WASHINGTON (December 2, 2025) – Yesterday, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration announced that it will charge passengers who do not have REAL IDs a $45 fee. The fee will cover travelers for a 10-day period and will go into effect in February. This move is meant to encourage passengers to get IDs that meet stricter federal standards.
This announcement follows the federal government’s move in May 2025 to fully enforce REAL ID requirements at airports. For context on this, consider Faith Bradley. Bradley is an assistant professor of information systems and technology management at the GW School of Business. Bradley published her doctoral dissertation on REAL ID in the Journal of the Knowledge Economy.
If you would like to schedule an interview with Professor Bradley, please contact Claire Sabin at claire [dot] sabin
gwu [dot] edu (claire[dot]sabin[at]gwu[dot]edu).
-GW-