $45 fee is designed to ensure that travelers, not taxpayers, foot the bill for the advanced verification system, said Adam Stahl, a TSA official, in the statement.
How does Confirm.ID work?
Confirm.ID asks passengers without Real IDs to answer a series of questions about themselves to verify their identity.
Once a passenger’s identity is confirmed, they’ll receive a receipt to show a screening agent at the TSA checkpoint, along with their form of ID. They will then continue through security like all other passengers.
Passengers who don’t have Real IDs and opt not to pay the $45 fee may be denied entry at checkpoints, the TSA said Monday during a press call describing the new fee-based program.
What’s an acceptable form of ID?
Travelers with Real IDs or other accepted forms of identification don’t have to pay the $45 fee to travel. Here are some of the documents the TSA says can substitute for a Real-ID-compliant driver’s license:
- State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) or Enhanced ID (EID)
- U.S. or foreign government-issued passport
- U.S. passport card
- DHS trusted traveler cards ((Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
- U.S. Department of Defense ID
- Permanent resident card
- Border crossing card
The TSA’s website has a complete list of compliant types of IDs.
Who has a Real ID?
The TSA noted that more than 94% of passengers currently use Real IDs or other acceptable forms of identification.
The TSA had previously proposed a rule that would charge travelers without a Real ID an $18 fee at security checkpoints, according to a notice published in the Federal Register earlier this month.
The cost of getting a Real ID varies by state. New York, for example, has no additional fee for a Real ID beyond the regular cost of getting a driver’s license or renewing it, but Pennsylvania charges a “one-time $30 Real ID fee” on top of standard renewal fees.
