FAA Form 8130-3 is the Authorized Release Certificate, Airworthiness Approval Tag. It is an FAA form used to document the airworthiness status of a product or article — either as an airworthiness approval for a newly produced article, or as an approval for return to service after maintenance.
Its completion and use are governed by FAA Order 8130.21. It is one of the most widely requested documents in the aircraft parts trade, and one of the most frequently over-interpreted.
Two different documents on one form
Much of the confusion around the 8130-3 comes from the fact that the same form serves two genuinely different purposes, and a buyer needs to know which one they are holding.
Airworthiness approval of a newly produced article
Issued in connection with articles produced under an FAA production approval, the form documents that the article conforms to approved design data and is in a condition for safe operation. This is the "new part" use of the form.
Approval for return to service after maintenance
Issued by an appropriately authorized person or organization — commonly a certificated repair station — to document that maintenance was performed and the article approved for return to service. In the United States the underlying record-keeping obligation sits in 14 CFR 43.9, and the form is used to carry that release. This is the "used part" or "shop visit" use of the form, and it is what accompanies most overhauled, repaired and serviceable material.
Reading the form
The block a certifying statement appears in tells you which of the two you have. A release for return to service and an airworthiness approval for a newly produced article are recorded differently, and a tag that has been completed for one purpose does not silently serve the other.
Dual release
A dual release is a single tag completed so that the article is released under both FAA and EASA approval at the same time. Under the bilateral arrangements between the two authorities, used articles moving between the jurisdictions generally require a dual release, and the equivalent European document is the EASA Form 1.
Commercially this matters a great deal. A dual-released unit can be sold into a materially wider market than a single-release unit, and the difference is often worth more than the cost of obtaining it. A single release is for domestic use.
Why buyers ask for it
- It is a release by an authorized party. It records that somebody with the appropriate authority signed for the condition of the article, rather than the seller simply asserting it.
- It is standardized. Where a shop's own paperwork varies in format and detail, the 8130-3 is a known form that a receiving inspector can read quickly.
- It supports the receiving inspection. Distributors and repair organizations use it as part of the documentation package examined when material arrives.
- It travels internationally. Particularly in dual-release form, it removes a barrier to cross-border sale.
What the form does not do
This section matters more than the rest of the page, because most disputes about an 8130-3 come from expecting it to answer a question it was never designed to answer.
It is not a complete traceability record
A release tag documents a specific event — production, or a specific maintenance release. It does not by itself establish the full chain of custody from original manufacture through every owner and every shop visit. Where a customer requires traced history, the tag is one document in a larger package, not a substitute for it. See aviation traceability.
It does not determine eligibility for a particular aircraft
Whether a specific article may be installed on a specific aircraft is determined by the installer against approved data for that aircraft — not by the presence of a tag. A perfectly valid 8130-3 accompanies plenty of articles that are not eligible for the aircraft a given buyer has in mind.
It is not universally required
There is a widespread belief that a part cannot be sold without one. That is a commercial expectation rather than a blanket regulatory rule: FAA guidance treats the form as recommended rather than mandatory for domestic use in a range of circumstances. Customer requirements, contracts and export situations frequently do demand it — which is why the expectation exists — but "required by contract" and "required by regulation" are different statements and should not be conflated.
Not every article is eligible for one
Articles not produced under an FAA production approval — including certain standard and commercial parts, and owner or operator produced parts — may not be eligible for the form at all. The absence of a tag is therefore not automatically a red flag; it can simply be the correct outcome for that category of part.
It is not a warranty and not a guarantee of remaining life
The form documents condition and approval at a point in time. It says nothing about how much service life remains, and it carries no commercial guarantee.
On regulatory precision
Requirements around release documentation vary by jurisdiction, by the type of article, by who performed the work and by the contract in force. The descriptions here are a practical orientation for commercial and operational staff. For a specific compliance question, work from the current FAA order and the applicable regulations, or from your own quality organization.