REAL ID: what US airport checkpoints require and what happens without it

What REAL ID is

The REAL ID Act became law on 11 May 2005. It sets minimum security standards for driver's licences and identity cards issued by states, territories and the District of Columbia. Federal agencies may accept those cards for official purposes only if they meet the standards ³.

Official purposes include entering federal facilities, boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft and entering nuclear power plants ³. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published its rules for the Act on 29 January 2008 ³. At airports, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) applies them at the checkpoint ¹.

REAL ID is a domestic standard. TSA says REAL ID cards cannot be used to cross into Canada or Mexico or for other international travel, where a passport is still needed ².

The road to 7 May 2025

DHS pushed back card-based enforcement several times. A rule published on 9 March 2023 moved it from 3 May 2023 to 7 May 2025, citing pandemic backlogs at state licensing offices ³. In that rule DHS said 55 of the 56 jurisdictions had achieved compliance and had issued about 151 million compliant cards, about 53 per cent of people holding a state licence or ID card ³.

A rule effective on 14 January 2025 said that as of January 2024 only about 56 per cent of licences and ID cards in circulation were compliant ⁴. That rule kept the 7 May 2025 start. It let federal agencies phase in enforcement if they judge it right on security, operational and public impact grounds, as long as they publish their plans and reach full enforcement by 5 May 2027 ⁴.

A rule effective on 25 November 2024 lets DHS grant states temporary waivers so that federal agencies can accept mobile or digital driver's licences after 7 May 2025 ⁵.

Accepted documents

TSA says every air traveller aged 18 and over needs a REAL ID-compliant licence or another acceptable form of ID. REAL ID-compliant cards are marked with a star at the top ¹.

TSA names a valid passport, a US military ID, a federally recognised tribal photo ID and a state-issued EDL, the licence marked with a flag instead of a star ¹. Its FAQ lists passport cards and the EDLs issued by Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Vermont, and says TSA accepts several other identity documents listed on its website ². This page could not open TSA's full identification list and does not reproduce it.

TSA does not require children under 18 to show ID when travelling with a companion within the United States ¹. It tells travellers to ask the airline about any airline rules for under-18s ².

• REAL ID-compliant state licence or ID card, marked with a star ¹
• Valid passport or passport card ^1,2
• US military ID ¹
• Federally recognised tribal photo ID ¹
• EDL from Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, New York or Vermont ²

What happens without acceptable ID

TSA's FAQ says passengers who show a state ID that is not REAL ID-compliant, and have no other acceptable ID, will be told they are not compliant. They may be sent to a separate area for added screening. This applies to TSA PreCheck members too ².

TSA says people who cannot verify their identity will not be allowed into the checkpoint and will not fly ¹. Before the new program, the most common fallback was a TSA call centre, the National Transportation Vetting Center, which asked knowledge-based questions ⁶. TSA is replacing that with an automated service. It will use biographic or biometric details to verify identity and match the person to their Secure Flight watch list result ⁶.

TSA Confirm.ID and the $45 fee

On 20 November 2025, TSA announced a modernised alternative identity verification program with an $18 fee ⁶. On 3 December 2025 it renamed the program TSA Confirm.ID and raised the fee to $45 after revising its estimates of users and costs ⁷. The fee is per person and covers a 10-day period, as long as the traveller's identity is verified on each use ⁷.

TSA treats Confirm.ID as a registered traveller program. Under a 2005 appropriations law, it must charge a non-refundable fee that recovers the program's costs ⁷. The fee is not refunded if identity is not verified. Paying does not guarantee access to the secure area. Users may face added screening or delays ^6,7. TSA may limit repeat use by people who keep arriving without acceptable ID ⁶.

The American Association of Airport Executives reported on 1 December 2025 that TSA would begin referring travellers to Confirm.ID on 1 February 2026. It said TSA urged travellers to pay online before arriving, with payment points at or near checkpoints in most airports ⁸. A January 2026 notice from Lewiston Nez Perce County Airport linked to a pay.gov payment form and said the process can take up to 30 minutes ⁹. As of 19 October 2026, the Federal Register showed no later TSA notice changing the $45 fee ⁷.

Concerns raised

DHS has said in its own rules that low uptake was a risk. In the 2025 phased enforcement rule it said a history of extended deadlines may have led the public to expect further delays and to feel no urgency to get a compliant card ⁴. In 2023 it estimated that without an extension, 44 per cent of the population would have needed another acceptable ID ³.

Airport operators raised concerns about Confirm.ID. The American Association of Airport Executives questioned the aggressive timeline for putting the fee in place ⁸. TSA said it expected longer waits for passengers going through Confirm.ID ⁸.