The Transportation Security Administration is proposing an $18 fee for travelers without a REAL ID to pass through airport checkpoints.
The fee would cover costs associated with new technology needed to verify the passenger’s identity, according to a notice posted on Nov. 20 on the Federal Register’s website.
Other WRAL Top Stories
Under the proposed rule, travelers without a REAL ID would be able to pay the fee and use a new biometric kiosk that could allow them access to TSA checkpoints for 10 days, according to the Federal Register’s notice.
REAL ID requirements became required on May 7 for air travel in the U.S.
REAL ID looks like a traditional driver’s license but has a star in the top right corner.
The REAL ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005, comes over 20 years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks upon the United States.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) does note that the REAL ID is optional. It is not a requirement for:
- Driving
- Voting
- Applying to receive federal benefits
- Entering federal facilities not requiring federal identification, like the post office
- Access to hospitals or receiving life-saving care
- Participating in law enforcement proceedings or investigations, such as serving on a jury or testifying in court
Anyone younger than 18 is not required to have a REAL ID to travel on airplanes.
People who plan on getting a REAL ID should plan to make an appointment through the DMV website.
Information from CNN’s Devon Sayers and Alexandra Skores was used in this report.