TSA Raises Penalty to $45 as Federal REAL ID Campaign Escalates

CCHF: Increased fee and 10-day limit may impede travel plans for Americans

ST PAUL, MN, UNITED STATES, December 3, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Just 10 days after announcing a $18 fee for people flying without REAL ID, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) increased the fee to $45, escalating a nationwide campaign designed to persuade Americans to accept the federal REAL ID system. As noted by the TSA press release headline, this $45 fee is “for travelers without REAL ID starting February 1.” The fee is good for only 10 travel days. Travelers on longer trips must pay twice.

The agency first announced the fee and an unnamed “modernized alternative identity verification system” just days before the busiest travel day of the year, a week before Thanksgiving. The new verification system, now called “TSA Confirm.ID,” funded by the fee, will capture digital biometric photos of travelers who present without a REAL ID or TSA-acceptable ID.

“The federal government is charging Americans a fee to fly – we call it a fine – if they refuse to acquiesce or choose not to buy a passport.” said Twila Brase, RN, PHN, Co-founder and President of Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF). “This $45 fee may impede travel and attempts to strong-arm citizens into a system that Senator Lamar Alexander on the floor of the Senate said imposes a ‘national identification card.’ REAL ID is a Federal ID under federal control masquerading as a state driver’s license, and no American should be forced into it.”

The TSA notice released on November 20 claims the agency has authority to charge fees for new traveler programs, comparing TSA Confirm.ID to long-standing systems like TSA PreCheck or Global Entry—voluntary programs that cost $120 or less and last five years. Confirm.ID is mandatory for non-REAL ID travelers and expires after just 10 days.

“TSA Confirm.ID and the fee are not voluntary for Americans who refuse to follow an unconstitutional federal demand,” Brase said. “The TSA is demanding what they have no right to demand. The only question is why this demand is coming from the Trump administration.”

CCHF points to the clarifying REAL ID Act definition of the “official purpose” of REAL ID, which lists access to federal building, nuclear facilities, commercial flight “and any other purpose that the Secretary shall determine.”

“The requirement for REAL ID will not stop with flying. Like digital national IDs in other countries, it is poised to become an internal passport for all of life, all under federal control,” said Brase. “The REAL ID system nationalizes identification and empowers the federal government. This is an unconstitutional act of federal commandeering that no American should submit to.”

CCHF’s national campaign to stop the REAL ID is engaging citizens, encouraging them to ask President Trump, Congress and state legislators to repeal the law, rescind the rule, and end TSA’s escalating campaign to compel REAL ID compliance.

For more information, visit: www.RefuseRealID.org

For additional information or to schedule an interview with Twila Brase, contact Alexandra de Scheel at media@cchfreedom.org.

About Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom: CCHF has existed since 1998 to protect patient and doctor freedom. As a national, independent, non-partisan, non-profit health freedom organization, CCHF maintains a patient-centered, privacy-focused, free-market perspective. For more information, visit: www.cchfreedom.org.

Citizens' Council for Health Freedom
Citizens' Council for Health Freedom
info@cchfreedom.org
Visit us on social media:
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
TikTok
X

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.