The state of Iowa offers a governor’s pardon only. Before submitting an application for restoration of firearms rights you should wait five years. An application for a pardon may be submitted ten years after the discharge of the sentence. This is the general policy of the governor’s office; applications may be submitted at any time. The process of obtaining a pardon and restoring rights will take place approximately two years form the time of application submission. The application will be forwarded to the department of public safety and division of criminal investigation. They will review criminal and traffic violations as well as credit history. The department of revenue must provide verification of income tax filings.
The Iowa Board of Parole will then review the materials and make a recommendation to the governor’s office.