The Transportation Security Administration is proposing an $18 fee for travelers who arrive at the airport without an acceptable form of identification.
Since May, TSA has stopped accepting standard state-issued IDs and driver’s licenses as valid identification. Passports, military IDs and REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses are among the acceptable documents.
Currently, passengers without proper identification undergo an identity verification process that includes additional screening. Under the TSA’s proposed rule, travelers would pay an $18 fee for that process.
TSA's proposal launches a period of public comment. It is unclear when exactly the proposal could be enforced.
TSA says the fee would help cover costs associated with enhanced screenings, including software and staffing. It would also fund technology used to verify passengers’ biographic and biometric information.
The fee would be nonrefundable, even if the verification fails. Passengers who pay once would not be charged again for subsequent flights within a 10-day window.
Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005. For now, a standard state-issued ID or driver’s license is still sufficient to board a domestic flight, but that will soon change.
To obtain a REAL ID, applicants must provide: full legal name; date of birth (often documented with a birth certificate); Social Security number; two proofs of principal residence (such as a utility bill); and proof of lawful status.
