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The TSA's New $45 Fee to Fly Without ID Is Illegal
(www.frommers.com)
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this post was submitted on 02 Feb 2026
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It's a federal government initiative that standardizes ID requirements across states, usually requiring stricter paperwork to get one.
Honestly it's not the worst thing. For some reason there is no federal US ID card. (Besides a passport). Every state has their own and they all vary, before REALID they varied a lot more too... New Jersey used paper ID cards until like 2004.
I don't get why passports aren't sufficient though
I mean they are. They count for flying or most uses. But they're also expensive and don't fit in your wallet.
They also don't confer any driving privileges which of course is important to the US...
If you are flying domestically you don't need to bring your passport