Can you fly without a REAL ID? Yes, but it'll cost you. Since Feb. 1, travelers who show up at airport security without a REAL ID or another accepted ID have had to pay TSA $45 to have their identity checked another way. It's called TSA ConfirmID, and with Thanksgiving less than three weeks away, plenty of people are about to find out about it at the worst possible moment.
The good news is that the fee is easy to avoid, and many people who think they need it don't.
How the $45 Fee Works
REAL ID rules have been enforced at US airports since May 2025. A REAL ID is a driver's license or state ID marked with a symbol in the top corner, usually a star, and it's what TSA now expects to see on domestic flights.
If you don't have one, TSA sends you to its ConfirmID process before you join the security line. You pay $45, and TSA tries to confirm who you are using other information. The fee covers a 10-day travel window, so a round trip over a long weekend only costs it once. TSA has been clear about two catches, though. It takes extra time, so you'll want to arrive earlier than usual, and if TSA can't confirm your identity, you may not get through at all.
That makes it a backup plan, not a plan. Think of it as the airport version of paying for overnight shipping because you forgot a birthday.
IDs That Still Get You Through for Free
You don't need a REAL ID license if you have another accepted ID. The most common ones are:
- A US passport or passport card, even for a flight that never leaves the country
- A green card
- A trusted traveler card, like Global Entry, NEXUS or SENTRI
- A Department of Defense ID, including military IDs
- Certain tribal IDs and foreign passports
A temporary paper license from the DMV doesn't count, which catches people who renewed recently and are still waiting for the plastic card. If that's you, bring your passport.
What to Do Before Thanksgiving
Start by checking your license for the star. If it's there, you're set. If it isn't, find your passport now rather than the night before you fly, because "I know it's somewhere in this house" is not an accepted form of ID.
If you have neither, you've still got time to book a DMV appointment in most states, though appointment calendars tend to fill up before the holidays. Failing that, budget the $45 and give yourself a lot of extra time at the airport. Thanksgiving week is already one of the busiest stretches of the year at US airports, and the ConfirmID line is the last place you want to be stuck while your boarding group gets called.
If you're flying in from abroad, there's one more piece of paperwork this month too: the new Ebola form every passenger on an international flight to the US now has to sign.
