EASA Form 1 and FAA 8130-3 with Spec 2000

EASA Form 1 and FAA Form 8130-3 are authorized release certificates: the documents that state the airworthiness status of a part after production or maintenance. ATA Spec 2000 touches them in two places. Chapter 16 is the industry standard for exchanging these certificates electronically, and Chapter 9-5 puts the identity of the part (manufacturer CAGE code, part number, serial number) on an RFID tag. At receiving inspection, that tag identity must match the certificate. The tag never replaces the certificate.

For the basics of the specification, read what ATA Spec 2000 is and how Chapter 9-5 works.

What EASA Form 1 is

EASA Form 1 is the “Authorised Release Certificate” of the European system. It has two uses, with two sets of instructions.

Production release. A production organisation approval (POA) holder may “issue authorised release certificates (EASA Form 1)” for products other than complete aircraft, parts and appliances under point 21.A.163(c) of Part 21. Block 11 then says NEW or PROTOTYPE, and block 13a states conformity to approved or non-approved design data.

Maintenance release. Under point 145.A.50(d) of Part-145, the EASA Form 1 “constitutes the component certificate of release to service” after maintenance on a component off the aircraft. Block 11 then uses one of four terms: Overhauled, Repaired, Inspected/Tested or Modified. Block 14a carries the Part-145 release statement.

The Part 21 instructions add limits that matter at receiving. The certificate “is not a delivery or shipping note” and “does not constitute approval to install the item on a particular aircraft”. Production and maintenance releases cannot be mixed on one certificate. And “correlation must be established between the certificate and the item(s)”: that is where part identification comes in.

What FAA Form 8130-3 is

FAA Form 8130-3 is the “Authorized Release Certificate, Airworthiness Approval Tag”. Since 2025 the FAA covers it mainly in two documents:

• Part 21 uses. FAA Order 8130.21J (September 25, 2025) covers the form as evidence of a conformity inspection for prototypes, as an airworthiness approval for new articles produced under a production approval, as an export airworthiness approval and as an authorized release document issued by a production approval holder.
• Maintenance uses. AC 43-9D (September 22, 2025) covers the form as an approval for return to service after maintenance, preventive maintenance or alterations under 14 CFR part 43. Blocks 14a to 14e carry that approval.

Like the EASA form, it is not a shipping document or an approval to install (AC 43-9D, sections 23.1 and 23.2).

When each form is issued

Dual release

A shop that works for both US and EU operators often needs a certificate that both authorities accept. AC 43-9D, section 23.6, describes the “dual release” FAA Form 8130-3 under the Maintenance Annex Guidance (MAG) of the US-EU agreement:

• Only repair stations or air carriers that hold both an FAA approval and an EASA Part-145 approval, rated for the article, can issue it.
• The issuer checks both boxes in block 14a (“14 CFR 43.9 Return to Service” and “Other regulation specified in Block 12”).
• Block 12 carries a statement that the work was done under EASA Part-145, with the EASA approval number.
• A part released this way is eligible for installation on US- or EU-registered aircraft.

Other organisations must issue an FAA Form 8130-3 and an EASA Form 1 separately. The EASA table of acceptable component release documents, marked “for reference only”, lists the dual-release 8130-3 as acceptable for used components coming from the US system.

What data the certificates carry

Both forms follow the same block layout. The table summarises the blocks that matter for part identification, based on the EASA instructions and the FAA block-by-block instructions.

The paper form does not ask for the manufacturer’s CAGE code. FAA Order 8130.21H, now cancelled, suggested adding the manufacturer’s CAGE/NCAGE code in block 12 of electronic 8130-3s “to unambiguously identify the part”. The current EASA guidance also allows “manufacturer code” as additional data in an electronic Form 1.

Spec 2000 Chapter 16: electronic release certificates

Chapter 16 of Spec 2000 is titled “Authorized Release Certificate”. The A4A publications store describes it as an industry standard for the electronic exchange of the Authorized Release Certificate (e.g. FAA Form 8130-3, EASA Form 1). The current revision is 2019.1. The text is an A4A document, so this article only covers what the regulators say about it.

What EASA says

EASA recommends Chapter 16 explicitly. Both AMC No 1 to 21.A.163(c) (production) and the AMC to Appendix II to Part-M (maintenance) state that trading partners who exchange EASA Form 1 electronically should use “an established, common, industry method such as Air Transport Association (ATA) Spec 2000 Chapter 16”. The same AMCs set the conditions:

• The organisation documents the procedure and submits it to its competent authority with its exposition.
• Electronic exchange is voluntary. Issuer and receiver must both agree.
• The exchange includes all data of the form and all data needed to authenticate it.
• The receiver must be able to regenerate the EASA Form 1 from the data without alteration. If not, the system reverts to paper.
• A form with an electronic signature carries “Electronic Signature on File” in the signature block. A printout carries the watermark “PRINTED FROM ELECTRONIC FILE”.

What the FAA says

Order 8130.21H had a full chapter on the electronic 8130-3. It required issuers who chose that route to follow “the standardized set of data formats, data requirements, business guidelines, and reference documents in the ATA Spec 2000”, said that the XML file was the legal document and allowed only one certificate per item, paper or electronic. The FAA cancelled 8130.21H in 2025.

The current documents no longer name Spec 2000. Order 8130.21J says the form “may be filled out and signed electronically” and points to AC 120-78 for electronic signatures and recordkeeping. AC 43-9D lets repair stations and air carriers generate an electronic 8130-3 under their OpSpec A025. On the US side, Chapter 16 is now an industry agreement, not an FAA requirement.

How a Spec 2000 tag relates to the certificate

A Chapter 9-5 RFID tag carries the identity of the part. The IATA RFID requirements for OEMs ask, as a minimum, for the manufacturer CAGE code (MFR or SPL), the serial number (SER, SEQ or UCN), the original manufacturer part number (PNO) and the date of manufacture (DMF) in the birth record.

Three of those values must agree with the certificate:

The part number needs care. PNO is the original manufacturer part number. FAA AC 119-2A, section 8.3, says operators should not be able to change birth record data once the tag is installed, but may need to write additional part or updated maintenance data when a required maintenance activity changes the part number. So a certificate for a modified part can show a different part number from the original birth record. That is not automatically a wrong part. Check the modification in block 12 and any added record on the tag.

FAA AC 20-154A, on receiving inspection systems, asks for “a means to verify that all part, model, serial numbers, etc., as appropriate, match the accompanying documentation”, including maintenance release tags. EASA AMC1 145.A.42(b)(i) bases component acceptance on a physical inspection and on a review of the accompanying documentation. Reading the tag turns that identity check into a data comparison.

What the tag does not do

• The tag is not a release certificate. Only an authorised person under Part 21, Part-145 or 14 CFR certifies airworthiness, on the form.
• The tag does not replace part marking. AC 20-162B says RFID tags “are an ancillary to, and not a substitute for” the marking required by 14 CFR part 45.
• A matching tag does not prove airworthiness. It proves the identity data are consistent. Blocks 11 and 12 and the signature still need review.
• Software does not issue certificates. Spec2000 RFID reads, writes and validates Chapter 9-5 tags. It does not create, sign or transmit release certificates.

Receiving inspection checklist

Use this list for a component that arrives with a Spec 2000 tag and a release certificate:

1. Certificate type. Confirm the form is acceptable for your approval and for the aircraft registry: EASA Form 1, FAA Form 8130-3 with dual release, or another document allowed by the bilateral agreement.
2. Release block. Check that block 13 (new part) or block 14 (maintenance) is complete, signed and dated, with an approval number.
3. Electronic form. Check the “Electronic Signature on File” statement and, on printouts, the “PRINTED FROM ELECTRONIC FILE” watermark.
4. Read the tag. Scan it and decode the birth record.
5. Part number. Compare PNO with block 8. If they differ, look for the part number change in block 12.
6. Serial number. Compare SER with block 10. A difference stops the acceptance.
7. Manufacturer and life data. Check the CAGE code, and compare DMF, EXP or DOH, when present, with block 12.
8. Physical inspection and record. Inspect the nameplate, condition and packaging, then save the tag read with the form tracking number (block 3).

How Spec2000 RFID fits

Spec2000 RFID reads the EPC and USER memory of Spec 2000 tags with automatic ATA decoding, so your inspector sees PNO, SER and the CAGE code ready to compare with blocks 8 and 10. It writes tags following the Spec 2000 protocol with real-time validation, scans several tags at once and exports data for audit and compliance reports, with our USB desktop and Bluetooth portable readers. The certificate stays in your quality system. See also Spec 2000 RFID versus barcodes, the tag types under AC 20-162 and life-limited parts with RFID.

Frequently asked questions

Can an RFID tag replace EASA Form 1 or FAA Form 8130-3?

No. The tag carries part identity data. The release certificate is an airworthiness statement signed by an authorised person. AC 20-162B also says RFID tags do not replace the part marking required by 14 CFR part 45.

Is an electronic EASA Form 1 accepted?

Yes, under conditions. The AMC to 21.A.163(c) and the AMC to Appendix II to Part-M accept electronic signature and electronic exchange if the organisation documents the procedure, both parties agree and the receiver can regenerate the form without alteration. EASA recommends Spec 2000 Chapter 16 for the exchange.

Does the FAA require Spec 2000 Chapter 16 for electronic 8130-3s?

Not any more. Cancelled Order 8130.21H required Spec 2000 data formats for the electronic 8130-3. The current Order 8130.21J and AC 43-9D refer to AC 120-78 for electronic signatures and recordkeeping and do not name Spec 2000.

What if the part number on the tag does not match block 8?

Do not reject the part on that fact alone. The tag’s PNO is the original manufacturer part number, and a later modification can change the part number on the certificate. Look for the modification in block 12 and any additional record on the tag. If you find no explanation, quarantine the part and contact the supplier.

If you want to see how tag data fits your receiving inspection, request a demo.