The TSA plans to create a registration program for flyers who don't have a Real ID or an accepted alternative, such as a passport or Global Entry card.
In a notice posted in the Federal Register on Nov. 20, the TSA said flyers would pay $18 to register for the "modernized alternative identity verification program." Each registration will be good for 10 days. Flyers would have to register again when traveling beyond that time window.
The TSA has not yet laid out the methods by which individuals will register for the program, nor has it said whether registration will be available at airports. The agency also hasn't designated a start date.
"Additional guidance will be announced in the coming days," the agency said.
The TSA began requiring Real IDs at airport checkpoints last May, 20 years after Congress first passed the enabling legislation requiring that state IDs meet designated federal security guidelines. Since May, the agency has continued to allow many travelers without a compliant ID to fly, but in some cases only after being directed away from security lane entry points for additional screening.
In the Federal Register notice, the TSA said the current alternative-identification process is time- and resource-intensive.
"TSA anticipates that this modernized program will increase efficiency for each individual by streamlining steps taken to verify an individual's identity and substantially increase the number of individuals for whom TSA can provide alternative identity verification by leveraging technology to significantly expand program capacity," the agency said.
The notice doesn't clearly say whether it will continue to allow individuals without a Real ID, an accepted alternative or registration in the alternative identity verification program to fly, although its language suggests hands-on verification will not be eliminated.