US Department of State Consular Affairs has issued a reminder to all US travellers to be REAL ID compliant before boarding domestic flights and accessing certain federal facilities. REAL ID has been operational since May 7, 2025, but starting February 1, travellers will have to pay for not carrying it.
Starting February 1, if one doesn’t have a REAL ID or an acceptable form of ID like a passport for domestic flights, they will have to pay a $45 fee to verify their identity through @TSA ConfirmID.
Acceptable Identification
If you are traveling internationally, you will still need your passport. If you are traveling domestically, you will only need one valid form of identification – either your REAL ID or another acceptable alternative, such as a passport, not both.
A passport card or passport book are both acceptable REAL ID options for domestic flight travel and can help you avoid this cost. But remember that a passport card cannot be used for international air travel as you’ll need a passport book for that.
Real IDs make identification harder to forge. If you plan to fly, make sure you get a Real ID so you won’t be denied from your flight or face travel delays!
Passengers traveling after this enforcement deadline should either travel with an acceptable alternative form of ID, like a passport, or enroll for a state-issued REAL ID through their state DMV offices.
US Travellers
With the implementation of the REAL ID Act, the federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), may only accept state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards as identification for purposes of accessing federal facilities, including TSA airport security checkpoints.
Further, the license or identification card has to be issued by a REAL ID-compliant state by the REAL ID security standards, which means the license or card must include the REAL ID-compliant star marking.
If your Drivers License / ID have a star (and/or flag) or say “Enhanced”, you’re REAL ID ready. You will need this ID to board domestic flights and may need this or another acceptable form of identification to visit federal facilities. You need a REAL ID only if you are planning to fly domestically or visit a Federal facility.
Some states currently issue noncompliant cards to undocumented individuals. Noncompliant cards must clearly state on their face and in the machine-readable zone that they are not acceptable for REAL ID purposes and must use a unique design or color to differentiate them from compliant cards.
DHS cautions against assuming that possession of a noncompliant card indicates the holder is an undocumented individual, given that individuals may obtain noncompliant cards for many reasons unrelated to lawful presence.