The $45 Fee Waiting for Thanksgiving Travelers Without the Right ID

With Thanksgiving three weeks away, travel outlets are reminding flyers that showing up without a REAL ID or passport can cost money and time. REAL ID enforcement took full effect on May 7, 2025. Travelers who arrive without an approved ID must use TSA ConfirmID, which costs $45 and, according to TheTravel, adds an estimated 15 to 30 minutes at the checkpoint.

The fee is not new. It started on February 1, 2026 and is paid through pay.gov after online identity verification. ABC News reported in January that a receipt is valid for 10 days and that clearance is not guaranteed if TSA cannot verify a traveler’s identity. Accepted alternatives include US passports, passport cards, DHS trusted-traveler cards such as Global Entry, and certain Defense Department and tribal photo IDs.

The Thanksgiving framing is what makes it timely. TheTravel says Sunday, November 29 is expected to be the busiest airport day of the year, citing a single-day record of 3,134,613 people screened on the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2025, a figure it takes from a third-party site. It advises arriving at least three hours before a domestic flight that day, and reports average Thanksgiving ticket prices up 31 percent versus 2025, citing CBS News.

One more detail for planners: TheTravel notes that Department of Homeland Security funding, which covers TSA, is set to expire on December 11, 2026. The simplest way to avoid the fee and the delay is to confirm now that your license shows the REAL ID star or to carry a passport, and states such as New Jersey report short waits for appointments.

Sources: TheTravel, ABC News