What is PDF/A and how is it different from regular PDF?

PDF/A is a restricted, archival-grade subset of the regular PDF format, standardised as ISO 19005. The key restrictions: every font must be embedded (no name-only references), colour must be device-independent (ICC profile or known colour space), no JavaScript, no external links to dynamic content, no embedded media files, no encryption. The result is a self-contained file that can be opened and read correctly decades from now, on any conforming reader, without dependencies on the original software, fonts, or operating system. Regular PDF can include all those things; PDF/A explicitly forbids them so the file remains stable over time.

When is PDF/A actually required?

Most often: court filings, government records, regulatory submissions, library / museum digital collections, healthcare records under HIPAA-aligned retention rules, financial records under SOX / IFRS retention. The U.S. National Archives requires PDF/A for archival-grade transfers; many EU national archives have similar requirements. For internal business documents PDF/A is rarely mandatory but is increasingly used as best practice for any document expected to outlast its source application.

What are PDF/A-1, PDF/A-2, PDF/A-3, PDF/A-4?

PDF/A-1 (2005) is the original; based on PDF 1.4; the strictest restrictions. PDF/A-2 (2011) is based on PDF 1.7 and adds JPEG 2000 image support, transparency, and OpenType fonts. PDF/A-3 (2012) is like PDF/A-2 plus allows embedded files of any type (useful for archiving a PDF together with its source XLSX or XML). PDF/A-4 (2020) is based on PDF 2.0 and modernises the colour and metadata requirements. For most use cases PDF/A-2b ("basic") is the right choice — it accepts the broadest range of source documents while still meeting archival requirements.

How do I check whether a PDF is PDF/A-compliant?

Open in Acrobat → File → Properties → look for the "PDF/A" entry in the Description tab. If the file conforms, the marker reads e.g. "PDF/A-1b". The free PDF/A Version Detector on ScoutMyTool runs the same check in your browser without needing Acrobat — drop the PDF, get a verdict with the specific conformance level and any non-conformances flagged. For audit-grade verification (court filings, government submissions), use the veraPDF open-source validator, which is what most archival institutions use.

How do I convert a regular PDF to PDF/A?

Three options. (a) Re-export from the source document with PDF/A enabled. Word: File → Save As → PDF → Options → tick "ISO 19005-1 compliant (PDF/A)". InDesign: PDF preset → set Standard to PDF/X-4 or PDF/A. (b) Use Acrobat Pro's Preflight → "Convert to PDF/A". (c) Use a client-side converter that handles the conversion (embedding fonts, flattening transparency, removing forbidden elements). Option (a) is the most reliable — the source application knows what fonts and elements the document uses.

Will converting to PDF/A change how the document looks?

Visually, almost never. The restrictions in PDF/A are about file structure, not visual content — fonts must be embedded but the same fonts render; colours must be defined in a device-independent space but the same colours appear; JavaScript is removed but JavaScript is invisible in any printed or read-only view anyway. The exception is encryption: if your PDF was password-protected, converting to PDF/A removes the password (and saves an unprotected file), because PDF/A forbids encryption. For sensitive documents that need both archival and confidentiality, store the PDF/A in an encrypted container rather than encrypting the PDF itself.

Can I include interactive form fields in a PDF/A document?

Yes, in PDF/A-2 and later. PDF/A-1 forbade interactive forms; PDF/A-2 added AcroForm support back. Most archival institutions accept PDF/A-2 with empty / sample form fields preserved. If the document is a "completed and signed" submission, the convention is to flatten the form fields before saving as PDF/A — that way the field values are baked into the page content and the file becomes truly static.

PDF/A vs PDF — long-term archival format explained (2026)

7 min read

PDF/A vs PDF — long-term archival format explained

By ScoutMyTool Editorial Team · Last updated: 2026-05-20

After working with hundreds of users on archival-grade document workflows, the moment PDF/A comes up is usually the moment a court clerk, archivist, or regulator has rejected a submission for being "not PDF/A compliant". The format is everywhere in the institutional document world and almost invisible in the consumer world, which makes the rejection confusing to anyone who has only ever generated regular PDFs. Below is what PDF/A actually is, how it differs from regular PDF, when it is mandatory, and how to convert into it without breaking the document.

The structural differences in one table

Feature	Regular PDF	PDF/A
Font embedding	Optional	Required
JavaScript / scripts	Allowed	Forbidden
Encryption / password	Allowed	Forbidden
External links / media	Allowed	Static targets only
Colour space	Any	Device-independent (ICC or known)
Form fields	AcroForm + XFA	AcroForm only (PDF/A-2+)
Embedded files	Allowed	Forbidden (except PDF/A-3)

The PDF/A conformance levels (and which to pick)

PDF/A-1 (2005, based on PDF 1.4) — strictest; no transparency, no JPEG 2000, no form fields. Use when explicitly mandated by an older archival policy.
PDF/A-2 (2011, based on PDF 1.7) — adds transparency, JPEG 2000, OpenType fonts, AcroForm support. The default choice for most archival uses today.
PDF/A-3 (2012) — PDF/A-2 plus allows embedding arbitrary files (XLSX, XML). Use when the archive needs to carry source data alongside the rendered PDF — common in e-invoicing and electronic submissions (Germany's ZUGFeRD, France's Factur-X).
PDF/A-4 (2020, based on PDF 2.0) — modernises colour and metadata. Adoption is growing; use only when the receiving institution explicitly accepts it.

Within each level, the "b", "a", and "u" suffixes denote conformance tiers: "b" for basic visual conformance, "a" for accessibility tags (PDF/UA-aligned), "u" for full Unicode mapping. PDF/A-2b is the sweet spot for most submissions — broad source compatibility, no accessibility-tag requirement.

Step-by-step: detect, convert, and verify PDF/A

The ScoutMyTool detector lives at scoutmytool.com/pdf/pdf-a-version-detector. Runs client-side — no upload, no signup, no quota.

Drop your PDF. The detector parses the metadata header and reports the conformance level ("PDF/A-2b", "PDF/A-1a", "Not PDF/A") along with the underlying PDF version (1.4, 1.5, 1.7, 2.0).
If "Not PDF/A": pick a conversion route. Best — re-export from the source application with PDF/A enabled. Acceptable — Acrobat Pro Preflight → Convert to PDF/A. Avoid — third-party converters that handle fonts poorly.
From Word. File → Save As → PDF → Options → tick "ISO 19005-1 compliant (PDF/A)". Word embeds fonts and converts non-conforming elements.
From LibreOffice. File → Export As → Export As PDF → General → tick "Archive (PDF/A, ISO 19005)" → set level to 2b. LibreOffice tends to be more reliable than Word for older non-conforming sources.
Verify the result. Re-run the detector on the converted PDF. Conformance level should match your target; any "Not PDF/A" verdict means the conversion did not stick — usually a font that could not be embedded.
For audit-grade verification. Use the veraPDF open-source validator (downloadable from verapdf.org). veraPDF is what most archival institutions use internally; passing veraPDF means passing the receiving system.

When does PDF/A actually matter?

U.S. courts — federal courts via PACER / ECF require PDF/A for many filings; check the local rule.
U.S. National Archives — archival-grade transfers require PDF/A-1a or PDF/A-2a.
EU e-invoicing — Germany's ZUGFeRD and France's Factur-X formats are PDF/A-3 with embedded XML.
Healthcare and finance long-term storage — HIPAA / SOX / IFRS retention frameworks recommend PDF/A for documents kept >7 years.
Library and museum collections — most national libraries (Library of Congress, British Library, BnF) use PDF/A for digitised collections.
Print-on-demand publishing — Lulu, KDP, IngramSpark accept PDF/X (a print-focused cousin) but increasingly also PDF/A for archive-quality publications.

Frequently asked questions

What is PDF/A and how is it different from regular PDF?: PDF/A is a restricted, archival-grade subset of the regular PDF format, standardised as ISO 19005. The key restrictions: every font must be embedded (no name-only references), colour must be device-independent (ICC profile or known colour space), no JavaScript, no external links to dynamic content, no embedded media files, no encryption. The result is a self-contained file that can be opened and read correctly decades from now, on any conforming reader, without dependencies on the original software, fonts, or operating system. Regular PDF can include all those things; PDF/A explicitly forbids them so the file remains stable over time.
When is PDF/A actually required?: Most often: court filings, government records, regulatory submissions, library / museum digital collections, healthcare records under HIPAA-aligned retention rules, financial records under SOX / IFRS retention. The U.S. National Archives requires PDF/A for archival-grade transfers; many EU national archives have similar requirements. For internal business documents PDF/A is rarely mandatory but is increasingly used as best practice for any document expected to outlast its source application.
What are PDF/A-1, PDF/A-2, PDF/A-3, PDF/A-4?: PDF/A-1 (2005) is the original; based on PDF 1.4; the strictest restrictions. PDF/A-2 (2011) is based on PDF 1.7 and adds JPEG 2000 image support, transparency, and OpenType fonts. PDF/A-3 (2012) is like PDF/A-2 plus allows embedded files of any type (useful for archiving a PDF together with its source XLSX or XML). PDF/A-4 (2020) is based on PDF 2.0 and modernises the colour and metadata requirements. For most use cases PDF/A-2b ("basic") is the right choice — it accepts the broadest range of source documents while still meeting archival requirements.
How do I check whether a PDF is PDF/A-compliant?: Open in Acrobat → File → Properties → look for the "PDF/A" entry in the Description tab. If the file conforms, the marker reads e.g. "PDF/A-1b". The free PDF/A Version Detector on ScoutMyTool runs the same check in your browser without needing Acrobat — drop the PDF, get a verdict with the specific conformance level and any non-conformances flagged. For audit-grade verification (court filings, government submissions), use the veraPDF open-source validator, which is what most archival institutions use.
How do I convert a regular PDF to PDF/A?: Three options. (a) Re-export from the source document with PDF/A enabled. Word: File → Save As → PDF → Options → tick "ISO 19005-1 compliant (PDF/A)". InDesign: PDF preset → set Standard to PDF/X-4 or PDF/A. (b) Use Acrobat Pro's Preflight → "Convert to PDF/A". (c) Use a client-side converter that handles the conversion (embedding fonts, flattening transparency, removing forbidden elements). Option (a) is the most reliable — the source application knows what fonts and elements the document uses.
Will converting to PDF/A change how the document looks?: Visually, almost never. The restrictions in PDF/A are about file structure, not visual content — fonts must be embedded but the same fonts render; colours must be defined in a device-independent space but the same colours appear; JavaScript is removed but JavaScript is invisible in any printed or read-only view anyway. The exception is encryption: if your PDF was password-protected, converting to PDF/A removes the password (and saves an unprotected file), because PDF/A forbids encryption. For sensitive documents that need both archival and confidentiality, store the PDF/A in an encrypted container rather than encrypting the PDF itself.
Can I include interactive form fields in a PDF/A document?: Yes, in PDF/A-2 and later. PDF/A-1 forbade interactive forms; PDF/A-2 added AcroForm support back. Most archival institutions accept PDF/A-2 with empty / sample form fields preserved. If the document is a "completed and signed" submission, the convention is to flatten the form fields before saving as PDF/A — that way the field values are baked into the page content and the file becomes truly static.

Check whether your PDF is PDF/A-compliant — free, no signup

Detects conformance level (PDF/A-1, PDF/A-2, PDF/A-3, PDF/A-4) and flags non-conformances. Runs entirely in your browser.

Open the PDF/A Version Detector at scoutmytool.com/pdf/pdf-a-version-detector →