Voluntary surrender of certificate

This regulation allows remote pilots to voluntarily give up their Part 107 certificate if they choose to do so. The FAA will cancel the certificate upon request.

To surrender your certificate, you must submit a signed statement (or equivalent wording) that explicitly says you're voluntarily surrendering your remote pilot certificate with small UAS rating for cancellation. The statement must acknowledge that you understand the certificate won't be reissued unless you complete the full certification requirements again—meaning you'd need to retake the initial aeronautical knowledge test and pass a TSA security background check.

This matters because surrender is permanent and requires starting over from scratch if you want to fly commercially again later. You might consider this option if you're permanently leaving the drone industry, want to avoid recurrent training requirements, or have other personal reasons for no longer needing the certificate.

*This is a plain-English summary for study only. The official 14 CFR text on this page is controlling — always read the current regulation and consult a CFI.*