PDF to PDF/A: Convert Documents for Long-Term Archiving (ISO Compliant)
Submitting a document to a court, library, or government portal? Your file was probably rejected because it wasn't valid PDF/A format. Standard PDFs can "break" over time—fonts disappear when they're not installed on future systems, external links die, encryption becomes obsolete, and color profiles depend on specific software versions that won't exist in 20 years.
Compliant. Stable. Future-proof.
Make your documents compliant instantly. Convert your standard PDFs into ISO 19005-certified PDF/A (Archival) format. Embed all fonts permanently. Lock layouts that won't shift. Eliminate dependencies on external resources. Ensure your file remains perfectly readable for decades—even centuries. Meet legal requirements. Pass archival validation. Future-proof your critical documents.
This is how PDF to PDF/A conversion should work.
How to Convert PDF to PDF/A Online
Step 1: Upload Your PDF Document
Drag and drop your standard PDF file. Any PDF—contracts, reports, scanned documents, financial statements, legal filings. We accept PDFs created from any source and convert them to archival-compliant format meeting international preservation standards.
Step 2: ISO Standardization Processing
Our conversion engine performs comprehensive compliance transformations. We embed all fonts directly into the file. We remove encryption and security features that could prevent future access. We validate color profiles for long-term consistency. We disable JavaScript and external links that could break. We ensure full ISO 19005 compliance across all PDF/A specifications—1b, 2b, 3b, or other variants as needed.
Step 3: Download Your Archive-Ready File
Get your verified, compliant PDF/A document instantly. The file is self-contained with all resources embedded. Opens identically on any system, now and decades into the future. Passes archival validation checks. Meets legal and regulatory requirements. Ready for court submission, government filing, or institutional archiving.
The entire conversion takes 10-30 seconds. Upload, standardize, download. Your PDF is now future-proofed and compliance-ready.
What is PDF/A and Why Do You Need It?
PDF/A is an ISO-standardized version of PDF specifically designed for long-term document preservation and archival purposes. Here's what makes it different—and essential for compliance:
📦 Complete Self-Containment
Everything the document needs to display correctly is embedded inside the file itself. All fonts are embedded—even if they're custom or proprietary. Color profiles are included—not referenced externally. Images are incorporated directly. No dependencies on system fonts, external resources, or software-specific features. The file is completely self-sufficient.
🔒 Elimination of External Dependencies
Standard PDFs can reference external resources that might disappear over time—linked files, external fonts, JavaScript code, multimedia content. PDF/A disables all external dependencies. No JavaScript execution. No external links that could die. No audio/video files that require specific codecs. Pure, stable, standalone document format.
⚖️ Legal & Regulatory Compliance
Courts, government agencies, and regulatory bodies require PDF/A for official submissions. US Federal Courts mandate PDF/A for electronic filings. GDPR archival requirements specify PDF/A for data retention. SEC filings increasingly require archival formats. ISO 19005 compliance ensures your documents meet legal preservation standards globally.
🎨 Color Profile Embedding
Standard PDFs rely on output color profiles from the viewing application. Over time, different systems render colors differently. PDF/A embeds ICC color profiles directly, ensuring colors appear identically regardless of viewing software or future operating systems. Critical for documents where color accuracy matters—legal exhibits, medical imaging, architectural plans.
🚫 Encryption Prohibition
Standard PDF encryption methods become obsolete as cryptographic standards evolve. PDF/A explicitly prohibits encryption to ensure future accessibility. Documents must remain readable even when current encryption algorithms are deprecated. Archival access trumps security locks—ensuring documents remain accessible for legal discovery, historical research, and compliance audits decades later.
📜 Metadata Requirements
PDF/A mandates specific metadata for proper archival management. Document title, creation date, modification history—all required for institutional record-keeping. XMP metadata enables proper cataloging in document management systems. Essential for libraries, archives, and enterprise content repositories managing thousands of documents.
The fundamental difference: Standard PDF is designed for immediate viewing and printing—optimized for current systems. PDF/A is designed for permanence—optimized for future systems that don't exist yet. Standard PDFs can become unreadable as software evolves. PDF/A documents remain readable regardless of technological change because they're completely self-contained and standardized.
Supported PDF/A Standards
We support all major PDF/A conformance levels, each designed for specific preservation needs:
📄 PDF/A-1b (Basic Visual Preservation)
Best for: Maximum compatibility
Level B (Basic) ensures visual appearance is preserved. Based on PDF 1.4 specification. Most widely supported across archival systems. Safest choice for long-term compatibility. Used by courts, government agencies, and institutions requiring broadest system support. Ideal for legal documents, official records, and regulatory submissions where universal readability is paramount.
🎨 PDF/A-2b (Modern Features Support)
Best for: Complex documents
Based on PDF 1.7. Supports JPEG2000 compression for smaller file sizes. Allows layers and transparency (common in modern design tools). Supports embedded OpenType fonts. Better handling of Unicode characters. Ideal for documents created with modern design software, multilingual content, or files requiring advanced compression without sacrificing archival compliance.
🔤 PDF/A-1a & PDF/A-2a (Accessibility)
Best for: Accessibility requirements
Level A (Accessible) includes everything from Level B plus structural tagging for accessibility. Document structure is explicitly defined. Reading order is preserved. Alternative text for images is required. Screen readers can navigate properly. Required when accessibility compliance (Section 508, ADA) is mandatory alongside archival requirements.
🆕 PDF/A-3b (Embedded Files)
Best for: Engineering/Technical documents
Allows embedding of any file format within the PDF/A container. Embed source CAD files, spreadsheets, or XML data alongside the visual PDF. Common in engineering, architecture, and manufacturing where original source files must accompany rendered documents. Maintains archival compliance while preserving editable source data.
💡 Which version should you choose?
- PDF/A-1b: Use when maximum compatibility is essential. Courts, government submissions, and archives with older systems.
- PDF/A-2b: Use for modern documents with transparency, layers, or multilingual content. Better compression for smaller files.
- PDF/A-3b: Use only when specifically required—when you must embed source files alongside the PDF.
- Level A versions: Use when accessibility compliance is legally required alongside archival requirements.
Critical Compliance Requirements
⚖️ Legal Systems
US Federal Courts: Electronic Case Filing (ECF) systems require PDF/A for permanent court records. Civil and criminal case documents must be PDF/A-1b compliant for acceptance.
State Courts: Many state judicial systems mandate PDF/A for electronic filings. Check local rules—PDF/A-1b is the most commonly required standard.
International Courts: European Court of Justice, International Criminal Court—PDF/A required for official submissions.
🏛️ Government & Regulatory
Federal Agencies: National Archives (NARA) requires PDF/A for permanent federal records. Many agencies mandate PDF/A for FOIA responses and public records.
GDPR Compliance: Data retention policies often specify PDF/A for storing personal data records that must be preserved but remain accessible.
SEC Filings: Increasing adoption of PDF/A for financial disclosures and regulatory submissions requiring long-term preservation.
📚 Libraries & Archives
Academic Institutions: University libraries require PDF/A for thesis and dissertation submissions. Ensures decades of accessibility for future researchers.
National Libraries: Legal deposit requirements increasingly specify PDF/A format for digital publications.
Corporate Archives: Enterprise content management systems use PDF/A for critical business records retention.
🏥 Healthcare & Compliance
HIPAA Records: Medical records requiring long-term retention often use PDF/A to ensure future accessibility while meeting privacy regulations.
Clinical Trials: Pharmaceutical documentation for regulatory submissions (FDA, EMA) increasingly requires PDF/A for long-term data preservation.
Patient Records: Electronic health record systems archive critical documents in PDF/A format.
Validation & Verification
✓ Automatic Compliance Validation
Our conversion process includes automatic validation against ISO 19005 standards. Every converted file is verified for:
- Complete font embedding (no external font references)
- Proper color profile inclusion (device-independent color)
- Removal of prohibited content (JavaScript, external links, encryption)
- Metadata completeness (required archival information)
- Structure validation (proper PDF/A syntax compliance)
Files that don't meet strict PDF/A requirements are flagged. We automatically fix common issues during conversion. The output is guaranteed ISO-compliant and ready for submission to systems requiring validated PDF/A format.
Optimize Your Archives
Preparing documents for long-term preservation? Complete your archival workflow:
- Files too large for archival systems? Use our Compress PDF tool before converting to reduce storage requirements while maintaining quality.
- Need to combine multiple records? Use our Merge PDF tool first, then convert the final consolidated file to PDF/A format.
- Need to edit content before archiving? Use our PDF to Word converter to make corrections, then convert back to PDF, then to PDF/A.
- Want to add page numbers for archival reference? Use our Add Page Numbers tool before PDF/A conversion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between PDF and PDF/A?
PDF is designed for immediate use—viewing, printing, and interactive features. PDF/A is designed for long-term preservation and archival. Key differences: PDF/A embeds all fonts (PDF may reference system fonts), disables encryption (which becomes obsolete), prohibits JavaScript and external links (which break over time), and requires embedded color profiles (ensuring consistent appearance decades later). PDF/A guarantees documents remain readable regardless of future technological changes.
How do I convert a PDF to PDF/A for free?
Upload your PDF to our converter tool. We automatically embed fonts, remove prohibited features, validate compliance, and generate an ISO-certified PDF/A file. Download your archive-ready document. The entire process is free with no subscriptions, trials, or hidden costs. No watermarks. Unlimited conversions. Professional archival-grade output at no charge.
Which PDF/A version should I use?
PDF/A-1b is the safest choice for maximum compatibility—universally accepted by courts, government agencies, and archives. It's based on PDF 1.4 and supported by even older archival systems. Use PDF/A-2b if you need modern features like layers, transparency, or better compression. Use PDF/A-3b only if specifically required—when you must embed source files. When in doubt, choose PDF/A-1b for broadest compatibility.
Can I edit a PDF/A file?
PDF/A is designed to be read-only to ensure archival integrity. However, you can convert PDF/A back to standard PDF for editing, make your changes, then convert back to PDF/A. This preserves the archival workflow while allowing necessary updates. Some advanced PDF editors can modify PDF/A files directly while maintaining compliance, but this requires specialized software.
Will my encrypted PDF convert to PDF/A?
PDF/A prohibits encryption by specification—archival documents must remain accessible regardless of obsolete encryption standards. Our tool automatically removes encryption during conversion. If your PDF has password protection, you'll need to unlock it first. After PDF/A conversion, the document remains unencrypted to ensure future accessibility per archival standards.
What happens to hyperlinks in PDF/A?
External hyperlinks are prohibited in PDF/A because URLs can break over time (link rot). Internal navigation links within the document are preserved. If your PDF contains external web links, they'll be removed during conversion. The text of the URL remains visible, but the clickable hyperlink is disabled to meet archival standards.
Can I convert scanned documents to PDF/A?
Yes. Scanned documents convert well to PDF/A format. Since scanned PDFs are essentially images with optional OCR text, they're naturally self-contained—all content is already embedded in the file. No external font dependencies. Just ensure the scan quality is good for long-term readability. PDF/A preserves scanned documents with their embedded content intact.
How can I verify my PDF/A is compliant?
Our tool automatically validates compliance during conversion. The output file includes metadata confirming ISO 19005 conformance level. You can also use PDF/A validators (like Adobe Preflight or online validators) to verify compliance. Look for confirmation that all fonts are embedded, no encryption exists, and color profiles are included. Compliant files display validation confirmation.
Will PDF/A files be larger than standard PDFs?
Sometimes. Font embedding adds file size—if your PDF referenced system fonts, those fonts must now be embedded. However, PDF/A-2b supports better compression (JPEG2000) that can offset the increase. In practice, file size changes vary: simple documents may grow 10-30%, while documents with already-embedded fonts may stay roughly the same size or even shrink with PDF/A-2b compression.
Are PDF/A files compatible with all PDF readers?
Yes. PDF/A files are valid PDFs that open in any PDF reader—Adobe Acrobat, browser PDF viewers, mobile apps, etc. The difference is internal structure, not file compatibility. Any software that reads PDFs can read PDF/A. The archival features (embedded fonts, disabled JavaScript) are transparent to readers—documents simply display reliably across all platforms and time periods.
Ready to Future-Proof Your Documents?
Stop risking document corruption over time. Stop getting compliance rejections from courts and archives. Stop worrying about fonts disappearing or formats becoming obsolete.
Convert your PDFs to ISO-certified PDF/A format. Embed fonts permanently. Lock layouts permanently. Ensure readability permanently.
Start Converting to PDF/A Now