India, Jan. 29 -- Starting February 1, passengers in the United States who do not have a 'Real ID' or any acceptable form of identity card like a passport will have to pay a fee of $45 to verify their identity through Transportation Security Administration ConfirmID, the United States Department of State Consular Affairs said on Wednesday.

The department made this announcement on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, adding that a passport card which costs about $30 or a passport book are both accepted REAL ID alternatives for domestic air travel and can help passengers avoid paying the $45 fee.

Real ID refers to both documents, the United States passport card and the United States passport book.

However, the announcement specified...