LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – If you thought airline travel around the United States couldn’t possibly get more expensive, inconvenient, or creatively irritating, the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) has stepped in once again to prove you wrong.
Beginning Feb. 1, 2026, travelers who still don’t have a REAL ID (despite years of government and media nagging that you must get one to board a plane) or TSA-approved identification like a passport, won’t get a stern lecture anymore. Instead, they’ll be hit with a $45 biometric screening fee. In other words, TSA has created its own airport cover charge – and no, it doesn’t come with a complimentary drink.
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The new fee was announced by the TSA on December 1, calling the modernized alternative identity verification system, TSA Confirm.ID.
What is biometric scanning?
The process will differ airport to airport but biometrics used in airports can be a combination of biographic information (name, date of birth, etc.), biometric information (facial recognition, digital ID matching) and some will be using newly installed identity confirmation kiosks. It will take about 10-30 minutes to go through the scanning process once you get to the airport. You can pay the fee online ahead of time or when you get to the airport.
Under the new rules, travelers who show up at security without a REAL ID or another federally accepted form of identification can still fly. They’ll just be ushered into a longer biometric screening process. The fee grants 10 days of TSA leniency, after which the government politely asks you to pay again. However, paying the fee doesn’t guarantee verification so travelers could be turned away if they are not identified properly.
REAL ID – the federally compliant upgrade to state driver’s licenses created under the 2005 REAL ID Act in response to the terrorist attacks on 9/11 – finally became enforceable for air travel in May 2025 after multiple delays. And now, even with the mandate in place, the federal government is tweaking the system again. Although the TSA says 94% of traveling Americans already have a REAL ID or another acceptable form of identification, tens of millions still don’t – which is why the agency quietly tweaked the rules again, added a new fee and is encouraging travelers to upgrade their licenses.
Why was REAL ID created to begin with?
REAL ID was born out of post-9/11 security reforms meant to tighten state ID standards, prevent identity fraud, and verify who people actually are. The idea is that the little gold star in the corner of your license signals you’ve supplied the necessary documentation – proof of identity, Social Security number, residency, and legal status.
Michigan offers two federally accepted IDs: REAL ID-compliant licenses (circle with star design or Michigan silhouette with star design) and Enhanced Driver’s Licenses/IDs which are REAL ID- compliant regardless of whether they display the star. Both allow domestic flights and entry to federal facilities, while the enhanced version also works as a passport for land and sea crossings to Canada and Mexico.
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In the end, the message from Washington is clear: upgrade your license or keep your credit card handy. After two decades of delays, shifting rules, and now a pay-to-fly workaround, REAL ID has gone from a security reform to another bureaucratic obstacle course. Travelers can either chase down paperwork for that tiny star in the corner of their license – or fork over $45 every time TSA decides to verify them over and over again. Either way, the federal government has turned identity verification into its newest revenue stream, and passengers are footing the bill long before their plane ever leaves the ground.
