KissPDF

Check if Your PDF Is PDF/A Compliant

Free PDF/A Validator Online

Use this free PDF/A validator to verify whether a document meets the ISO requirements for long-term archiving. It checks PDF/A-1, PDF/A-2, PDF/A-3 and PDF/A-4 directly in your browser, then gives you a clear Yes or No result.

Key Points

  • Find out whether the file is really PDF/A
  • Identify its PDF/A version and conformance level
  • See plain-language reasons when the file is not compliant
  • Review the relevant ISO specification and clause

Capabilities

  • Validate PDF/A-1a and PDF/A-1b
  • Validate PDF/A-2a, PDF/A-2b, and PDF/A-2u
  • Validate PDF/A-3a, PDF/A-3b, and PDF/A-3u
  • Validate PDF/A-4, PDF/A-4e, and PDF/A-4f

Why a PDF/A Compliance Check Matters

Changing the filename or adding a PDF/A label does not make a document compliant. A valid archival PDF must satisfy the complete technical requirements of its PDF/A profile.

  • Detect missing embedded fonts and invalid font settings
  • Check colour spaces, output intents and metadata
  • Find forbidden actions, annotations or embedded files
  • Distinguish a failed document from an incomplete check

Private PDF/A Validation

Your PDF is checked locally in your browser. The document is not uploaded to KissPDF for processing, which makes the checker suitable for confidential archival files.

  • Your PDF is never uploaded
  • No account, queue, or watermark
  • Works without registration
  • The original PDF is never changed

How to Check if a PDF Is PDF/A

You do not need to inspect document metadata manually. Upload the file and the PDF/A checker tests its content and declared conformance profile.

1

Choose a PDF

Select the PDF or PDF/A document you want to check.

2

Validate the PDF

The checker identifies the declared PDF/A standard and tests the supported conformance profiles.

3

See the PDF/A Result

Get a clear answer showing whether the file is PDF/A compliant and which profile was checked.

4

Review Any Failures

If the PDF is not compliant, review the failed requirements and expand technical details when needed.

Practical guide

What to know before you start

Upload a PDF to check whether it is PDF/A compliant. The free online validator tests the actual document against PDF/A-1, PDF/A-2, PDF/A-3 and PDF/A-4 requirements, identifies the matching profile, and explains why a file fails instead of relying only on its metadata label.

What Does PDF/A Validation Check?

PDF/A is an ISO-standardized form of PDF intended for long-term preservation. A PDF/A validator checks the complete file, including document structure, embedded fonts, colour information, metadata, actions, annotations and other profile-specific requirements.

  • A normal PDF is not automatically a PDF/A file
  • The declared PDF/A profile is checked against the actual content
  • A PDF that opens and looks correct can still fail PDF/A compliance

Why Is My PDF Not PDF/A Compliant?

Common causes include fonts that are not embedded, missing or invalid XMP metadata, uncalibrated colour spaces without a valid output intent, prohibited encryption or actions, and document structures that do not meet the selected conformance level. The result lists the failed ISO requirements so you can identify the cause.

  • Missing identification metadata is not strict compliance
  • Each failure includes a specification and clause
  • Technical object locations remain available when needed

Which PDF/A Conformance Level Should You Use?

The letter describes the conformance level, while the number identifies the part of the PDF/A standard. Choose the level according to what future users must be able to do with the archived document.

  • Level B (PDF/A-1b, 2b or 3b): choose basic visual preservation when pages must render reliably. It is commonly suitable for scanned records, signed documents and image-based archives where semantic structure is unavailable.
  • Level U (PDF/A-2u or 3u): choose Unicode preservation when text must remain searchable, selectable, extractable or indexable, but full document structure and reading order are not required.
  • Level A (PDF/A-1a, 2a or 3a): choose accessible, structured preservation for born-digital reports, policies, publications and records that need logical reading order and better support for assistive technology or content reuse.
  • Level A is not automatically a substitute for PDF/UA accessibility validation. If accessibility is mandatory, validate the document against the applicable PDF/UA standard as well.

When to Use PDF/A-1, PDF/A-2, PDF/A-3 or PDF/A-4

A newer PDF/A version is not automatically better for every archive. Each version supports different PDF features and workflows, so follow the requirements of the archive, authority or organization receiving the document.

  • PDF/A-1: use for conservative or legacy archives that require the original PDF/A standard based on PDF 1.4. It works well for simple office files and scanned pages, but does not support transparency.
  • PDF/A-2: use for most modern PDF 1.7 documents that need features such as transparency, layers or JPEG 2000 without flattening them. It is often the practical general-purpose archival choice when no specific profile is mandated.
  • PDF/A-3: use when the archived PDF must carry non-PDF source data, such as an invoice with XML, a report with a spreadsheet, or a document package with machine-readable attachments. Embedded files must still be managed and described correctly.
  • PDF/A-4: use for modern PDF 2.0 preservation workflows. Use PDF/A-4f when associated or embedded files are required, and PDF/A-4e for engineering documents that need interactive 3D content.

Your PDF Stays on Your Device

Validation runs locally in a dedicated browser worker. KissPDF does not upload the selected document to a processing server, and the original PDF is not modified.

  • Your PDF is never uploaded
  • No account required
  • Suitable for confidential documents

Frequently asked questions

Clear answers based on how this tool actually works.

How do I check if a PDF is PDF/A compliant?

Upload the file to the PDF/A validator and wait for the result. A Yes result means the document passed the requirements for the displayed PDF/A profile. A metadata declaration by itself is not enough.

What is the difference between PDF and PDF/A?

PDF is a general document format. PDF/A is an ISO-standardized subset designed for long-term preservation, with restrictions and requirements for fonts, colour, metadata, encryption, external dependencies and other document features.

Which PDF/A versions can this validator check?

It checks PDF/A-1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 2u, 3a, 3b, 3u, 4, 4e, and 4f.

Should I use PDF/A level A, B or U?

Use level B when reliable visual reproduction is the main requirement, level U when searchable and extractable Unicode text is also needed, and level A when the document must preserve logical structure and reading order. For formal accessibility requirements, validate against PDF/UA as well.

When should I use PDF/A-3 or PDF/A-4f?

Use PDF/A-3 when a PDF 1.7 archival package needs arbitrary embedded source files, such as XML invoice data. Use PDF/A-4f for a PDF 2.0 archival workflow that requires embedded or associated files. Follow the profile required by the receiving archive whenever one is specified.

What does structurally eligible mean?

The document content passed the profile checks, but one or more PDF/A identification metadata rules failed. The original file is not strictly compliant as-is.

Why does a PDF that looks correct fail PDF/A validation?

PDF/A also controls invisible technical details such as font embedding, ICC profiles, metadata, actions, file attachments, Unicode mappings, and document structure.

Does validation change or repair my PDF?

No. The validator reads the file and produces a report. It does not alter the source PDF.

Is my PDF uploaded?

No. Parsing, profile execution, and report generation run in a Web Worker on your device.

What does validation incomplete mean?

The validator could not test every required rule because of cancellation, a safety limit, timeout, unsupported behavior, or an engine error. No compliance conclusion should be drawn from that run.

Does this tool check whether a PDF is genuine or has been edited?

No. PDF/A validation checks archival-format compliance. It does not prove authorship, verify authenticity, detect forgery or determine whether a document has been edited.

Can this validator repair an invalid PDF/A file?

No. It identifies failed PDF/A requirements but does not modify or convert the document. Repair or conversion requires a separate PDF-to-PDF/A tool.

Related PDF tools

Continue your workflow without uploading the document.

Extract PDF FontsInspect fonts embedded in a PDF and see where they are used.Edit PDF MetadataReview and change ordinary PDF document metadata.Extract PDF AttachmentsInspect PDF/A-3 associated files and other embedded documents.