New Iowa Residents
New to Iowa?
Vehicle owners relocating to Iowa are required to obtain an Iowa vehicle registration from their county of residence in Iowa within 30 days of establishing residency*.
All applicable fees should be paid at the time of registration.
An appointment is required to transfer your vehicle to Iowa and obtain an Iowa license plate.
Licensing a Vehicle from another State
When relocating to, and registering a vehicle in, the state of Iowa, follow these steps.
- Current out-of-state registration or title.
- Vehicle owner holds certificate of title.
- The original certificate of title is required if the out-of-state title will be converted to an Iowa title at the time of registration.
- Lender/lienholder holds vehicle title.
- Vehicle owner provides the current out-of-state registration and completed application.
- A non-transferrable vehicle registration and license plates will be issued.*
- All owners complete and sign the Application for Certificate of Title and/or Registration, form 411007,
- Vehicle owner holds certificate of title.
Leased Vehicles
When the vehicle is a leased vehicle, follow these steps.
- Lessee completes and signs the Application for Certificate of Title and/or Registration for a Leased Vehicle, form 411179.
- Provide the current out-of-state registration.
- Provide copy of vehicle title.
- Pay a 5% one-time new registration fee on the remaining balance of the lease.
- Refer to Vehicle Lease Fees for Move-ins 35-051.pdf to determine fees.
Calculate Fees
Use the Iowa DOT Fee Estimator tool to determine title and registration fees due. Please note, this tool is NOT compatible with mobile devices and provides an estimate only. Actual fees may be differ.
- On top and left side of page, hover over “Tools.”
- Select “Dealer Inquiry.” A menu will appear on the left side of the page.
- Select “Fee Estimator.”
- Enter the appropriate information.
- List the date you moved into Iowa as “Purchase date.”
- Check the "Include postage amounts" box.
- Select “Calculate” to determine the estimated fees.
If you are not surrendering your title at this time, manually subtract $25 for the title fee.
Delaying State of Iowa Vehicle Registration
When an out-of-state title is not converted to an Iowa title when moving into the state, follow these steps when the vehicle is sold, traded or labeled as junk.
- Transferring ownership within the state of Iowa.
- An Iowa certificate of title is required to transfer ownership.
- Complete the Application for Certificate of Title and/or Registration, form 411007, to request an Iowa certificate of title.
- Submit the out-of-state certificate of title with the form.
- Follow the information to transfer the title listed above.
- Transferring ownership outside the state of Iowa.
- An Iowa certificate of title is not required to be issued by the state of Iowa.