{"id":15176,"date":"2024-11-12T01:09:50","date_gmt":"2024-11-12T09:09:50","guid":{"rendered":"\/wp-site\/?p=15176"},"modified":"2025-07-08T12:39:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T19:39:11","slug":"iowa-temporary-license-plate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/dmv\/iowa-temporary-license-plate\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get Temporary License Plates in Iowa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>If you buy a car in Iowa and aren\u2019t able to register it right away, state law permits you to drive it normally without license plates or registration for 30 days after the date of purchase\u2014but you must carry proof of ownership, such as a bill of sale or vehicle title, with you. A dealership may issue you temporary license plates to use in the meantime.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-jerry-key-takeaway border-primary flex flex-col rounded bg-gray-50 p-6 border-l-0\"><div class=\"flex flex-col md:block md:space-x-1\"><span class=\"has-primary-color text-lg font-semibold\">QUICK LOOK<\/span><span class=\"text-gray-900 text-base\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"jerry-block-content\" contentclassname=\"text-gray-900 text-base\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A temporary license plate will allow you to legally drive your newly purchased vehicle until it\u2019s registered.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Iowa law requires you to register your vehicle within 30 days of the purchase.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dealerships in the state of Iowa can issue temporary license plates that can be valid for up to 45 days<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Does-Iowa-issue-temporary-license-plates?\">Does Iowa issue temporary license plates?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You won\u2019t be able to get a temporary license plate through the Iowa Department of Transportation\u2019s Motor Vehicles Division (MVD); however, dealers can issue temporary plates for cars that they sell, allowing buyers to drive without vehicle registration for 45 days\u2014which should give you plenty of time to obtain your long-term registration plates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Remember<\/strong>: Temporary license plates carry an expiration date\u2014you can\u2019t use them indefinitely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jerry-cta\"><div class=\"flex flex-col items-start gap-4 rounded-xl border border-zinc-200 px-12 py-8 md:flex-row md:items-center md:gap-14\"><div class=\"flex-1\"><span class=\"text-xl font-black text-gray-900\">SIMPLIFY YOUR CAR INSURANCE IN MINUTES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"flex-1\"><a href=\"\/signup\/insured?service=insurance \" class=\"bg-primary block w-full rounded-full px-14 py-2 text-center font-black text-white hover:no-underline\">Find savings now<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"How-to-get-temporary-license-plates-in-Iowa\">How to get temporary license plates in Iowa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you buy your car from a dealership: <\/strong>You may be able to get a temporary license plate card to display on the vehicle. You\u2019ll get that card from your dealer, and it allows you to operate the car without a registration card for 45 days from the date of purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you have no plates and no registration:<\/strong> You\u2019ll still be able to drive the car\u2014but only for 30 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Keep in mind:<\/strong> Whether you\u2019re driving with temporary plates or nothing at all, you\u2019ll need to carry proof of ownership in the vehicle with you in case you\u2019re pulled over by law enforcement. That could be a certificate of title or the bill of sale from the transaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For additional information, you can visit the Iowa DOT\u2019s website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jerry-cta\"><div class=\"flex flex-col items-start gap-4 rounded-xl border border-zinc-200 px-12 py-8 md:flex-row md:items-center md:gap-14\"><div class=\"flex-1\"><span class=\"text-xl font-black text-gray-900\">SIMPLIFY YOUR CAR INSURANCE IN MINUTES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"flex-1\"><a href=\"\/signup\/insured?service=insurance \" class=\"bg-primary block w-full rounded-full px-14 py-2 text-center font-black text-white hover:no-underline\">Find savings now<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Getting-your-registration-card\">Getting your registration card<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before the 30 or 45 days are up, you\u2019ll need to register your new vehicle. To do that, head to your local county treasurer\u2019s office with the certificate of title and complete an Application for Certificate of Title And\/Or Registration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Registration fees in Iowa follow a complicated schedule, depending on the weight and age of your car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>For passenger cars, registration fees start at $0.40 per hundred pounds, plus:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>1% of list price for cars 1-7 model years old<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>0.75% of list price for cars 8-9 model years old<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>0.50% of list price for cars 10-11 model years old<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>$50 for cars 12+ model years old<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>For example:<\/strong> Let\u2019s say you drive a 2021 Honda Accord weighing about 3,200 pounds. That\u2019s 32 x $0.40, plus $249.70 (i.e. 1% of the $24,970 list price) for a total registration fee of $262.50.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jerry-cta\"><div class=\"flex flex-col items-start gap-4 rounded-xl border border-zinc-200 px-12 py-8 md:flex-row md:items-center md:gap-14\"><div class=\"flex-1\"><span class=\"text-xl font-black text-gray-900\">SIMPLIFY YOUR CAR INSURANCE IN MINUTES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"flex-1\"><a href=\"\/signup\/insured?service=insurance \" class=\"bg-primary block w-full rounded-full px-14 py-2 text-center font-black text-white hover:no-underline\">Find savings now<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jerry-meet-experts\" data-wp-interactive=\"jerry\/meet-experts\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;modalVisible&quot;:false}\">\n  <div class=\"font-circular text-2xl font-extrabold text-slate-900\">Expert-driven. Built for you.<\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"my-3\">\n    <div class=\"flex justify-between items-center py-3 border-b border-neutral-200 cursor-pointer font-semibold text-gray-900\" data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.toggleModal\">\n  <button class=\"text-left text-base\" type=\"button\">\n    Why you can count on Jerry&#8217;s articles  <\/button>\n\n  <div class=\"transition data-[visible=true]:md:rotate-180 text-xs iconify i--chevron-down text-gray-500\" data-wp-bind--data-visible=\"context.modalVisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"modal-backdrop fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-50 overflow-hidden overscroll-contain bg-black\/70 font-body transition-transform delay-100 duration-0 md:relative md:z-auto [&amp;:not([data-visible=true])]:translate-y-full [&amp;:not([data-visible=true])]:bg-black\/0 [&amp;:not([data-visible=true])]:md:hidden\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onModalInit\" data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.hideModal\" data-wp-bind--data-visible=\"context.modalVisible\">\n  <div class=\"modal-view fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 flex max-h-[75%] w-full flex-col rounded-t-3xl bg-white pb-7 pl-7 pt-3.5 transition md:relative md:rounded-none md:pl-0 md:transition-none [&amp;:not([data-visible=true])]:translate-y-full [&amp;:not([data-visible=true])]:md:hidden\" data-wp-bind--data-visible=\"context.modalVisible\">\n    <div class=\"modal-header md:hidden flex justify-between items-center pb-1 mb-1 border-b border-zinc-200\">\n      <div class=\"modal-title text-base font-semibold\">Summary<\/div>\n\n      <div\n        class=\"modal-close-btn wp-block-group w-11 h-11 mr-2.5 content-center text-center\"\n        data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.hideModal\"\n      >\n        <div class=\"iconify i--close text-gray-500 cursor-pointer\"><\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"modal-body pr-7 overflow-y-auto\"><div class=\"wp-block-template-part\"><div class=\"flex flex-row items-center gap-2.5 rounded-lg bg-gray-pink px-4 py-5\">\n  <span class=\"iconify mt-0.5 shrink-0 self-start text-xs text-primary i--shield-check\"><\/span>\n\n  <div>\n    <div class=\"font-body text-xs font-bold text-primary\">Our goal is clear, trustworthy information.<\/div>\n    <div class=\"mt-1 font-body text-xs text-gray-600\">\n      Our content is created, edited and fact checked by a team of licensed insurance agents, automotive pros and\n      experienced journalists who know the industry inside and out. Facts are thoroughly researched, verified and kept\n      current, and our editorial team is separate from our business partners, so our opinions &#038; tips are unbiased. All\n      insights drawn from Jerry\u2019s proprietary, aggregated customer auto insurance quotes data provide unique, real-world\n      guidance.\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"text-base font-semibold text-gray-900\">Our experts<\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"my-8 flex flex-col gap-8 items-center justify-center\">\n          <div\n        class=\"meet-experts-item group relative flex h-auto w-full flex-none flex-col justify-between overflow-hidden rounded-3xl py-9 text-sm shadow-variant-card\"\n        data-expand=\"false\"\n        data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onItemInit\"\n      >\n        <div class=\"grid h-full w-full grid-cols-1 overflow-hidden px-8 md:grid-cols-4\">\n          <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/R.E.-Fulton.png\" class=\"size-16 rounded-full md:size-32 col-span-1 md:ml-4\" alt=\"meet-experts-thumbnail\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/R.E.-Fulton.png 250w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/R.E.-Fulton-150x150.png 150w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/R.E.-Fulton-56x56.png 56w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/R.E.-Fulton-120x120.png 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 346px) 260px, (max-width: 576px) 432px, (max-width: 720px) 540px, (min-width: 720px) 250px, 100vw\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/>\n          <div class=\"col-span-3\">\n            <div class=\"my-4 flex-1 content-center font-circular text-lg font-medium text-slate-900 md:mt-0\">\n              R.E. Fulton            <\/div>\n\n                          <ul class=\"font-circular text-slate-700 mb-3 jerry-meet-experts flex flex-col md:flex-row\">\n                                  <li class=\"flex items-center mb-2 md:mr-2\">\n                    <span class=\"iconify i--shield-check text-base text-primary mr-2 min-w-4\"><\/span>\n                    <div class=\"jerry-block-content truncate\"><p>Licensed Insurance Agent<\/p><\/div>\n                  <\/li>\n                              <\/ul>\n            \n            <div class=\"text-slate-500 mt-2 leading-6\">\n              <p>R.E. Fulton is an expert insurance writer specializing in car ownership topics from car shopping and loan advice to insurance and repair guides. R.E.\u2019s mission is to create unique and accessible content that helps readers to become more successful and independent car owners. R.E. has written and edited over 900 high-performing articles for Jerry, with an average of 1 million+ views. As a senior writer on Jerry\u2019s editorial team, R.E. draws on over 10 years of experience as a professional writer and digital publishing specialist. Prior to joining Jerry\u2019s editorial team in 2021, R.E. worked as a writing coach at Columbia University, the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), and the University of Rochester. They serve as a managing editor for peer-reviewed history publication Nursing Clio, where their work has appeared regularly since 2015.<\/p>            <\/div>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"absolute hidden group-data-[expand=true]:flex bottom-0 w-full h-24 bg-gradient-to-t from-white from-30% to-transparent to-100% items-end justify-center\">\n          <div\n            class=\"flex cursor-pointer flex-row items-center gap-2 my-4 font-circular text-primary\"\n            data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.onItemExpandClick\"\n          >\n            <span class=\"text-sm\">See more<\/span>\n            <span class=\"iconify i--chevron-down text-xs\"><\/span>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n          <div\n        class=\"meet-experts-item group relative flex h-auto w-full flex-none flex-col justify-between overflow-hidden rounded-3xl py-9 text-sm shadow-variant-card\"\n        data-expand=\"false\"\n        data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onItemInit\"\n      >\n        <div class=\"grid h-full w-full grid-cols-1 overflow-hidden px-8 md:grid-cols-4\">\n          <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Melanie-Krieps-Mergen.png\" class=\"size-16 rounded-full md:size-32 col-span-1 md:ml-4\" alt=\"meet-experts-thumbnail\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Melanie-Krieps-Mergen.png 250w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Melanie-Krieps-Mergen-150x150.png 150w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Melanie-Krieps-Mergen-56x56.png 56w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Melanie-Krieps-Mergen-120x120.png 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 346px) 260px, (max-width: 576px) 432px, (max-width: 720px) 540px, (min-width: 720px) 250px, 100vw\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/>\n          <div class=\"col-span-3\">\n            <div class=\"my-4 flex-1 content-center font-circular text-lg font-medium text-slate-900 md:mt-0\">\n              Melanie Krieps Mergen            <\/div>\n\n            \n            <div class=\"text-slate-500 mt-2 leading-6\">\n              <p>Melanie Mergen is an insurance writer with more than 8 years of writing, research, and editing experience. She\u2019s covered topics like car insurance, home insurance, finance, and car ownership for Jerry. Her mission in doing so is to help people secure and protect their most important assets while making the best possible use of their finances.<br \/>Prior to joining forces with Jerry, Melanie worked as a freelance content writer and editor, a teaching artist, and journalist. She received her Creative Writing MFA from Columbia University.<\/p>            <\/div>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"absolute hidden group-data-[expand=true]:flex bottom-0 w-full h-24 bg-gradient-to-t from-white from-30% to-transparent to-100% items-end justify-center\">\n          <div\n            class=\"flex cursor-pointer flex-row items-center gap-2 my-4 font-circular text-primary\"\n            data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.onItemExpandClick\"\n          >\n            <span class=\"text-sm\">See more<\/span>\n            <span class=\"iconify i--chevron-down text-xs\"><\/span>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-separator-jerry-default\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You can drive a new car without plates and registration for 30 days, or 45 days with a temporary license plate card and no registration card.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":63667,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jerry_authors":"[{\"id\":\"258\",\"type\":\"main-author\"},{\"id\":\"311\",\"type\":\"editor\"}]","jerry_author_ids":[258],"jerry_idx_page_label":"","jerry_meta_desc":"You can drive a new car without plates and registration for 30 days, or 45 days with a temporary license plate card and no registration card.","jerry_related_posts":"[28093,27343,21352,23641,27332]","jerry_summary":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[514],"tags":[118,222,624,346],"class_list":["post-15176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dmv","tag-car-registration","tag-iowa","tag-resource_dmv","tag-state-laws"],"modified_by":"harveen.sran@getjerry.com","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15176"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63668,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15176\/revisions\/63668"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}