PDF to PDF/A – Archive-Ready Documents

Convert your PDF to PDF/A-2b, the ISO standard for long-term archiving. Your file is processed on our server in Germany and deleted immediately.

  • ✓No file limits
  • ✓No sign-up
  • ✓No watermark

How to PDF to PDF/A

  1. 1Drop your PDF into the box or click to choose it (up to 50 MB).
  2. 2Click Convert to PDF/A.
  3. 3Download the PDF/A-2b file.
  4. 4Optionally check it with a validator such as veraPDF.

What PDF/A is and when you need it

PDF/A is an ISO standard for documents that must look exactly the same in ten or twenty years. Archives, courts, tax authorities and universities often require it. The idea is that the file contains everything it needs: fonts are embedded instead of borrowed from the computer, colors are defined in a device-independent way, and features that depend on outside resources are not allowed.

This tool produces PDF/A-2b, the most widely accepted level for everyday archiving. Unlike our in-browser tools, conversion needs Ghostscript, so your file is uploaded over HTTPS to our server in Germany, converted and deleted immediately afterwards. Files up to 50 MB are accepted.

We want to be honest about compliance. Whether the result fully meets the standard depends on the source. Encrypted files, complex transparency or damaged fonts can prevent a clean conversion. Unlock a protected PDF first, and if an archive or authority will check your file, run it through an official validator such as veraPDF before submitting. For most invoices, contracts and reports, the conversion works on the first try.

Our take

We convert to PDF/A when a document has to stay readable for years: invoices for tax records, contracts in a company archive, theses submitted to a university, or files a court or authority explicitly requests as PDF/A.

After converting, we run important files through a validator such as veraPDF. It takes a minute and tells us whether the result truly meets the standard, which is what an archive or an authority will check.

The pitfall: not every source converts cleanly. Encrypted files, heavy transparency or unusual fonts can block full compliance, so we unlock and simplify the source first when the validator complains.

Related tools

Flatten PDFLock form fields and their values into the pageRepair PDFFix damaged PDFs that won't open by rebuilding their structureCompress PDFReduce PDF file size for email, uploads and sharingProtect PDFAdd a password to a PDF with AES-256 encryptionMerge PDFCombine multiple PDFs into one file in any orderGrayscale PDFConvert a color PDF to black and white, text stays sharp

Frequently asked questions

Is my PDF uploaded?+

Yes. This tool needs our server: the file is sent over HTTPS to Germany, converted with Ghostscript and deleted immediately.

Which PDF/A version do I get?+

PDF/A-2b, the widely accepted level for long-term archiving of everyday documents.

Is the result guaranteed to be compliant?+

It depends on the source. Encrypted files or heavy transparency can block full compliance. Check important files with a validator such as veraPDF.

What is the file size limit?+

Files up to 50 MB can be converted.

Can I convert a password-protected PDF?+

Unlock it first with Unlock PDF, because encrypted files cannot be valid PDF/A.

Is it free?+

Yes. No sign-up, no watermark and no daily limit.