Feb. 1, 2026
By Aubrey Valente
Staff Writer
Flying is about to get even more complicated and potentially more expensive.
Starting today, Americans without a REAL ID-compliant form of identification will be required to pay a $45 fee. Paying the fee does not guarantee verification, but if approved, the verification covers a 10-day travel period.
Media specialist Ms. Murru said she believes the $45 fee will encourage people without a REAL ID to get one.
“It will definitely be a big push for people — especially people who travel more frequently. Obviously, they’re not going to want to pay $45 every single time they have to travel,” Murru said. “If it weren’t on people’s minds before, it’s definitely an incentive to get one.”
Murru said one reason some travelers have delayed obtaining a REAL ID is that the process has been frustrating.
“I hope in the future more appointment slots become available, since many people I’ve talked to have struggled to get a REAL ID appointment at the [Department of Motor Vehicles],” Murru said.
As of Jan. 30, the first available REAL ID appointment was for March 5, though 23 of New Jersey’s 28 DMVs did not have availability until April.
Murru said she plans to get a REAL ID after gathering and completing the required paperwork, but she is not in a rush.
“The REAL ID is more of an inconvenience to [other] people,” Murru said. “I normally travel with my passport, so I don’t think I ever take my license out when I go to an airport.”
Senior Caroline Melleno said traveling with a REAL ID is more affordable than getting a passport, which costs a total of $165, including a $130 application fee and a $35 facility acceptance fee.
“I know a lot of people can’t afford passports since it’s expensive,” Melleno said. “You don’t really need to pay [much] extra for a REAL ID [as] you would for a passport,” Melleno said.
REAL ID costs vary by state, with New Jersey’s costing $35, compared to a driver’s license, which costs $24.
PHOTO REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION OF TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION Beginning today, domestic air travelers who lack a REAL ID-compliant license or another acceptable ID, like a passport, will have to pay $45 for alternative identity verification.
Melleno said charging passengers $45 for not having a REAL ID is a bad idea because they are already paying for their flight tickets.
“For some, flying… is very rare, and then they have to pay this extra fee just because they don’t have an ID,” Melleno said.
She said she is not worried about getting a REAL ID because she has a passport. However, she believes high school teachers should discuss the importance of having a REAL ID with their students.
“I had no clue about it when I first got my [driver’s] license in November,” Melleno said. “Students should know about it to feel prepared when they eventually need it.”
Melleno said when getting a REAL ID, people must make sure to bring all of the required documentation, which consists of two proofs of residential address, one verifiable Social Security number and identity documents that add up to six REAL ID points.
“[The DMV] won’t accept a digital bank statement. You need to have an actual one that’s not expired. It can’t even be a day [too] old,” Melleno said.
Although the federal government implemented the REAL ID requirement to prevent terrorists from evading detection by using fraudulent identification, history teacher Mr. Spence said it seems unnecessary.
“I don’t know what was wrong with the previous acceptance of licenses, [but] I did get my REAL ID over the summer because I knew that I needed it for ease of travel moving forward,” Spence said.
He said even a $45 fee will not motivate all travelers to get a REAL ID.
“If the DMV were more organized, I think [getting a REAL ID] wouldn’t necessarily be as much of a problem, but the [issue] is that the process of getting these IDs is too cumbersome,” Spence said. “There are going to be people who will pay that fine just so they don’t have to go.”
