PDF to PDF/A
Convert PDFs into the archival PDF/A standard.
Ready to use
Convert PDF to PDF/A
Upload one PDF and convert it into an archival PDF/A-2b document with embedded output intent metadata.
Usage notes
Available- One source PDF per request
- Current output profile: PDF/A-2b
- Ghostscript-backed archival conversion
- Maximum 25 MB source file
Produce an ISO-compliant archive PDF that will still render decades from now
Regular PDFs are a moving target. A file created in 2006 might reference fonts that are no longer on any system, rely on color profiles that have been superseded, or use features of the PDF spec that modern readers no longer support faithfully. For long-term archiving — legal records, government submissions, accreditation filings, historical documents — "usually renders correctly" is not good enough. That's the gap PDF/A fills.
PDF/A is an ISO standard (ISO 19005) specifically designed for long-term preservation. The specification demands that a conformant file is fully self-contained: every font used is embedded, every color is defined with an explicit profile, no encryption is allowed, no JavaScript or external dependencies are permitted, and every element that might depend on the viewer's environment is either captured inside the file or stripped out. A PDF/A file opened in 2050 should render exactly the same as one opened today — because everything it needs to render is already inside it.
OkFarsi's converter supports the three conformance levels commonly required: PDF/A-1b (the earliest level, broadest compatibility, limits on modern features), PDF/A-2b (supports transparency, JPEG 2000, and layers — the modern default for most archives), and PDF/A-3b (allows attached source files to travel with the PDF, useful for financial documents where the originating XML or XLSX accompanies the rendered statement). The 'b' variant is 'basic' conformance — it guarantees visual reproduction. 'a' variants go further by also requiring tagged content for accessibility; if your archive must also meet accessibility standards, ask for the 'a' level.
How to convert a PDF to PDF/A
- Decide which PDF/A level your archive requires
If your organization or regulator hasn't specified a level, default to PDF/A-2b for most modern archives. Choose PDF/A-1b only when you're told explicitly that your recipient requires the oldest level (some legacy submission portals still do). Pick PDF/A-3b only when you need to attach source files to the archived PDF.
- Upload the PDF
Drop the source file into the upload area. The converter inspects it for non-conformant elements (missing embedded fonts, undefined color spaces, encryption, JavaScript) and reports what needs to be transformed.
- Embed missing fonts
Any font used in the source that isn't already embedded is auto-embedded during conversion (subset-embedded to keep file size in check). This alone is usually the biggest source of non-compliance in non-archival PDFs.
- Normalize color spaces and strip forbidden features
Color spaces are tagged with explicit ICC profiles. Encryption, JavaScript, audio, and video are removed — PDF/A forbids all of them. Annotations that reference external resources are either rewritten to embedded equivalents or dropped.
- Download the PDF/A and validate
The converter runs a final compliance check using industry-standard validators before handing you the file. Open the PDF/A in a reader that supports the standard (Adobe Acrobat, Foxit) and confirm the file is identified as PDF/A-compliant in the document properties.
Common use cases
- Legal and compliance archiving
Preserve court filings, compliance records, and audit documents in a format that will remain readable and self-contained for the full retention period required by law.
- Government and regulatory submissions
Submit to portals that require PDF/A (common for tax authorities, intellectual-property offices, and financial regulators) without getting files rejected for non-conformance.
- Library and institutional archives
Ingest scanned or born-digital documents into an institutional archive where long-term readability is a primary acceptance criterion.
- Enterprise records management
Convert accounting packages, contracts, and board minutes to PDF/A before moving them into a records-management system with a multi-decade retention policy.
Privacy & security
Conversion runs on isolated workers inside our infrastructure. Because PDF/A forbids encryption, the output is, by definition, not password-protected — if your archive policy requires both PDF/A conformance and access control, apply access control at the storage layer (an encrypted repository, restricted permissions) rather than at the file level. The uploaded source PDF and the generated PDF/A output are removed from our servers shortly after your download completes.
Frequently asked questions
Which PDF/A level should I pick?
PDF/A-2b is the safe default — modern features, broad tool support, and accepted by most archives and regulators. PDF/A-1b only if the recipient explicitly requires the oldest level. PDF/A-3b only when you need to embed source files alongside the rendered PDF.
What's the difference between PDF/A-2b and PDF/A-2a?
The 'b' variant guarantees visual reproduction only. The 'a' variant adds structural tagging and Unicode mapping, which is required if the archive must also meet accessibility standards (e.g., Section 508 or EN 301 549). 'b' is enough for most archives; 'a' is required when accessibility compliance is part of the policy.
Why can't PDF/A be password-protected?
The PDF/A standard forbids encryption because a locked file is not reliably readable in the future if the password is lost and because encryption can rely on cryptographic libraries that may not be preserved. Apply access control at the storage or repository level, not inside the file.
Will PDF/A conversion make my file bigger?
Usually yes, because all fonts must be embedded. The increase is typically modest (10–30%) if the source already had most fonts embedded. Scanned PDFs barely grow because they were already image-heavy.
Can I convert a PDF that has JavaScript or form fields?
JavaScript is stripped during conversion because PDF/A forbids it. Interactive form fields convert to their current visual state on the page — the form becomes a static snapshot, not a live form. If the form must remain interactive, PDF/A is the wrong format.
Is the converted file deleted afterward?
Yes. Both the uploaded source and the generated PDF/A output are removed from our servers shortly after your download completes.