Moving to Iowa: Title and Register Your Car Within 30 Days, Then Your License, Insurance and Voter Registration

Iowa’s hard deadline for newcomers is the car: you have 30 days after becoming a resident to title and register it at a county treasurer’s office [6]. The driver’s license is a separate stop at an Iowa DOT location [1]. Here’s the order that works, what to bring and what it costs.

When Iowa counts you as a resident

For driver’s licenses and vehicles, Iowa presumes you’re a resident if any of these is true [2]:

• You filed for a homestead or a veteran’s military property tax exemption here.
• You registered to vote in Iowa.
• You enrolled a child in an Iowa public school.
• You get public assistance from the state.
• You’ve lived in Iowa more than 30 days, apart from short trips.
• You took a job or work in a trade or profession here.

Two groups aren’t counted as residents: college students whose home is in another state and who hold that state’s license, and service members stationed in Iowa whose vehicles are registered in their home state [2].

1. Insure the car

Iowa won’t let you drive without financial liability coverage in effect for the vehicle, and you need to carry proof of it in the car, on paper or on your phone [9]. An insurance policy has to meet at least these limits [10]:

2. Title and register your vehicle (within 30 days)

Iowa law requires you to title and register your vehicle with any county treasurer’s office within 30 days from the date you establish residency [6]. Your old state’s plates don’t buy you more time: Iowa registration is required even if they’re still valid [6].

Bring [6]:

• Your current certificate of title.
• A completed application for an Iowa certificate of title and registration, signed by every owner, with any lien noted.
• Proof of identity, such as a driver’s license or state ID, if the treasurer asks.

What you’ll pay:

• Title: a $30 fee comes with the title application [7].
• Fee for new registration: Iowa normally charges $10 plus 5% of the purchase price when a vehicle is first registered here [8]. A vehicle owned by someone moving to Iowa is exempt if it was bought for use in the state or country you moved from, and not bought for use in Iowa [8]. If you already paid another state’s sales or use tax, that counts against the fee [8].
• Annual registration: depends on the vehicle. The Iowa DOT has a fee calculator [6]. Electric vehicles also pay a yearly supplemental fee: $130 for a battery electric vehicle and $65 for a plug-in hybrid [6].

3. Get your Iowa driver’s license

Nonresidents can drive in Iowa on a valid home-state license [3]. Once you’re a resident, you need a license issued by the Iowa DOT [3][2]. The simplest approach is to handle the license in the same month as the car.

At an Iowa DOT driver’s license location, you’ll need [1]:

• Proof of your date of birth, identity, and lawful status or presence in the United States.
• Your Social Security number, if you have one.
• Two documents showing your current Iowa address.

You’ll take a vision test. If you hold a valid license from another U.S. state, D.C., a U.S. territory or Canada, you may not need the knowledge or driving test [1].

Cost: a regular noncommercial license is $4 per year it’s valid [4]. Licenses issued to drivers between about 18 and 78 generally last eight years [5], which comes to $32. A motorcycle endorsement adds $2 per year [4].

4. Claim your homestead exemption (homeowners)

If you bought a home, file the Homestead Tax Exemption form with your city or county assessor by July 1 to get the break starting that year [13]. A claim filed after July 1 counts toward the next year [13]. See our guide to Iowa property tax relief for the new 10% exemption and the extra break at 65.

5. Register to vote

Iowa registration closes at 5 p.m. 15 days before each election [11]. A mailed form counts if it’s postmarked by the 15th day before the election [11]. Forms turned in at a driver’s license station or voter registration agency count if received by 11:59 p.m. on the closing day [11], so it’s easy to register when you get your license.

Missed the deadline? You can still register on Election Day at your polling place [12]. Bring a current, valid Iowa driver’s license or ID, or another photo ID with an expiration date, such as an out-of-state license, a U.S. passport or a military ID [12]. If the ID doesn’t show your current address, also bring a document dated within 45 days that does, such as a lease, utility bill, bank statement or paycheck [12].

Your first-month checklist

1. Make sure your auto insurance meets Iowa’s 20/40/15 minimums [10].
2. Title and register each vehicle at a county treasurer’s office within 30 days [6].
3. Get your Iowa license at a DOT location [1].
4. Register to vote, at the DOT or by mail [11].
5. Homeowners: file for the homestead exemption by July 1 [13].