Former Iowa Nonresidents Now Seeking Resident Licenses Need to Submit Form
Iowa Department of Natural Resources 10.30.12
Iowa residents who have previously hunted, fished and trapped as nonresidents are urged to plan ahead in order to obtain license privileges as residents.
The electronic licensing system for hunting, fishing and trapping automatically identifies people who have previously obtained licenses as nonresidents. This is a reflection of Iowa law changes that were made to address the significant problem in Iowa of nonresidents falsifying records in order to obtain illegal resident licenses.
“Unfortunately, this can be an issue for people who have hunted, fished and trapped in Iowa as nonresidents in the past, but are now legitimately residents of our state and are expecting to purchase resident licenses,” said Joli Vollers, supervisor for licensing in the DNR’s Law Enforcement Bureau.
Vollers said these people will need to fill out and return a form that can be accessed at www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/NonresidentHunting.aspx. Once the customer has provided the required documentation the status change can be made.
“What we don’t want to have happen is someone who is now a legal resident of the state not being able to obtain a resident license,” said Vollers.
“It will take time for customers to gather and check the necessary documentation and additional time for us to update the status in the licensing system so they will need to factor the extra time into their planning in order to get their new resident licenses in time for planned hunts,” said Vollers.
“People who fall into this category shouldn’t wait to get the proper license. If they wait until the day or night before they plan to go hunting, they will be unable to obtain their license,” said Vollers.
“Unfortunately some license purchase attempts may happen on weekends or after hours. The status change can only be made during business hours; license vendors are unable to make the change and are unable to provide much assistance. They should begin the process right away so they don’t miss out on opportunities to get outside and enjoy our natural resources,” Vollers added.
