NORTH CAROLINA — A fee will be in place for commercial airline travelers in North Carolina who don’t obtain a REAL ID by Feb. 1.
The Transportation Security Administration and North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles announced Thursday that anyone without a REAL ID will be charged $45 to fly. The fee covers the costs to utilize a “modernized alternative identity verification system, TSA ConfirmID, to establish identity at security checkpoints” starting next month, a release indicated.
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The $45 covers a 10-day travel period, so any travel completed beyond that timeframe — say a return flight 11 days later — would require payment of another $45.
The REAL ID Act was first passed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, at the behest of the 9/11 Commission, but became fully implemented and enforced on May 7, 2025. A REAL ID is intended to create stronger security measures than state-issued licenses and identification cards, combatting fraud with the goal to prevent terrorists from obtaining fake IDs, as REAL IDs are harder to forge.
REAL IDs are not needed to drive, vote, receive federal benefits, access hospitals or for other verification needs. However, one is required to board commercial airlines, enter secured federal government facilities, visit nuclear sites or military bases.
Travelers at the nation’s airports who don’t have a REAL ID or U.S. passport can still board flights and visit federal facilities, as long as they provide additional documentation with a traditional license or ID. Only now, it will come with the $45 fee, applicable at all airports nationwide.
“The vast majority of travelers present acceptable identification like REAL IDs and passports, but we must ensure everyone who flies is who they say they are,” Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator for TSA Adam Stahl said in a press release announcing the change last month. “This fee ensures the cost to cover verification of an insufficient ID will come from the traveler, not the taxpayer. The security of the traveling public is our top priority, so we urge all travelers to get a REAL ID or other acceptable form of ID as soon as possible to avoid delays and potentially miss flights.”
A REAL ID costs as much as a regular license but is delineated with a star on it and can be obtained at the DMV. Passports, a passport card, a DHS Trusted Traveler Card (Global Entry, NEXUS, etc.), a Permanent Resident Card, or an Enhanced Driver’s License are still accepted by TSA as well and people who utilize them won’t face fees. TSA stated around 94% of travelers have appropriate documentation currently.
However, in North Carolina, around 90% bring acceptable forms of ID. Though only 58% — or 5 million residents — own a REAL ID. According to the DMV, every driver’s license office now accepts walk-in appointments until daily capacity is reached, with appointments able for booking seven days in advance with new slots added each weekday.
TSA is working with private industry vendors to offer online payment options for travelers without a REAL ID to help with efficiency; fees can be paid ahead of going to the airport here. However, there will be signage at airports directing travelers on how to pay for the TSA ConfirmID option before entering a security line should they not have a REAL ID; those who undergo TSA ConfirmID processing at an airport should expect delays, according to the feds. The screening process may take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes.
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