FAA Form 8130-3, the Authorized Release Certificate or Airworthiness Approval Tag, certifies that an engine, propeller or article conforms to approved design data and is in a condition for safe operation. It is issued when a part is produced and can also record a return to service after maintenance. It is not used to release a whole aircraft.
Why it matters when licensing company data
FAA Order 8130.21J covers the production blocks, filled in by the FAA, designees or production approval holders. Advisory Circular 43-9D covers blocks 14a to 14e, used when a repair station or other authorized person returns an article to service after maintenance. A return to service on the tag does not by itself approve installing the part on a particular aircraft.
Because each tag names the part, its serial or batch, the work done and who released it, a shop's tags link findings and repairs to specific parts over time. That traceability is what makes a repair station's parts records worth describing when it reviews its archive.
See the Form 8130-3 guide and what a Part 145 repair station keeps.
Example
A component shop overhauls a fuel pump, tests it and completes the maintenance blocks of an 8130-3 to return it to service. The tag travels with the pump to the customer, and the shop keeps its copy with the work order and test results. When the shop later describes its records for a data license, it notes that each tag links a part number and serial number to the findings and repair, and that customer names must be removed first.
Source
FAA Order 8130.21J (faa.gov). Definition reviewed November 9, 2026 by Origin Data Partners.