Does an Iowa birth certificate application have to be notarized?

Yes, every mailed application. The form says the signature must be notarized when submitting by mail, and Iowa Administrative Code 641-95.9 requires the notarized signature and address of the person making the request. In person you sign in front of the registrar instead.

Do I need to send ID as well as having the form notarized?

Yes. Iowa asks for both: the notarized signature and a clear photocopy of your current government photo ID, with your name printed on the form exactly as it appears on that ID.

Can a lawyer order an Iowa birth certificate for me?

Yes, with the notarized Attorney Proof of Entitlement addendum that you sign, plus the lawyer's own notarized application. Both can be done in one online session.

Vital records · Iowa

Iowa vital record application by mail: all applications must be notarized

Iowa uses one form for birth, death and marriage records, the Application to Order an Iowa Vital Record, and the rule on it is blunt: the signature must be notarized when the application is submitted by mail. You sign in front of a notary, or an Iowa registrar of vital records, who completes a jurat. You also enclose a clear photocopy of your current government photo ID. County recorders apply the same rule and warn that the date on the application must match the date of the notarization.

An Iowa vital record application stamped notarized, with an ID card and the outline of Iowa

What the mailed application needs

Mailed application needs

Notarized signature

'All applications must be notarized' when mailed (HHS page); form 470-5451: 'Signature must be notarized on the application when submitting via mail' – the applicant signs 'in front of a notary public or an Iowa registrar of vital records or their designee' and the notary completes a JURAT ('Signed and affirmed in my presence on this ___ day of ___'). You must ALSO enclose a clear photocopy of your current government-issued photo ID. Iowa Admin. Code 641-95.9(2)(d) requires 'the notarized signature and the address of the person making the request'. County recorders warn that the application date must match the notarization date.

Authority: Iowa Code §144.45 (certified copies to entitled applicants); Iowa Admin. Code 641-95.8 (direct tangible interest and entitlement) and 641-95.9(2)(d) (notarized signature)

Fees

Birth certificate: $20
Death certificate: $20
Marriage certificate: $20

Per certified copy, effective July 1, 2026 (previously $15); non-refundable search fee if no record found; check or money order (no cash) payable to Iowa HHS; mail to Iowa HHS, Bureau of Health Statistics, Lucas State Office Bldg, 1st Floor, 321 E. 12th St., Des Moines, IA 50319-0075, or to the county recorder; 4-6 weeks.

Iowa Department of Health and Human Services – Bureau of Health Statistics (Vital Records) ↗

Official forms

Application to Order an Iowa Vital Record (birth, death, marriage, fetal death) · 470-5451 (07/26)Birth, death, marriage
Attorney Proof of Entitlement – addendum for an attorney applying on behalf of a client (notarized) · June 2023Birth, death, marriage

Who may order a certified copy

the registrant (of legal age or emancipated)
immediate legal family: current or surviving spouse; children; mother or father listed on the birth certificate; adult sibling; grandparents (paternal only if father is on the record); grandchildren (form); step-parent/step-child while the legal parent and step-parent are married or step-parent is the unremarried surviving spouse
the documented legal representative of the registrant or the registrant's immediate legal family: an attorney; a court-appointed guardian; a foster parent; a funeral director (up to one year after death); a legal executor
other persons who demonstrate a direct tangible interest – the copy is needed to determine or protect a personal or property interest for the benefit of the registrant
excluded: biological parents/relatives of adopted persons without a court order; adopted persons seeking biological family records; commercial firms

How the mailed application works

Form 470-5451 asks for the record, your relationship to it, and a certification under penalty of perjury that the information is accurate and that you have legal entitlement to the record. You sign that certification in the notary's presence and print your name exactly as it appears on the photo ID you are enclosing. The notary completes the jurat, signed and affirmed in my presence, with the state, county, date, commission expiry and seal.

Mail the notarized application, the ID copy and a check or money order payable to Iowa HHS to the Bureau of Health Statistics in Des Moines, or to the county recorder where the event was registered. The fee is $20 per certified copy from 1 July 2026, up from $15, and it is not refunded if no record is found.

Entitlement under Iowa's rules

Iowa Administrative Code 641-95.8 entitles the registrant, their immediate legal family, meaning a current or surviving spouse, children, parents listed on the record, adult siblings, grandparents and grandchildren, and the documented legal representative of any of those people: an attorney, a court-appointed guardian, a foster parent, a funeral director within a year of death, or an executor. Others must show a direct tangible interest, that the copy is needed to protect a personal or property interest for the registrant's benefit.

Biological relatives of an adopted person, adopted persons seeking birth-family records, and commercial firms are excluded without a court order.

The certification and jurat on form 470-5451

Page four of the Application to Order an Iowa Vital Record (07/26).

Application to Order an Iowa Vital Record: Certification

I certify under penalty of perjury that the information provided on this application is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and that I have legal entitlement to a certified copy of this record. I have signed below in front of a notary public or an Iowa registrar of vital records or their designee.

Applicant's signature ______ Date signed ______ Applicant's name as it appears on photo ID: ______

State of ______, County of ______, ss. Signed and affirmed in my presence on this ___ day of ______, ____. Notary Public's signature ______ My commission expires: ______ (Notary seal)

A jurat: the applicant affirms the certification in the notary's presence.

Applying for someone else in Iowa

Attorney representing the registrantLegal guardian (with papers)Court order

Iowa Admin. Code 641-95.8(1)(c) (eff. 7/1/2026) entitles 'the documented legal representative of the registrant or the registrant's immediate legal family, including: an attorney; a court-appointed guardian; a foster parent; a funeral director ...; a legal executor'. An ATTORNEY must attach the notarized 'Attorney Proof of Entitlement' addendum, in which the CLIENT (registrant or immediate family member) signs before a notary: 'I affirm that I have given the attorney named above entitlement to obtain a certified copy of an Iowa vital event that I need to determine or protect my personal or property interest.' Guardians attach the court appointment; executors their letters. The form's relationship boxes are Self, Parent, Sibling, Spouse, Child, Grandparent, Grandchild, Legal Guardian, Executor, Attorney, Other. An agent under a general power of attorney and a plain notarized authorization letter are NOT listed; 641-95.9(4) lets the registrar demand additional supporting documents, so a POA holder would have to show the copy is needed for the registrant's benefit under 95.8(1)(d).

An attorney applying for a client attaches Iowa's Attorney Proof of Entitlement addendum. It is the client, the registrant or an immediate family member, who signs that addendum before a notary, affirming that they have given the named attorney entitlement to obtain the record to protect their personal or property interest. The attorney then signs the main application before a notary as well, so two notarizations are involved. Guardians attach their court appointment, executors their letters.

An agent under a general power of attorney and a plain authorization letter are not on Iowa's list. The rules let the registrar ask for more documents, so a POA holder should expect to show that the copy is needed for the registrant's benefit under the tangible-interest provision, and should call the Bureau before mailing.

County and city application forms in Iowa

Local registrars and county clerks issue the same certificates and publish their own application forms. These are the ones in our index, each with the PDF, the office’s instructions and a one-click path to an online notarization.

Forms with a notary block

Black Hawk County · Application to Order an Iowa Vital Record
Sioux County · Application to Order an Iowa Vital Record
Wapello County · Application to Order an Iowa Vital Record

More local forms on the Iowa page.

Notarize your Iowa application online

Upload the completed application, meet a licensed online notary on video, swear and sign. The notarized PDF arrives by email in about 15 minutes, ready to print and mail with your ID copy and fee.

Common questions

Does an Iowa birth certificate application have to be notarized?: Yes, every mailed application. The form says the signature must be notarized when submitting by mail, and Iowa Administrative Code 641-95.9 requires the notarized signature and address of the person making the request. In person you sign in front of the registrar instead.
Do I need to send ID as well as having the form notarized?: Yes. Iowa asks for both: the notarized signature and a clear photocopy of your current government photo ID, with your name printed on the form exactly as it appears on that ID.
Can a lawyer order an Iowa birth certificate for me?: Yes, with the notarized Attorney Proof of Entitlement addendum that you sign, plus the lawyer's own notarized application. Both can be done in one online session.

Sources

Checked October 2026. Fees and forms change; confirm with the issuing office before mailing. General guidance, not legal advice.

Other states with a notary step

California

Notarized sworn statement

Texas

Notarized sworn statement

New York

ID copy, no notary

New York City

Notarized signature

Minnesota

Notarized signature

Arizona

Notarized signature or ID copy

Montana

Notarized signature or ID copy

Wyoming

Notarized signature or ID copy

All 50 states in the vital records guide. The sworn statement glossary entry explains the notarial act these forms use.

Need this notarized?

Upload the application, verify your ID, and sign with a licensed online notary in about 15 minutes.