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Driver’s license and state ID in Iowa

Update your name
YesAfter your legal name change
Gender markerThe sex or gender field (M, F, or X) printed on an ID document or stored in an agency's record.
LimitedM or F with an amended birth certificate

Since November 19, 2025, the sex on an Iowa driver's license or ID must match the sex on the identity document you present (usually your birth certificate or passport). If you were born in Iowa, you cannot change it, because Iowa no longer amends the sex on birth certificates. Changing your name is still available ($10, in person).

Main cost
$10
Apply
In person

Draft from official sources, September 24, 2026. Not yet checked by a person. How we verify

On this page
  1. How it works
  2. Steps
  3. Costs and fee waivers
  4. Requirements
  5. After you finish
  6. Tips
  7. Laws and other guides
  8. Sources

How it works

Iowa used to let people change the sex on a license with an amended birth certificate or, for people born in other states, a notarized physician's affidavit. SF 418 (2025) defined "sex" in Iowa law as sex "observed or clinically verified at birth" and ended sex changes on Iowa birth certificates. The DOT then rewrote its rules. The current rule, 761-601.4(7), says the sex on your card "will be identical to the sex listed on the identity document submitted." The physician-affidavit route is gone, and there is no X option.

What this means in practice:

  • Born in Iowa, birth certificate never amended: you cannot change the sex on your license.
  • Born in Iowa, birth certificate amended before July 1, 2025: the amended certificate still exists, and One Iowa's reading is that the DOT will follow it. Bring it to the DOT.
  • Born in another state: if your birth state will amend your birth certificate, the DOT's rule says your card will match that document. If your birth state will not, you cannot change the Iowa card either.
  • A US passport cannot help right now: the State Department is not issuing passports with a changed sex marker.

Changing your name on the card is unaffected: bring a certified court order to a DMV appointment and pay $10.

Steps

  1. Check what your identity document says[1][2][6]

    The DOT will copy the sex from the identity document you present (a certified birth certificate, US passport, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, Certificate of Citizenship or Naturalization, green card, and similar). If you were born in another state, check whether that state will amend your birth certificate; use the birth certificate guide for that state. If you were born in Iowa, an Iowa certificate amended before July 1, 2025 is the only document that can change the Iowa card.

  2. For a name change, update Social Security first[1]

    The DOT verifies your name with Social Security's online system. Update your name with Social Security using your certified court order, then wait a few days before your DOT appointment.

  3. Book a DMV appointment and bring originals[3][5]

    Schedule an appointment at any DMV location (state DOT or county treasurer). Bring your current card, a certified copy of your name change order and/or your certified identity document showing the sex you want, and REAL ID documents if you are upgrading. Photocopies and faxes are not accepted. You will have a new photo taken.

    Cost
    $10 replacement driver's license or nonoperator ID (name change or other change of information)

  4. Receive your card[3]

    You get a temporary paper document at the appointment, and the permanent card is mailed to you.

Costs and fee waivers

No fee waiver is available for this step.[4]

No general low-income waiver is listed. Active-duty military and honorably discharged veterans are exempt from certain license fees.

WhatCostNotes
Replacement driver's license or nonoperator ID (name change or other change of information)[4][3]$10A $1.50 fee applies to credit card payments, and county locations may add a convenience fee. Veterans and active-duty service members may be exempt from some fees.

More detail

RequirementsWhere you live, timeline
Where you live
You must be an Iowa resident applying for or holding an Iowa driver's license or nonoperator ID.[1][2]
Other
For a sex change on the card you need an identity document (such as a certified birth certificate from your birth state) that already shows the sex you want. For a name change, Social Security must already show your new name, because the DOT verifies it electronically.
How long it takes

One appointment, then the card arrives by mail.

After you finishKeep your certified court order with your records; banks and employers may ask for it.

Keep your certified court order with your records; banks and employers may ask for it. If the sex on your Iowa card does not match how you live, you are not required to explain it to anyone except where the law requires ID. Your card remains valid for REAL ID, flying, and voting regardless of the sex marker. If you move to a state that allows marker changes, that state's rules apply to your new license there.

Tips3 tips from people who have done this
  • The DOT is not asking for surgery or medical records anymore; a doctor's letter will not be accepted for a sex change. Do not pay anyone who says they can get you a changed marker.
  • If you were born in a state that still amends birth certificates (for example Illinois or Minnesota), amend it there first, then bring the certified amended certificate to an Iowa DMV. Confirm with the DOT before the visit, because practice under the new rule has not been confirmed.
  • One Iowa collects reports of problems (report@oneiowa.org) and can refer you to an attorney.
Laws and other guides3 laws, 2 other guides

Laws and rules

Other trusted guides

Sources

6 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. Iowa Administrative Code 761, Chapter 601, Application for License (IAC 6/24/26)Iowa Legislature, Regulation. accessed
    “601.4(7) Verification of sex. 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.”
  2. ARC 9622C, Transportation Department, adopted rules repromulgating Chapter 601 (IAB 10/15/25, effective 11/19/25)Iowa Administrative Bulletin, Regulation. accessed
    “A person will no longer be able to change the sex designation on the person's driver's license or nonoperator's identification card to reflect a sex designation different than what is listed on the person's identity document.”
  3. Change or Update Driver's License or IDIowa Department of Transportation, Official page. accessed
    “Changing your name on an Iowa driver's license or ID must be done in person at any DMV location by scheduling an appointment. There is a $10 charge. Applicants must provide proof of any name change. Photocopies and faxes of documents will not be accepted.”
  4. Driver's License FeesIowa Department of Transportation, Official page. accessed
    “There is a $10 fee for a replacement license or non-operator ID card (e.g., change of address, name change, lost or stolen).”
  5. Schedule an AppointmentIowa Department of Transportation, Official page. accessed
  6. Iowa Civil Rights Removal Act Implementation GuideOne Iowa, Organization. accessed
    “If your state does not allow you to change your birth certificate, there is no longer a parallel process for out-of-state applicants, and you will not be able to alter your Iowa driver's license either.”