Convert PDF to PDF/A

Convert a PDF to PDF/A, the ISO standard for long-term archiving. PDF/A embeds all fonts and removes features that could stop the file from opening the same way years from now, which is why courts, governments, and records systems often require it. Choose PDF/A-1, 2b, or 3. Your file is processed securely and deleted right after.

How to pdf to pdf/a

1. 1Upload the PDF you want to archive.
2. 2Choose the PDF/A format (2b is recommended).
3. 3We embed fonts and convert to the standard.
4. 4Download your PDF/A file.

When to use this tool

• A court, government agency, or records system specifically requires PDF/A for filing.
• You're archiving a contract or report that needs to remain readable decades from now.
• Your organization's document retention policy calls for ISO-standard archival PDFs.
• You're submitting a document to a system that rejects regular PDFs and asks for PDF/A.
• You're closing out a project file and need to meet your organization's long-term archive format.
• A grant or compliance audit specifically asks for documents in an ISO-archival format.

Tips for a better result

• Check which PDF/A level is required (1, 2b, or 3) before you choose; some agencies are specific about it.
• PDF/A-2b works for most general archiving needs if no particular level was requested.
• Convert your final version, since PDF/A is meant for long-term storage, not further editing.
• Combine with Sanitize PDF first if the source file has content you don't want archived.
• Keep your regular working PDF alongside the PDF/A version, since PDF/A is meant for archiving, not day-to-day editing.

Privacy: what happens to your file

This tool uploads your file to our server, which forwards it to a self-hosted PDF engine to convert the file to the PDF/A standard, then streams the result straight back to your download. Our own server doesn't write a copy to disk or share your file with anyone else.

PDF to PDF/A is one of 34 free convert-category tools on fillable.ca. It pairs well with compress pdf, flatten pdf and sanitize pdf for a complete document workflow — see the full tools listfor everything else that’s free to use.