This webpage was developed to assist hospitals by making updated reporting forms available for downloading, as well as instructions related to birth registration. Please note that the process for submitting the forms has not changed, only the method of obtaining and completing the reporting forms.
Please open the following Introduction link for more information about downloading and using the forms and obtaining any supplies.
List items for Birth Registration Accordion
The Vital Records Staff Contact list is a valuable resource for stakeholders seeking assistance with inquiries or issues related to the processing of birth, death, and marriage records. It also includes contact information for individuals who can provide technical support for the Iowa Vital Event System (IVES).
Iowa Code
- Chapter 144 - Vital Statistics
Administrative Rules
- Table of Contents
- Chapter 95 - VR General Administration
- Chapter 96 - Birth Registration
- Chapter 97 - Death Registration & Disposition
- Chapter 98 - Marriage Registration
- Chapter 99 - VR Modifications
- Chapter 100 - VR Registries & Reports
Administrative Code section 99.15 details the requirements for registering a surrogate/gestational carrier birth record. Ultimately, the woman who gives birth is the legal mother for the purposes of registering the birth record -- which means that she is the only one who can complete the Birth Mother's Worksheet, and all the information is based on her and her marital status. Hospital staff enter and register the birth record, but must select: (1) No for the child's social security number on the Informant tab; (2) Spouse Information Not Available on the Marital Status tab if the birth mother is not married; (3) Removed from Custody on the Newborn pg2 tab; (4) Waived/Birth Mother does not have Custody on the Fees & Completion tab; and (5) Surrogate/Gestational Carrier on the Fees & Completion tab.
Pre-birth court orders are NOT acceptable for re-establishing the birth record, except for using to dis-establish the birth mother's legal husband in order to complete a Paternity Affidavit with the biological father. Copies of the Administrative Code may be provided to the respective attorneys, the intended parents, and the birth mother, if necessary. Contact the birth registration program manager with any questions or concerns.
Hospital birth registration staff must download and print the Birth Mother's Worksheet and the Hospital Medical Worksheet on plain bond paper.
Blank worksheets may NOT be distributed outside of the hospital, nor be allowed to be taken home by a new parent. Worksheet supplies must be stored in a secure area.
For same sex married female couples, be sure to select the parentage titles as requested by the parent on the birth mother's worksheet and enter the spouse's information the same as any other married couple.
For data entry in IVES, make sure to use only the birth worksheets below. Shred any remaining supplies of the older birth worksheets.
The following are informational handouts that may be provided to new parents along with the birth worksheet.
All official forms are to be printed on plain bond paper. DO NOT LINK this document, or this portal, to your own website or any other webpage, which then makes it available to Google users and results in the form being submitted to the State improperly.
Hospital staff must contact the state birth registration program for instances of adoption pending, surrogate, removal from mom's custody -- forced or voluntary -- infant born alive and then died, and stillbirths. The latter two instances are to aide the state office in monitoring for the correct certificate report being filed. The other situations give the state office a heads-up to ensure that the birth record is being accurately flagged.
In the cases of adoption pending, surrogate, and removal from custody, the fees are to be waived. The legal custodians of the newborn will need to apply for any certified birth certificates and the social security number.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The woman who gave birth MUST complete the birth worksheet in all cases -- no exceptions, and all information is based on her and her marital status. All court orders must be directed to the Iowa Department of Public Health. Pre-birth court orders are NOT acceptable for re-establishing a birth record, except for dis-establishing a birth mother's legal spouse in order for her and the biological father to complete a Paternity Affidavit.
Legislation SF577 was enacted on July 1, 2022, and will allow a mother who experiences a nonviable birth prior to 20 completed weeks of gestation to obtain a certificate of nonviable birth.
A nonviable birth is defined as an unintentional, spontaneous fetal demise occurring after demonstration of a doppler-detected heartbeat and prior to the twentieth week of gestation during a pregnancy that has been verified by a healthcare provider. Upon request of the patient, the Certification of Non-Viable Birth is to be completed by the health care provider who attended or diagnosed the nonviable birth.
All official forms are to be printed on plain bond paper. DO NOT LINK this document, or this portal, to your own website or any other webpage, which then makes it available to Google users and results in the form being submitted to the State improperly.
The state no longer provides the Certificate of Fetal Death forms. Hospital birth registration staff will print the Certificate of Fetal Death form onto the "Special Registration Paper" that can be obtained through the Vital Records Online Supply Order Form.
The Certificate of Fetal Death is 2-sided, back-to-back. The primary form with the heading "Certificate of Fetal Death" on the "WHITE" side of the paper and the statistical questions of the report on the "BLUE" side with the VR seal landing in the lower left corner. When printing, feed the special registration paper in so that the "white" side will print first and the blue side with VR seal is in the lower left so it does not obscure any items on the report.
There is no worksheet, so all items must be completed legibly directly onto the certificate form. Either the hospital or the funeral home may initiate the certificate -- but please be sure to communicate with each other to ensure that duplicate records are not filed. Fetal deaths are filed at the state level only.
Hospital Birth Registration staff are required to generate the Summary of Fee Report from the Iowa Vital Events System (IVES). The report requires birth staff to sign, date, and ensure the amount on the summary of fee report matches the amount of the checks/money order before mailing the report with the fees to the birth registration program with the Bureau of Health Statistics, Department of Health and Human Services.
Pursuant to the Iowa Code section 144.13, this is within seven (7) days of the birth. Printing the report is explained in detail in the data entry manual. Hospitals are encouraged to use the Summary of Fee Report to conduct their own audit against the birth worksheets and their delivery room log.
The Bureau of Health Statistics utilizes the Iowa Vital Event System – Next Generation (IVES-NX) for registration and issuing vital events such as birth, death, and marriage records. The link below is dedicated to registered users, offering comprehensive data entry manuals to ensure smooth registration and issuance of these vital records. It also provides essential information on logging in securely and setting up two-factor authentication.
See IVES Support