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Convert PDF to PDF/A Online — Long-Term Archival Compliant

No downloads needed. Convert standard PDFs to PDF/A archival format — supporting PDF/A-1a/1b, 2a/2b/2u, 3a/3b/3u (8 ISO standards total). Meets government, enterprise, and legal document long-term preservation requirements. Completely free with no watermarks.
  • 8 PDF/A standards: from PDF/A-1b basic archiving to PDF/A-3a full accessibility — choose as needed
  • Embeds all fonts and color profiles, ensuring precise reproduction for decades
  • Smart downgrade: automatically lowers conformance level when documents contain incompatible elements
  • One-click post-conversion workflows: compress or encrypt

Beyond Conversion: Professional-Grade Archival Compliance

8 PDF/A Standards to Choose From

Covers PDF/A-1a/1b (basic archiving, no JS or video), 2a/2b/2u (JPEG2000 and transparency support), and 3a/3b/3u (embed any file format as attachments). Select the standard that matches your compliance requirements.

Smart Downgrade for Guaranteed Success

When the source PDF contains incompatible elements, enable 'Allow conformance level downgrade' — the system automatically finds the closest compliant standard, preventing conversion failures.

Government & Enterprise Compliance

Meets archival format requirements for government archives, corporate legal departments, and audit institutions. Ideal for contracts, legal documents, and financial statements that need long-term preservation.

Keep Working After Conversion

Done converting? Jump straight into PDF compression, merging, or encryption — no re-uploading needed.

Your Files Stay Private

All processing happens on EU servers under GDPR compliance. Files are permanently deleted after conversion — nothing is cached or stored.

Use It Anywhere

No app needed. Works in any browser on any device — desktop, phone, or tablet.

Convert PDF to PDF/A in Just 3 Steps

01

Upload Your PDF

Click "Choose Files" or drag and drop your PDF into the secure workspace.

02

Automatic Conversion

The system automatically converts your PDF to archival-compliant PDF/A format.

03

Download Your PDF/A File

Conversion completes in seconds — download your archival-standard PDF/A file for free.

PDF to PDF/A Conversion FAQ

What is PDF/A? What versions exist?

PDF/A is an archival subset of PDF (ISO 19005), requiring embedded fonts and color information for long-term readability. Three generations exist: PDF/A-1 (basic archiving), PDF/A-2 (adds JPEG2000 and transparency), PDF/A-3 (allows embedding any file format). Each generation has levels a (full accessibility), b (visual fidelity), and u (Unicode text).

Which PDF/A standard should I choose?

PDF/A-1b is the most universal with best compatibility. Choose 1a for accessibility; 2b for documents with transparency; 3b for embedding source files (e.g. Excel). When unsure, PDF/A-2b is a safe middle ground.

What is 'Allow conformance level downgrade'?

When the source PDF contains elements incompatible with the chosen standard (e.g. PDF/A-1 doesn't allow transparency), enabling this option lets the system automatically downgrade to a compatible standard, preventing conversion failure.

Will the content change after conversion?

No. PDF/A conversion only embeds necessary resources and adjusts compliance properties — the document's visual content remains completely unchanged.

What are the free plan limits?

Free users can process PDFs up to 100 MB. Upgrade to Pro for larger files.

Is the conversion safe?

Your files are safe. 256-bit encrypted transfer, EU-based servers, GDPR compliant, and permanently deleted after processing.