FAR 61.27 — Voluntary Certificate Surrender
FAR 61.27 explains how pilots can voluntarily surrender or exchange their pilot certificate, including the required signed statement and reissuance conditions.
FAR 61.27 lets you, as a pilot, voluntarily give up your certificate on your own terms. This is different from an FAA-initiated suspension or revocation — here, you are the one making the request.
Under this rule, the holder of a Part 61 certificate may voluntarily surrender it for one of three purposes:
- Cancellation of the certificate entirely
- Issuance of a lower grade certificate (for example, downgrading from commercial to private)
- Another certificate with specific ratings deleted (for example, removing an instrument rating)
Whenever you make this request, you must include a signed statement (or its equivalent) saying: "This request is made for my own reasons, with full knowledge that my [certificate or rating] may not be reissued to me unless I again pass the tests prescribed for its issuance."
Why it matters operationally: once you surrender, getting that certificate or rating back isn't automatic — you'll have to retake the required tests (knowledge and/or practical) to earn it again. Pilots sometimes use this option for medical, personal, or insurance reasons, but it should never be done casually.