Trans Resource Navigator

Iowa

ID documents
Restrictive
Care
Restrictive
Shield lawA state law that protects patients and providers of gender-affirming care from investigations, subpoenas, or extradition attempts by states that ban that care.
No

Iowa is restrictive for trans people.

More about Iowa

Name changes are simple (no publication, usually no hearing, $215), but since SF 418 took effect on July 1, 2025, Iowa law defines sex as sex at birth: Iowa birth certificates can no longer be changed, and driver's licenses must match your identity document. Adults can still get hormone therapy, but Iowa Medicaid may not pay for it, gender identity is no longer covered by the state civil rights law, and care for minors has been banned since 2023. There is no shield law.

This state’s pages are drafts written from official sources and not yet checked by a person. What this means

Your documents, in order

Most people go in this order, because each office checks the one before it. On every document, updating your name and changing your gender marker are separate questions with separate answers.

  1. Legal name changeState court
    Name
    YesNo newspaper notice, hearing sometimes
  2. Social SecurityFederal, same in every state
    Name
    YesAfter your legal name change
    Gender marker
    NoCannot be changed right now
  3. Driver's license / state IDIowa DMV
    Name
    YesAfter your legal name change
    Gender marker
    LimitedM or F with an amended birth certificate
  4. US passportFederal, same in every state
    Name
    YesAfter your legal name change
    Gender marker
    NoCannot be changed right now
  5. Birth certificateOnly if born in Iowa
    Name
    YesAfter your legal name change
    Gender marker
    NoCannot be changed right now

Born somewhere other than Iowa? Your birth certificate follows the state where you were born. Choose your birth state

Gender-affirming care

Adults
Limited
Under 18
Banned
Hormone therapy is legal for adults in Iowa, and informed-consent care is available in Des Moines and Iowa City.Find clinics, health centers, telehealth, and ways to pay

Local help

Statewide organizations

  • One Iowa[6]

    Statewide LGBTQ+ advocacy organization in Des Moines. Publishes a guide to SF 418, keeps directories of affirming health and legal resources, and refers people to LGBTQ-friendly attorneys.

    • Free
    515-288-4019

  • Lavender Legal Center[7]

    Iowa nonprofit law office by and for LGBTQ+ people, prioritizing people with low income and LGBTQ+ youth, including name changes. Email info@lavenderlegal.org.

    • Cost varies

  • Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund[8]

    Monthly grants for gender-affirming care for trans, nonbinary, and gender-diverse Iowans; applications open the first week of each month.

    • Free

  • Trans Lifeline[9]

    Peer-support hotline run by and for trans people, 877-565-8860.

    • Free
    877-565-8860Languages: English, Español
Sources for this page (9)

Sources

9 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.

  1. Senate File 418 (2025), relating to sex and genderIowa Legislature, Law. accessed
    “"Sex", when used to classify or describe a natural person, means the state of being either male or female as observed or clinically verified at birth.”
  2. Iowa Administrative Code 761, Chapter 601 (IAC 6/24/26)Iowa Legislature, Regulation. accessed
    “The sex listed on the driver's license or nonoperator's identification card that is issued will be identical to the sex listed on the identity document submitted.”
  3. Iowa Code § 249A.14, Sex reassignment surgeries or associated procedures, reimbursement prohibitedIowa Legislature, Law. accessed
  4. Iowa Code § 147.164, Gender transition procedure-related activities, minors, prohibitionsIowa Legislature, Law. accessed
  5. Identity document laws and policiesMovement Advancement Project, Organization. accessed
  6. Iowa Civil Rights Removal Act Implementation GuideOne Iowa, Organization. accessed
  7. Lavender Legal CenterOrganization. accessed
  8. Apply for AidIowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund, Organization. accessed
  9. Trans LifelineOrganization. accessed