Convert PDF to PDF/A — archival-grade ISO output
Generate PDF/A-1b, PDF/A-2b or PDF/A-3b files that meet ISO 19005 archival standards. Required by courts, regulators, government e-filing portals and long-term corporate archives. Includes a validation report.
PdfDocShift › PDF/A Converter
✅ PDF/A file ready to download!
Long-term preservation — in one click
PDF/A is the ISO 19005 archival flavour of PDF: every font is embedded, colour is declared explicitly, encryption is forbidden, and unsupported features (JavaScript, audio, video, external references) are stripped. The result opens identically today and decades from now — without depending on system fonts, browser plug-ins or any external resource. PdfDocShift converts your file to PDF/A-1b, PDF/A-2b or PDF/A-3b and returns a veraPDF validation report so you can prove compliance.
More PDF tools, all free
Every PDF operation you need — one click away.
Four steps, done
No sign-up required. Files are encrypted in transit and auto-deleted after 2 hours.
What is PDF/A — and why do archives require it?
A regular PDF can reference external fonts, use device-dependent colour spaces, embed JavaScript, audio, video or 3D objects, and apply encryption — all of which can stop the file rendering correctly years from now when the original font is gone, the plug-in is unsupported or the colour profile is no longer recognised. PDF/A is the ISO 19005 archival subset of PDF, designed to eliminate every one of those external dependencies. Every font used is embedded inside the file, colour is declared explicitly using ICC profiles, encryption is forbidden, JavaScript and dynamic content are stripped, and document metadata is rewritten as XMP. The output opens identically today, in ten years and in fifty years — making it the format of choice for courts, regulators, national archives and any organisation with a long-term document-retention policy.
PDF/A-1b vs PDF/A-2b vs PDF/A-3b — which one should you use?
PDF/A-1b (ISO 19005-1, 2005) is the original and strictest level. It is based on PDF 1.4 and disallows transparency, layers, JPEG 2000 and embedded files. Maximum compatibility — recommended for court e-filing systems, government submissions and national archives where a specific flavour is mandated and "more compatible" beats "more capable".
PDF/A-2b (ISO 19005-2, 2011) is the practical default for most documents created today. Based on PDF 1.7, it adds JPEG 2000 image support, transparency, optional content (layers) and the ability to embed PDF/A files inside other PDF/A files. Accepted by virtually every modern archive. If you don't have a specific reason to pick another flavour, choose PDF/A-2b.
PDF/A-3b (ISO 19005-3, 2012) is identical to PDF/A-2b with one significant change: it permits any file type to be embedded as an attachment inside the archival PDF. This is the format used by ZUGFeRD (Germany) and Factur-X (France) hybrid e-invoices, where a machine-readable XML invoice is embedded alongside the human-readable PDF. Pick PDF/A-3b only if your workflow specifically requires embedded source files — otherwise stick with 2b.
Who actually requires PDF/A?
Real-world archival requirements differ by jurisdiction and industry, but the common cases are: court and tribunal e-filing systems in the US, UK, EU and India typically require PDF/A-1b or PDF/A-2b; European public procurement portals require PDF/A for tender submissions; national archives (e.g., the UK National Archives, US NARA, Germany's Bundesarchiv) mandate PDF/A for transferred records; SEC and HMRC filings accept PDF/A as their preferred PDF flavour; medical record retention under HIPAA and the EU GDPR favours PDF/A for long-term patient records; and e-invoicing standards like Germany's ZUGFeRD and France's Factur-X specifically require PDF/A-3b. If your destination's filing portal doesn't explicitly state a flavour, PDF/A-2b is the safest choice.
How does PdfDocShift convert your file?
The pipeline runs in two stages. Stage 1 — conversion: Ghostscript opens the source PDF with -dPDFA=2 (or 1/3 depending on the chosen flavour), embeds any missing fonts from the document's font set, converts device-dependent RGB to embedded ICC-tagged colour, strips encryption and any prohibited objects (JavaScript actions, audio/video annotations, external references), and rewrites the document information dictionary as XMP metadata. Stage 2 — validation: the output is run through veraPDF, the open-source reference validator endorsed by the PDF Association, which performs the full ISO 19005 conformance check. The validation report is bundled with your download and can be retained as a compliance audit trail. If validation fails, the conversion is retried with a stricter Ghostscript profile; if it still fails, you receive a clear diagnostic message explaining why.
What does "compliant" really mean — and what can break it?
A file is PDF/A-compliant if veraPDF reports zero "failed" rules for the chosen flavour. Common reasons a regular PDF cannot convert cleanly include: encryption — PDF/A explicitly forbids it, so unlock the file first using our Unlock PDF tool; missing fonts that aren't embedded and aren't part of the standard PDF font set — these are usually substituted automatically but glyphs that can't be matched will produce a warning; colour profiles that reference device-specific output intents — these are converted to embedded ICC profiles; JavaScript or external references — stripped during conversion. The validation report tells you exactly what was changed.
PDF/A vs Flatten PDF — what is the difference?
Both produce a more "frozen" PDF, but they solve different problems. Flatten PDF bakes interactive layers (form widgets, annotations, comments, signatures) into static page content — the file becomes non-editable but is still a regular PDF. PDF/A Converter changes the underlying file format to ISO 19005 — the file becomes archival, with every dependency embedded, and validates as compliant. For most archival workflows, you want to flatten first (so the interactive content is locked into the page) and then convert to PDF/A (so the file is truly self-contained). If your destination requires "non-editable PDF/A", run the file through both tools in sequence.
PDF/A Converter questions
Everything you need to know about converting PDFs to ISO-archival PDF/A.
PDF/A is the ISO 19005 archival subset of the PDF format, designed for long-term preservation. A PDF/A file embeds every font it uses, declares colour explicitly, prohibits encryption, audio, video and JavaScript, and carries XMP metadata. The result opens identically today, in ten years, and in fifty years — without depending on external fonts, plug-ins or system colour profiles. Courts, regulators, national archives and most corporate document-retention policies require PDF/A for any document that must be preserved as the system of record.
PDF/A-1b (ISO 19005-1) is the strictest and most universally accepted — best for legal filings and government archives that require maximum compatibility. PDF/A-2b (ISO 19005-2) adds support for JPEG 2000, transparency, layers and embedded PDF/A files; it is the practical default for most modern documents and is accepted by virtually every archive. PDF/A-3b (ISO 19005-3) additionally allows arbitrary file attachments (XML invoices, source spreadsheets), making it the standard for e-invoicing formats like ZUGFeRD and Factur-X. If you are unsure, choose PDF/A-2b.
A regular PDF can reference external fonts, use unsupported colour spaces, contain encryption, JavaScript, audio, video, multimedia and live form widgets — any of which can stop the file rendering correctly years later. PDF/A removes those dependencies and prohibits those features. Everything required to render the document is embedded inside the file. That is the entire reason PDF/A exists: a regular PDF is a viewing format, PDF/A is a preservation format.
Yes. Text remains real, searchable text. Embedded images keep their original resolution. Layouts, page sizes and fonts are preserved exactly. The conversion only changes what is required to make the file compliant — embedding any missing fonts, normalising colour spaces, stripping encryption and unsupported objects, and rewriting metadata as XMP. Visually the file is identical to the source PDF.
After conversion, we run the output through veraPDF — the open-source reference validator for ISO 19005 — and bundle a one-page report with your download. The report confirms whether the file is fully compliant, lists any non-fatal warnings that were resolved during conversion, and records the PDF/A flavour produced. You can keep this report with the archived file as a compliance audit trail.
PDF/A explicitly forbids encryption, so you must remove the password first using our Unlock PDF tool, then convert to PDF/A. If you upload an encrypted file, the converter will fail with a clear error message asking you to unlock it. This is by design — an encrypted PDF cannot be archival.
PDF/A-1b and PDF/A-2b prohibit JavaScript, audio, video, 3D and external references — these are stripped during conversion. PDF/A-2b additionally permits transparency, layers and JPEG 2000. PDF/A-3b is the only variant that allows arbitrary file attachments (e.g., the XML side of a ZUGFeRD invoice), so use it if your workflow depends on attached source files.
Yes — PDF/A is the explicitly preferred format for most court e-filing systems, regulatory submissions and national archives worldwide. Many jurisdictions specify a PDF/A flavour (commonly PDF/A-1b or PDF/A-2b). The output of this tool is a fully ISO 19005-compliant file. As always, check your destination's filing requirements: a small number of portals also require additional metadata fields, which can be added on request.
Yes. Files are uploaded over 256-bit SSL, processed in an isolated worker container, and permanently deleted from our servers two hours after conversion. We never read, index, log or share your content. There is no account or sign-up required.
Yes. Like every tool on PdfDocShift, PDF/A Converter is completely free — no account, subscription or credit card required. The maximum file size is 200 MB per file with no daily usage limit.