NC Travelers Without REAL ID Or Another Acceptable ID Will Pay $45 Fee Starting Feb. 1

RALEIGH – Airline passengers who do not have a REAL ID driver license, state ID card, or another acceptable form of ID after Saturday, Jan. 31 will have to pay a $45 identity-verification fee before passing through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airport checkpoints.

The fee covers the cost of a modernized alternative identity verification system, called TSA ConfirmID. The verification will cover a 10-day travel period, so travelers who plan their return flight within that 10-day period will pay once for both flights.

“North Carolina has been issuing REAL IDs for nearly nine years, and more than 5 million residents – about 58% – already have one,” North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Paul Tine said. “Our offices are making it easier than ever: every driver license office now accepts walk-ins from open to close (or until daily capacity is reached), and appointments can be booked up to seven days in advance with new slots added each weekday.”

Acceptable forms of ID include REAL ID driver licenses or state ID cards, U.S. passports and passport cards, and DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST). A full list of acceptable IDs can be found at TSA.gov/travel/security-screening/identification.

North Carolina travelers without an acceptable ID are encouraged to visit the TSA ConfirmID program fee site and pay the $45 fee prior to travel on or after Sunday, Feb. 1. Take a printed copy or electronic copy of the receipt, along with another form of ID, and show it to the Transportation Security Officer verifying identification at the airport checkpoint. 

In North Carolina, about 90% of passengers already use their REAL ID or another acceptable form of identification. TSA expects that wait times will increase for passengers without a REAL ID driver license or state ID card when ConfirmID goes into effect. 

To find out if you need a REAL ID and to generate a customized document checklist with everything you need to bring, visit NCREALID.gov. Remember, your first NC REAL ID cannot be obtained online. It can only be issued at a driver license office.