Iowa Adoption Records
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Accessing Iowa Adoption Records
Iowa adoption records are sealed, and you can only access them with a court petition. However, Iowa recently began allowing adoptees to obtain copies of their original birth certificates. This document usually lists the birth parents’ names, unless they’ve requested to remain anonymous.
Like in many other states, accessing adoption records in Iowa can be a long and overwhelming process. At Adopted.com, we created a better way to quickly connect family members through mutual consent.
When you join Adopted.com, you can search for biological relatives in Iowa and across the country. You don’t need to fill out a complicated form or plead your case to a court. You just need to answer ten easy questions about the adoption, which most people already know.
We have the largest voluntary adoption reunion registry in the United States. Whether you’re in Dubuque, Sioux City, or anywhere in between, you have the opportunity to reunite with your birth family on Adopted.com.
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4,422 Are Iowa Adoption Records Public?
No. Iowa seals all records once an adoption is finalized. These records aren’t accessible without a court order showing good cause to open them.
While Iowa adoption records are sealed, adult adoptees can request some information from their files, including medical histories. This information won’t include the birth parents’ names.
How to Find Adoption Records in Iowa
In 2022, a new state law went into effect that allows an adult adoptee born in Iowa to get a non-certified copy of their original birth certificate. This document will have the names of the adoptee’s biological parents. However, birth parents can request to redact their names if they don’t want them released.
If you want to obtain your original birth certificate, complete an application with the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH). Your application must be notarized. Submit the notarized application, a copy of a government-issued photo ID, and a fee to IDPH Bureau of Health Statistics in Des Moines. You can mail the form or submit it to the bureau in person.
Only adoptees over the age of 18 can request original birth certificates in Iowa. However, other relatives can get these records if an adoptee has died. These include an adoptee’s spouse, children, grandchildren, and their adoptive parents, siblings, and grandparents.
After making your request, the state estimates it will take six to eight weeks to get an original birth certificate.
How to Unseal Adoption Records in Iowa
For adoption records besides the original birth certificate, you need to petition the court for access. Complete an adoption affidavit form, which requires you to provide a reason for the request. Have the form notarized and file it with the court that handled the adoption.
If you’re trying to locate a birth relative, you have one other option through the state. Iowa has a Mutual Consent Voluntary Adoption Registry for adoptees, birth parents, and biological siblings. If you and one of your family members both join the registry, the state will notify you of the match. There’s no guarantee there will be a match, and the state will not conduct a search for your birth relatives.
You can register with the country registrar’s office where you live. Country registrars usually work in county courthouses or county administration offices. You must pay a fee and provide a copy of your birth certificate to join the registry.
Are Adoptions Closed in Iowa?
In Iowa, adoptions can be open or closed. An open adoption means the adoptive family knows the birth parents’ identities. The birth mother or both birth parents may have ongoing contact with the child through phone calls, social media, or in-person visits. In a closed adoption, the birth parents’ identities remain confidential, and they have no contact with the child after the adoption.
Whether an adoption is open or closed, Iowa seals all adoption records. You can only access them by petitioning the court.
Let Adopted.com help you find your lost family today!
Adopted.com is a powerful adoption reunion registry designed to help you reconnect with your birth parents. By registering, you gain access to a growing database of over 1,205,524 profiles, increasing your chances of finding your biological relatives. The platform respects your privacy and allows you to update your profile anytime.
Registration is free, and the unique search tool ensures measurable match results. When you find your birth parents, remember to approach the reunion with an open heart and understanding, as it can be an emotionally significant experience for everyone involved.
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A Few of Our Members Currently Searching Within Iowa Who Chose To Be Featured
316. Shawdreen : Just want to know my daughter is ok and happy
317. DavidFRoberts : David Roberts
318. TheLoneSearch6364 : In search for my gandmothers mother, her name is Martha Bentz. She lived in Cedar Rapids Iowa in (1936) the year she gave birth to my grand mother Joan Elaine (born Bentz) Brown. Adoption records show she lived with a man E. M. Pinney. She gave birth to Joan on September 2nd 1936 in Iowa City Iowa but am unsure if she ever took her home from the hospital. There is paperwork showing she put her in a home called Home for the Friendless and paid for her to live there for a short time until Marshall and Edna Brown fostered her until they were able to adopt her In January of 1937,
319. Melaniewilsonbrigh : Looking for birth family I a female Born at Des Moines General Hospital in Des Moines iowa on 6-23-1969 I know nothing. my "family" "says" they don’t remember nothing about the adoption.
320. Jwashburn : Washburn and Lorrance, but n nothing else
321. Andreaalford99 : I have found my mom and just needing to find my missing piece my dad. My sister say that i look like my dad and I want him to know that i havent forgot about him.
322. Justwanttoknow2 : I was adopted by my dad after my biological fathers parental rights were terminated in a hearing in which he did not show up. He is aware I exist, but showed NO interest in wanting me to exist, my mother told me shortly before she passed what she knew that he (lived) or lives in the very same city I do, and was married with two sons (last she knew) which would be adults now, I would like to meet my siblings if they even know about me, his name she told me too which is Steve Price.
323. Clsygrm : I’m searching for my daughter who was born 10/3/69 at Iowa City University Hospitals, Iowa City, IA. Her birth was between 6 and 7am. She was healthy and I was not allowed to see her or her other very sick twin brother. I was only allowed to take the sick baby home as the Linn Co Social Worker told me that I had to give up my baby or lose my 3 legitimate children. I didn’t agree to that or sign any papers giving her away. The hospital won’t allow me to see the microfich from that date, so all I know is she was a healthy baby and able to go home when I was released. I had a C-section and the sick baby was born at 7:30 am. Thank You, Wanda Kress Burns Tappe my info is under Burns.
324. Little-sistercleo : Searching for older sibling, mom was unwed and had to give up baby at birth. I’m told the baby was a boy. Taken away from mother immediately and adopted
325. ChadOtto : I have a DNA match on Ancestry.com to families with strong ties to northwest Iowa especially Dunlap, Missouri Valley, Denison area. My DNA indicates that I am related to my adoptive mother to some degree. My adoptive parents were born and raised in the area of Cherokee Iowa. It seems possible that one of my birth parents was a Frazier.
326. Jkfisher1968 : Born in Atlanta, Georgia adopted in another state
327. Deeandkat : Adopted parents Ronald and Patricia koehler
328. CeciliaR : Birth mom lives/lived in Dubuque, IA and person was adopted by Margaret Monroe and Hollis Monroe
329. Lholland54 : I was born in Burlington, Iowa in 1963. I believe my birth mother’s name was Nicola or Nikola Connelly. I am looking for family medical. Information.
330. Pudgecrow : I am searching for a sibling with a birthdate sometime between 1970 and 1971. He/she was put up for adoption at birth because my father was married at the time, and the mother could not raise the child alone. She was around 26 years old at the time. They were residents of the state of Iowa, and I assume that the birth took place in Sioux City, Iowa. My father’s name was Forney (but I doubt if he was listed on the birth certificate), and the birth mother’s name was Susan Hathaway.
