TSA Will Charge $45 for Forgetting Your REAL ID

Travelers who show up at airport security checkpoints without a REAL ID or passport will have to fork over $45 to pass, the Transportation Security Administration announced Monday. The fee, scheduled to start Feb. 1, is part of the agency's rollout of the next phase of REAL ID enforcement and is a significant hike from the $18 figure floated when the rule was first proposed in the Federal Register last month. ABC News reports the agency says the fee is intended to cover the costs of the ID verification program, including administrative and IT expenses, so that the expense falls on travelers rather than taxpayers.

The process for verifying your identity isn't necessarily quick: Travelers will have to go online to TSA.gov, follow the steps to confirm who they are, and pay the fee. They'll get an email confirmation to show TSA officers, but the process could take as little as 10 minutes or a half-hour or longer. And, the agency warns, there's no guarantee you'll be cleared to fly even after jumping through those hoops. If you're in line without proper ID, you'll have to move aside to complete the process.

Once verified, the clearance lasts for 10 days—after that, forget your REAL ID again and you'll shell out another $45. The requirement for adult travelers to present REAL ID-compliant identification before boarding domestic flights in the US took effect in May, per USA Today. The term refers to state-issued documents such as a REAL ID driver's licenses or ID cards with a special symbol. The agency reports that about 94% of travelers are using REAL ID or other acceptable identification.