What’s a REAL ID? TSA threatens charge if you do not have one

For those that are planning to journey by airplane this vacation season, greater than a ticket shall be wanted to board. Travelers now want a REAL ID-compliant identification to board a federally regulated industrial plane, or face paying a charge for not having the right identification. But what precisely is a REAL ID-compliant ID?

REAL ID-compliant IDs are state-issued paperwork of identification — similar to REAL ID driver’s licenses or ID playing cards with a particular image — that adjust to “minimum security standards” which have just lately begun to be enforced so as to journey by airplane.

With extra vacation travels on the horizon, here is what it is advisable to find out about REAL ID-compliant IDs and how one can get one.

Why are REAL ID-compliant IDs required now?

The Transportation Security Administration started requiring REAL ID-compliant IDs for grownup vacationers flying domestically inside the United States in May 2025, after 20 years of pushes for stricter identification security rules following the 9/11 terrorist assaults. The 2005 legislation linked to the REAL IDs enacted the Sept. 11, 2001, fee’s suggestion to approve stricter federal necessities for issuing identification playing cards.

The new rules define that each air traveler 18 years of age and older will need to have a REAL ID-compliant ID, which is a state-issued driver’s license, state-issued identification card, or one other acceptable type of ID, similar to a U.S. passport, TSA stated in a previous assertion.

Can I fly and not using a REAL ID?

You can journey and not using a REAL ID you probably have one other type of identification authorized by the TSA. Here are TSA’s acceptable forms of ID as of Dec. 1, although the listing might change sooner or later:

• REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses or state photograph identification playing cards issued by the DMV or state’s equal
• State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License or Enhanced ID
• U.S. passport or passport card
• Department of Homeland Security trusted traveler playing cards, like Global Entry
• Permanent resident card
• Border crossing card
• Photo ID issued by a federally acknowledged Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe
• U.S. Department of Defense ID, together with these issued to dependents
• Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
• U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
• Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)
• HSPD-12 PIV card
• Foreign government-issued passport card
• Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card

So, if you have not gotten a REAL ID-compliant ID or documentation from the listing above for the reason that implementation earlier this 12 months, you’ll be able to anticipate to pay $45 to catch your flight beginning February 1.

Facing a charge: TSA will cost you a $45 charge if you happen to journey with out REAL ID

How do I get a REAL ID?

Travelers can obtain a REAL ID after they apply for or renew their driver’s license or state identification card, according to usa.gov. It is throughout that software course of that you may select to make your new identification REAL ID-compliant, designated by the star icon.

To get a REAL ID, most driver’s licensing companies would require folks to carry a number of gadgets and paperwork, together with ones displaying proof of:

• Identity – together with a U.S. delivery certificates, U.S. passport, or Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) if you’re a non-U.S. citizen.
• Social Security quantity – Travelers can show this by bringing their Social Security card, Form W-2, or a pay stub or paycheck from their job.
• Residency – Your state company might ask for a deed, mortgage assertion, lease settlement, utility invoice, or financial institution assertion to show your residency, in accordance with usa.gov.

How do I do know if I have already got a REAL ID?

A REAL ID is designated with a symbol on the higher right-hand nook of your driver’s license or state ID, mostly a coloured circle with a white star.

Some states produce other symbols together with the star, like California, which has the star positioned contained in the define of a bear.

While the TSA website doesn’t explicitly state what paperwork could be thought of non-compliant, it reiterates that the paperwork listed above and people marked with the particular image are “acceptable” and compliant with the new rules. Travelers with paperwork deemed non-compliant will face the $45 charge.

Kate Perez covers tendencies and breaking information for USA TODAY. You can attain her at kperez@usatodayco.com or on Twitter @katecperez_.