Iowa Adoption Records
The world's largest adoption reunion registry for adoptees and families
Start Your Search Today
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.
Register Now Directory
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 1,205,528 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.
Register NowRECENT MEMBERS IN Iowa
-
Maddie112233
58 minutes ago
-
Darcylp
1 hour ago
-
Webrunson
1 hour ago
-
Leahlove605
1 hour ago
-
Brumleyn72
1 hour ago
-
F1ndmym0m
1 hour ago
-
Shelton83
2 hours ago
-
Britthughes90
2 hours ago
-
RandyRoofSize
2 hours ago
-
Blacksheep25
3 hours ago
-
Zahryiah
3 hours ago
-
BKrueger
3 hours ago
-
Stencati
4 hours ago
-
FMFgcc25
6 hours ago
-
Sk6918
7 hours ago
-
AsherMadison1
7 hours ago
-
Brooka
9 hours ago
-
TimVac
10 hours ago
-
Deejay9499
10 hours ago
-
Rainbow3891
10 hours ago
A Few of Our Members Currently Searching Within Iowa Who Chose To Be Featured
1291. Looking4momndad : I was born in Waterloo Iowa I’m looking for my birth mother or my birth father or both I would like to know who they are if you gave up a baby boy for adoption on April 7th 1975 please get a hold of me
1292. Staceyg8 : I was born in Algona IA. I know that my parents were in high school or just graduated when I was born. I can’t confirm that they are from Algona.
1293. Shellydenise : I’m looking for the birth record of George Benton adopted by Lawrence and Lucy Benton in Waverly, Iowa. All I know is his birthdate was April 23, 1920. He was adopted by Lawrence and Lucy Benton at 10 mos. and given the name George Edward Benton. If you have any information please.
1294. Suepick : My Mom was Mary Hegarty. She had the baby at a home in Iowa on January 11th, 1949. I think it was through catholic social services. He was a boy that she named Gregory.
1295. GeorgieAlderman : Tabatha Anderson mother of adopted son. Born in Davenport Iowa
1296. KDB4444 : I am looking for my sister. I believe she was born At Des Moines General Hospital in the summer of 1970.
1297. Kacieleighxoxo : Leighdon Michael horstman 04-17-2016 birthdate kacie Leigh horstman I’m bio mother he was with baby dads grandparents in robins Iowa they were to old to keep caring for him so he went with a gay couple in Cedar Rapids ray and rob siddall. But they I guess weren’t willing to adopt either so not sure where he could be his last worker was lane harms in Johnston county Iowa. His dad currently is in coralvilee prison Iowa.
1298. Kandiarmstead : St. Luke’s NICU Sioux City Iowa Cherokee Reginal medical center Cherokee Iowa Washta, Humboldt area You have an older sister
1299. Briggette : I know his name is Gilbert and was adopted by a woman named Jennifer in Philadelphia.
1300. AMH4 : Birth name Scott David Brown, born in Council Bluffs Iowa at Mercy Hospital.
1301. ScottDee : Looking for biological siblings on my bio father’s side. Most likely, all different mothers. I know the birth father’s name to be Tom Scime. I have done DNA testing on both 23 and me and ancestry.
1302. Bethycook77 : Born 02/06/1959 in Cedar Rapids‚ Iowa‚ birth mothers name Carole Sowers. I have always been told she was from Indiana. She was 15 or 16 when she had me. Pat sowers was the first person on my contact at Ancestry. She will not message me back. We have 30 percent same DNA
1303. RangerTom : I might be the father of a baby boy, who was given up for adoption. The mother, Rosalind Ellen Bradley was deceased in 1982 from a car accident. She gave birth to a baby boy on May 1, 1968, at General Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa. The child was conceived in Lincoln, NE in August or September, 1967. Rosalind spent part of the pregnancy at the home for unwed mothers called Saint Monica in Lincoln, Nebraska. Rosalind later married Fred Miller. They had a child born in 1969 who was named Fred Miller. He goes by the name Joe Miller and I think lives in Tucson, AZ
1304. Jodikeating : I was adopted thru Lutheran Social Services and have been told my birth parents were teenagers at the time of my birth. I was in a foster home for the first two weeks of my life, until my adoptive parents could get me. The only other information disclosed is that I am likely of Irish heritage.
1305. McKenzley : I was born in Clinton, IA by my mother Heather Darsidan.
