How to Find Birth Records in Iowa

It is through birth records that we know how old we are. It also through birth records that you can apply for government benefits, passport, driver’s license or prove citizenship.

Found on the Midwestern part of the United States, Iowa has a population of about 3.2 million. There are ways to find information on all the births that took place in the state of Iowa. Birth records that are more than 75 years are considered public records and can be accessed by anyone while birth records that are less than 75 years are considered private information.

Iowa started recording births around the 1870s but a majority of the counties have records from 1880. Birth records between 1921 to 1941 cannot be found from the county registrars. They are only obtainable from the Iowa Department of Health.

Since birth records are private information, not everybody can access them. There are rules that govern the access to birth records in Iowa. We will look at these closely and discuss them on this article. Birth records in Iowa form part of the vital records in Iowa.

• The individual mentioned on the birth certificate.
• The parent(s) or grandparent(s) of the individual mentioned on the birth certificate.
• The spouse of the individual mentioned on the birth certificate.
• The child or grandchild of the individual mentioned on the birth certificate.
• The sibling of the individual mentioned on the birth certificate.
• The aunt, uncle, or cousin of the individual mentioned on the birth certificate.
• The legal guardian of the individual mentioned on the birth certificate.
• Anyone who has legal authority to obtain the birth certificate.

What you Will Need to Obtain Birth Records in Iowa

If you fit any of the above requirements, then you qualify to obtain that birth record you want. However, there are certain details that you will need to provide in order to obtain the birth record.

• Identification documents on the requestor.
• The personal details of the named person on the record.
• The reason for requesting the birth record.
• The date the birth took place.
• The gender/ sex of the person on the record.
• ID proof that the requestor qualifies to access the record.
• The relationship between the requestor and the record owner.
• The name of the city where the birth happened.
• Father’s name and mother’s maiden name.

Steps to Obtaining Birth Records in Iowa

Individuals who are interested in obtaining birth records from a state level will need to fill in and provide the vital records application form. They are also expected to fill in a document that states their relationship with the record owner. Birth records that are older than 75 years need can be accessed by anyone and do not need that applicants produce any proof of identification.

Uncertified birth records at county level can be accessed by anyone but certified copies are obtainable by people who qualify and have direct interest in them.

There are also third party company sites that offer birth records. These sites offer searches on records on a nationwide scale. Since the sites are not government backed sites, their data may differ from official sources. Searching from these third party sites need that you full name of the record owner and their location.

The official source for birth records in Iowa is VitalChek. The site also offers searches on other vital records such as marriage records, divorce records, adoption records and death records.

Location will help in eliminating unwanted results and narrow your search since these sites search on a nationwide level. Birth records in Iowa can be obtained from the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Other Records with Birth Information in Iowa

Birth records are not easy to find. There are other sources you can try for birth records as proven by the following cases.

Death Records

State level death records have data like date of birth, place and name of parents. There is also the age of the deceased on county level death records.

Census Records

The US Federal Records have age, state, country of origin for all household members.

Cemetery Records

Tombstones with inscriptions on them at times have the birth year and sometimes the entire date of birth.

Church Records

A number of baptism records from some denominations have date of birth, place of birth and parents’ names on them.

These are some of the ideas you can use on how to find birth records in Iowa. They show how you can find birth records on people who are deceased and those still alive and were born in Iowa. There is also information on who qualifies for birth records, what you will need to get them and where you can get them in Iowa.