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Iowa driver's license

Get your first license in Iowa after moving to the US.

How it goes

  1. 1
    You arriveYou have moved to Iowa and you want to drive here.
  2. 2
    Your permitYou practice on the road with a learner permit.
  3. 3
    The written testYou take the written test.
  4. 4
    Behind the wheelYou take the drive test behind the wheel.
  5. Your licenseYou pass the tests, and the license is yours.

What it costs

A first license

$4 for each year the license runs: $32 for 8 years, $28 for 7, $24 for 6, $20 for 5, $16 for 4, $12 for 3, and $8 for 2.

  • A Class C operator license is $4 per year; a Class D chauffeur license is $8 per year.

You pay this when you apply.

If you just arrived in the US

Foreign documents with no expiry date

If your lawful status has no expiration date, your Iowa license is issued for no longer than one year. If your status does have an expiration date, the license runs only for the time you are authorized to stay, and never more than two years.

Documents you need

  • Documents that are still validA U.S. passport or passport card, a Permanent Resident Card (I-551), an employment authorization document (I-766 or I-688B), a foreign passport with a U.S. visa and approved I-94, a certified birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, a Certificate of Naturalization, or a Certificate of Citizenship. Each must be unexpired.

Your Social Security Number

Giving your number, and who may see it

You must show proof of your Social Security number, unless the exception for people without work authorization applies. The DOT verifies through SSOLV that the number was issued in your current legal name.

Tests you take

Eye test

You must pass a vision screening.

  • Vision of 20/40 or better passes without restriction; worse than 20/40 through 20/70 means a restricted license, and below 20/70 the license is denied. The DOT screens your vision with its own instrument before issuing the license, unless you file a vision report — Form 430032 or an equivalent specialist letter, signed within 30 days before submission.

Drive test

You must pass a driving test, unless you satisfy the driver's education course requirement.

  • Completing an Iowa-approved driver's education course can waive the state driving test.

  • You must pass a driving test.

  • A driving test is also required the first time your measured vision comes in below 20/40, even if you are renewing.

Tries you get on the written test

If you fail, the examiner decides whether you can repeat the test.

Practice questions for the written test

Practice tests and the driver's manuals are available at /drivers-licenses-ids/driver-education/manuals-practice-tests.

  • The official practice test is at iowadot.gov/mvd/driverslicense/manuals-and-practice-tests.

Using an interpreter

Translation and interpretation services are available for in-person visits, phone calls, and the instructions given before the road test.

Practising with your permit

Who can sit with you while you practise

An experienced driver must be with you while you drive on an instruction permit.

What to bring to the drive test

Who comes with you

A licensed driver must go with you to the driving test. That person must have their license or permit with them while they are in the car.

The car and its insurance

You must be able to see at least 200 feet behind you in the rearview mirror. If that view is blocked you need an outside mirror, and a van needs outside mirrors on both sides.

  • You provide the vehicle yourself, with proof of insurance for it. An autocycle cannot be used.

  • The examiner inspects the car before the test. If it is illegal, unsafe, or not a representative vehicle, the examiner refuses to give the test until you provide an acceptable one — this refusal is not a failed test.

  • Fixing the fault on the spot does not count. If the examiner rejects your car, the test waits until you provide an acceptable vehicle.

Where to go

Who gives the tests

The Iowa Department of Transportation.

Booking an appointment

You can schedule an appointment online.

  • You can book an appointment at ia.iowadot.gov/mvd/driverslicense/DOT-Appointment.

Office locations

You can find a DMV location online.

Other states

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Every source, quoted25 sources

Every fact on this page is quoted from the page that publishes it, in the words it uses.

Applying for a driver's license in Iowa?

Answer a few questions and see the steps that apply to you.

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