By Lena Vasquez | Community Features & Culture Editor

From resort fees to the price of gas to fees that seem to exist for no reason at all, California travelers already feel like they’re being nickel and dimed. Now, another fee joins the list. Starting this month, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has begun imposing a $45 fee on travelers without a “Real ID.”

Travelers with a passport or military ID can bypass this requirement. Otherwise, you not only will be subject to the fee but will be delayed at the airport by up to 45 minutes. TSA will take you aside and begin a manual identity check procedure that could cause you to miss your flight if you cut it close.

This process gives you a temporary ID TSA calls a “ConfirmID” good for ten days. However, if your return flight is more than ten days away, you are likely to be forced through this whole process again on the way back.

If you do not have a passport or military ID and have a flight coming up soon, you should begin the process of applying for a Real ID on the DMV’s website, DMV.ca.gov. You’ll be required to provide a valid passport or birth certificate) and proof of residency (e.g., utility bill, bank statement).

Obtaining a Real ID also will involve a fee (it’s the State of California after all). This fee is estimated at $38 to $45, but fortunately once you have it, you won’t need to worry about it at the airport anymore.