Promote:
Find public support
The organizations that help companies export from and invest in Iowa, grouped by what you need. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
1. Where to start
IEDA, Secretary of State and Iowa SBDC: the guide’s first stops, of the 12 organizations below.
Each card says what it can help with:Get adviceFind financeMeet requirementsResearch markets
- Get advice
State economic development agency
IEDA
Iowa Economic Development Authority
Reimburses eligible Iowa exporters for trade shows, missions and marketing services, and runs the state business incentive programs.
Visit IEDA (opens in a new tab)Source: Iowa Administrative Code, trade assistance rules, October 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 29, 2025
State business filings office
Secretary of State
Iowa Secretary of State
Takes foreign corporation registration statements and receives foreign landholding registrations and reports.
Visit Secretary of State (opens in a new tab)Source: Iowa Legislature, Iowa Code section 490.1503, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 3, 2026
- Get advice
Small business advising network
Iowa SBDC
America's SBDC Iowa
Gives free, confidential counseling and routes clients to credentialed international trade advisors.
Visit Iowa SBDC (opens in a new tab)Source: America's SBDC Iowa, international trade page, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 3, 2026
2. Export development and market information
2 organizations. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
- Get advice
State economic development agency
IEDA
Iowa Economic Development Authority
Reimburses eligible Iowa exporters for trade shows, missions and marketing services, and runs the state business incentive programs.
Visit IEDA (opens in a new tab)Source: Iowa Administrative Code, trade assistance rules, October 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 29, 2025
- Get advice
Small business advising network
Iowa SBDC
America's SBDC Iowa
Gives free, confidential counseling and routes clients to credentialed international trade advisors.
Visit Iowa SBDC (opens in a new tab)Source: America's SBDC Iowa, international trade page, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 3, 2026
3. Investment and business setup
3 organizations. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
State business filings office
Secretary of State
Iowa Secretary of State
Takes foreign corporation registration statements and receives foreign landholding registrations and reports.
Visit Secretary of State (opens in a new tab)Source: Iowa Legislature, Iowa Code section 490.1503, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 3, 2026
State workforce agency
Iowa Workforce Development
Registers employers for unemployment insurance and takes their quarterly contribution and payroll reports.
Visit Iowa Workforce Development (opens in a new tab)Source: Iowa Administrative Code, employer reports rules, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 3, 2026
State legal office
Attorney General
Office of the Attorney General of Iowa
Enforces Iowa's limits on foreign ownership of agricultural land, with power to subpoena records and sue in district court.
Visit Attorney General (opens in a new tab)Source: Iowa Legislature, Iowa Code chapter 9I, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 3, 2026
4. Customs and tax
2 organizations. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
- Meet requirements
State tax authority
Department of Revenue
Iowa Department of Revenue
Collects Iowa income, sales and use, withholding and franchise taxes and issues sales tax permits.
Visit Department of Revenue (opens in a new tab)Source: Legislative Services Agency, state tax due dates, September 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of September 5, 2025
- Meet requirements
Mississippi River port authority
Ports Authority
Ports of Eastern Iowa Authority
Coordinates six eastern Iowa counties on Mississippi River port and waterway matters.
Visit Ports Authority (opens in a new tab)Source: City of Muscatine, Ports of Eastern Iowa Authority release, 2024 (opens in a new tab) · as of September 24, 2024
5. Standards and sector requirements
3 organizations. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
- Meet requirements
State agriculture department
Agriculture Department
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
Runs plant pest rules through the state entomologist, who inspects and certifies plants and plant products bound for destinations outside Iowa.
Visit Agriculture Department (opens in a new tab)Source: Iowa Administrative Code, plant pest rules, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of February 5, 2025
- Meet requirements
State insurance regulator
Insurance Division
Iowa Insurance Division
Regulates insurance business in Iowa and issues the certificate of authority a company needs to write policies.
Visit Insurance Division (opens in a new tab)Source: Iowa Legislature, Iowa Code section 515.41, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 3, 2026
University manufacturing extension center
CIRAS
Center for Industrial Research and Service
Runs Iowa State University's industrial incentive program, which matches business money for contract research on Iowa industrial projects.
Visit CIRAS (opens in a new tab)Source: Legislative Services Agency, 2026 Session Fiscal Report, August 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 3, 2026
6. Chambers and industry associations
2 organizations. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
- Get advice
State business association
ABI
Iowa Association of Business and Industry
Speaks for Iowa employers at the Statehouse, runs manufacturing programs and publishes a monthly business magazine with trade coverage.
Visit ABI (opens in a new tab)Source: Iowa Association of Business and Industry, about page, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 3, 2026
- Get advice
Corn checkoff and promotion board
Iowa Corn
Iowa Corn Promotion Board
Invests Iowa corn checkoff money in overseas market development for corn, ethanol and distillers grains through a national grains export council.
Visit Iowa Corn (opens in a new tab)Source: Iowa Corn Promotion Board, export markets column, March 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of March 10, 2026
7. How Promote:Global helps
- Compare potential export marketsSee which markets import what you sell, ranked on public trade data, and read each country before you commit.
- Check duties and document requirementsCheck the duty, the origin conditions for a preferential rate and the documents a shipment needs.
- Compare the United States with other countriesSet the United States beside other countries on investment momentum, fundamentals and trade access, before site, tax and legal work.
- Find advisors and service firmsAsk an advisory firm a scoped, paid question, or browse firms that list their own services, from legal work to logistics.
- Organize your next stepsKeep each product and market in a project, with a roadmap of steps you work through.
Turn this guide into your Iowa project.
Use Promote:Global to explore markets, understand requirements and organize your next steps.
Promote:Iowa is an independent guide by Promote:Global, not an official government portal. The organizations named here are independent public and membership bodies, not Promote:Global partners, and every link goes to their own site.
Facts read from public sources, with an editorial cut-off of November 3, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.