PDF to PDF/A Converter

Convert your PDFs to ISO 19005 compliant PDF/A format for guaranteed long-term preservation and archival. Ensure document accessibility for decades.

Drag & Drop PDF File Here

or click to select from your computer

Supports PDF up to 100MB • All versions supported • Password-protected files not supported

Converting to PDF/A...

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ISO Compliance
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Pages Processed
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Fonts Embedded

PDF/A Compliance Check

PDF/A Conversion Successful!

Your document is now ISO 19005 compliant and ready for long-term archiving.

ISO 19005 Compliant
Read-Only Format
Fonts Embedded
Metadata Standardized

How to Convert PDF to PDF/A

1

Upload PDF

Drag & drop or select your PDF file. Supports all PDF versions up to 100MB.

2

Choose Settings

Select PDF/A standard, compression level, and metadata handling preferences.

3

Automatic Conversion

Our tool converts your PDF to ISO-compliant PDF/A format with font embedding.

4

Compliance Check

Verify all ISO requirements are met with our comprehensive compliance report.

5

Preview & Verify

Preview the converted document to ensure content integrity and formatting.

6

Download PDF/A

Download your archival-ready PDF/A document with guaranteed compliance.

7

Long-term Storage

Store your PDF/A files with confidence in their long-term accessibility.

PDF/A Standards Explained

PDF/A-1b

Basic Compliance
Visual appearance preservation. Most widely supported.

ISO 19005-1:2005

PDF/A-2b

Enhanced Features
JPEG2000, layers, transparency support.

ISO 19005-2:2011

PDF/A-3b

Embedded Files
Can embed other file formats within the PDF.

ISO 19005-3:2012

PDF/A-2u

Unicode Support
Full Unicode text support for multilingual documents.

ISO 19005-2:2011

Why Convert to PDF/A?

Long-term Preservation

Guaranteed document accessibility for decades. PDF/A files remain readable regardless of software changes.

Font Embedding

All fonts are embedded within the document, ensuring text appears exactly as intended forever.

Full-text Searchable

Maintains text layers for searching and copying, unlike image-only formats.

Self-contained Files

No external dependencies. All resources (fonts, colors, images) are embedded in the file.

Legal Compliance

Meets international standards for document archiving (ISO 19005) and legal admissibility.

Future-proof

Ensures documents remain accessible and readable with future software and systems.

Who Needs PDF/A?

Government & Legal

Court documents, legislation, contracts, and official records requiring long-term preservation.

Legal Documents Official Records Court Filings

Libraries & Archives

Historical documents, research papers, theses, and cultural heritage preservation.

Research Papers Historical Docs Theses

Healthcare

Medical records, patient histories, research data, and regulatory documentation.

Medical Records Research Data Regulatory Docs

Finance & Banking

Financial reports, audit trails, transaction records, and compliance documentation.

Financial Reports Audit Trails Compliance Docs

Security & Privacy

100% Local Processing

All conversion happens locally in your browser. No files are uploaded to any server.

Complete Privacy

Your documents never leave your computer. We cannot access or view your files.

No Data Retention

Files are processed in memory and automatically cleared when you close the tab.

No Tracking

We don't track your conversions or collect any information about your documents.

Frequently Asked Questions

PDF/A is an ISO-standardized version of PDF specialized for long-term preservation of electronic documents. Unlike regular PDFs, PDF/A files are self-contained with all fonts embedded, metadata standardized, and features that might prevent long-term accessibility removed. This ensures documents remain readable and visually identical for decades, regardless of software changes.

Key differences: 1) Fonts - PDF/A requires all fonts to be embedded; 2) Self-containment - PDF/A files include all resources; 3) Metadata - Standardized XMP metadata; 4) Features - PDF/A restricts features that hinder long-term access (like encryption, JavaScript); 5) Colors - Device-independent color spaces required; 6) Compression - Only lossless compression allowed for text/vector data.

PDF/A-1b: Most compatible, best for basic documents. PDF/A-2b: Enhanced features, supports JPEG2000 and layers. PDF/A-3b: Can embed other files (like XML data). PDF/A-2u: Best for multilingual documents with Unicode support. For most users, PDF/A-2b offers the best balance of compatibility and features.

No, the visual appearance should be identical. PDF/A preserves all visual elements while ensuring long-term accessibility. The conversion process embeds fonts, standardizes colors, and removes non-archival features without changing the visible content. You can preview the result before downloading to verify appearance.

PDF/A files are typically read-only for archival purposes. Forms are flattened, annotations are embedded, and the file is optimized for preservation rather than editing. If you need to edit the content, you should keep the original PDF and create a new PDF/A version after editing. Some PDF software can convert PDF/A back to editable PDF if needed.

Yes, our tool supports PDFs up to 100MB and 500 pages maximum. These limits ensure reliable browser-based processing. For larger documents, consider using desktop software or splitting the PDF into multiple files. Note that PDF/A files may be slightly larger than originals due to font embedding.

Yes, PDF/A is widely accepted by government agencies, courts, and legal systems worldwide. It meets international standards for document preservation (ISO 19005) and is often required for official records, court filings, and archival submissions. Many countries have adopted PDF/A as their standard for long-term document preservation.

PDFs with: 1) Password protection/encryption; 2) Embedded JavaScript; 3) External font dependencies that can't be embedded; 4) Certain types of multimedia content; 5) Advanced transparency effects (in PDF/A-1); 6) LZW compression (in PDF/A-1). Our tool will detect and warn about these issues during conversion.