What FAA 8130-3 Actually Is
FAA Form 8130-3 is the Authorized Release Certificate — formerly known as Yellow Form (JAA) or its predecessors going back to the 1950s. It's not a certificate of airworthiness for the part itself (the aircraft holds that). It's a statement that the part has been inspected and is traceable to its manufacture or overhaul, and that the issuing facility takes legal responsibility for that claim.
Under 14 CFR Part 21, Subpart L (_parts with TC/PC_) and 14 CFR Part 21, Subpart O (_repair stations_), only certificated entities can issue 8130-3. The issuing organization must hold an FAA repair station certificate, and the specific individual signing the form must be authorized under that certificate.
What 8130-3 is not: a warranty, a guarantee of shelf-life, or a replacement for proper receiving inspection on your end. It's a traceability document, not an airworthiness approval for your specific installation.
The Traceability Chain: From Forge to Your Hangar
A valid 8130-3 chain looks like this:
- Manufacturer — AN3-10A forged and machined to MIL-SPEC, heat number recorded, CoC issued at factory
- Distributor / Part 145 Station — Part changes hands, 8130-3 issued when applicable documentation is present
- AeroSpaceSpecBolt intake — We verify documentation on receipt, record part numbers where they came from, retain records indefinitely
- Your order — 8130-3 or CoC transmitted with shipment, accessible in our portal for any order
Every link in that chain must be documented. If any link is broken — if a supplier can't show you the previous holder or the manufacture traceability — the chain is incomplete and the part has no documented airworthiness basis.
Cert Types at a Glance
| Document | Who Issues | Acceptance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| FAA 8130-3 | FAA Part 145 repair station | US FAA operators | Standard for US civil aircraft parts |
| EASA Form 1 | EASA Part 145 station | EASA member states | Required in EU; also accepted by many US operators |
| Certificate of Conformance | Original manufacturer | All jurisdictions | Confirms spec compliance; not an airworthiness cert |
| 8130-3 + EASA Form 1 dual | Dual-certified station | US + EU operators | Maximum documentation; preferred for international ops |
Download Sample Cert Documents
Before you order, review what the actual 8130-3, EASA Form 1, and CoC look like. We provide sample PDFs you can review with your IA or quality department.
Sample Documents Available
FAA 8130-3 sample — annotated with block-by-block explanation of what each field means and how to verify it.
Download 8130-3, EASA Form 1 & CoC Samples →Why You Should Never Buy Uncertified Fasteners
The legal and safety consequences of installing an uncertified fastener are serious:
- Legal liability — Installing a part without required documentation voids compliance with FAR 43.9 and 43.13 (general aviation minimum standards). Your IA cannot sign off on a logbook if the part documentation is missing.
- Airworthiness finding — An FAA inspector reviewing your aircraft can issue a discrepancy if required documentation isn't present. Repairing that finding costs far more than the fastener did.
- Insurance — Most aviation policies contain a condition that covered aircraft must be maintained in compliance with FARs. Using undocumented parts may void coverage.
- Resale — A future buyer or buyer IA will pull every part on the aircraft. If they find a fastener without documentation, it becomes a negotiation issue at best, a red-tag at worst.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAA Form 8130-3 is the Authorized Release Certificate for civil aircraft parts. Issued by FAA-certificated facilities, it certifies that a part is traceable to manufacture and has been inspected or tested to applicable airworthiness standards. Without it, a part cannot be legally installed on a type-certificated aircraft in the US.
Only FAA-certificated Part 145 repair stations and air carrier stations with an FAA repair station certificate can issue 8130-3. Individual distributors without a repair station certificate cannot issue 8130-3 — they must source from a Part 145 facility or the original manufacturer.
For type-certificated aircraft: no, not legally. For experimental aircraft (EAB): not required by FAR 91.327, but highly recommended for your own safety and resale value. A part without 8130-3 has no documented airworthiness basis.
Yes. Every AN/MS/NAS fastener we sell ships with FAA 8130-3 or Certificate of Conformance as standard documentation. You can request to review the cert documents before purchase via our /compliance/certs page.
8130-3 is the US FAA authorized release certificate. EASA Form 1 is the European equivalent for EASA-member operators. Certificate of Conformance (CoC) is a manufacturer's declaration of conformity with applicable specs — it is not an airworthiness certificate but confirms the part meets its design specification. All three are accepted in different jurisdictions.
Need certified aerospace hardware now?
Search our in-stock AN/MS/NAS inventory. Every part ships with 8130-3 or equivalent documentation — request sample certs before you order if your quality team needs to review.