Validate a PDF/A document
Choose the parameters the API accepts and get the validation report back. No sign-up required.
Four versions, one goal
Each part of the ISO 19005 standard built on the last, adding capability while keeping the archival guarantee. Newer is not always better, the right version depends on your requirements.
The original and strictest version. No transparency, no layers, no embedded files. Maximum compatibility for the simplest archival needs.
Adds transparency, layers, JPEG2000 compression and the ability to embed other PDF/A files. The most widely used version today.
Like PDF/A-2, but allows embedding any file type, source spreadsheets, XML, CAD. The basis for hybrid e-invoices such as Factur-X / ZUGFeRD.
The current generation, aligned with PDF 2.0. Streamlines the conformance model and modernises support for digital signatures and rich media.
Saving the file as PDF/A is not proof
A document either conforms to ISO 19005 or it does not, and the consequences of getting it wrong land downstream. Validation turns an assumption into a verifiable fact.
Legal & court e-filing
Many courts and e-filing systems reject documents that are not valid PDF/A. Validation catches problems before a filing bounces back.
Government submissions
Public-sector portals and tax authorities mandate PDF/A for records. A pre-submission check avoids rejected, re-submitted paperwork.
Archival & records management
Before a document enters a 10- or 50-year archive, validation confirms it will actually remain readable, not just that someone clicked "save as PDF/A".
Accessibility compliance
Level A conformance underpins accessible-document mandates. Validation verifies the tagging and structure are genuinely present.
Audit & due diligence
Produce evidence that a batch of documents meets a named standard, useful for ISO audits, contracts and regulatory reviews.
Catching false claims
A file can claim to be PDF/A and still be non-conformant. Only validation against the ISO ruleset tells you the truth.
The PDF format made for the long term
PDF/A is a restricted version of PDF, standardised by ISO as ISO 19005, for the long-term archiving of electronic documents. It removes the parts of PDF that make files fragile over time and requires everything needed to reproduce the document to be embedded inside it.
The result is a document you can trust to open and look the same in 5, 25 or 50 years, which is exactly why courts, governments and regulated industries require it.
Self-contained
Everything needed to display the file (fonts, color profiles, images) is embedded. Nothing is fetched from outside.
No external dependencies
No links to external content, no JavaScript, no encryption. The document can never break or "phone home".
Renders the same forever
A PDF/A file looks identical decades from now, on any compliant viewer. That is the whole promise of archival PDF.
A, B or U: how strict is the file?
Within a version, the conformance level says how much the document guarantees. They build on each other: B is the floor, A is the ceiling.
Guarantees the document will look exactly the same in the future. The minimum bar for archival, what most files target.
- Embedded fonts & color
- Identical appearance over time
- Searchable / extractable text
- Tagged for accessibility
Everything in level B, and all text is mapped to Unicode, so it can be searched, copied and indexed accurately. Introduced in PDF/A-2.
- Everything in level B
- Searchable, extractable text
- Tagged for accessibility
The strictest level: a tagged document structure plus Unicode text, making the file accessible to assistive technology and fully reusable.
- Everything in level U
- Tagged structure (accessibility)
- Logical reading order
A verdict you can act on
Every validation returns a structured report. Decision-makers get a plain pass/fail; teams get the detail to fix what failed and prove what passed.
-
A clear pass or failOne unambiguous verdict (is the file valid PDF/A or not) that any system can act on automatically.
-
The exact conformanceBoth the version and level the file was verified against, e.g. pdfa-2b, and the level it actually claims.
-
Every failed checkWhen a file fails, you get a count and a detailed list of the specific ISO rules it violated, not just a bare "invalid".
-
File contextThe file name and size, plus the producer, so each result is traceable back to a specific document.
{ "isValid": true, "validationStatus": "Compliant", "message": "The document is valid PDF/A and conforms to PDF/A-2B standard.", "details": { "failedChecks": { "count": 0, "checks": [] }, "producer": "ConvertAPI", "verifiedConformance": { "standard": "PDFA", "level": "B", "part": 2, "label": "pdfa-2b" }, "targetConformance": { "standard": "PDFA", "level": "B", "part": 2, "label": "pdfa-2b" }, "fileInfo": { "fileName": "pdfa.pdf", "fileSize": 44429 } } }
{ "isValid": false, "validationStatus": "NonCompliant", "message": "The document targets PDF/A-2B but failed 8 conformance checks.", "details": { "failedChecks": { "count": 8, "checks": [{ "id": "UnsupportedDeviceColorSpace", "occurenceCount": 7, "occurences": [{ "context": "Page", "objReference": "13 0 obj", "pageNumber": 1, "statement": "Device dependent color space used without matching PDF/A OutputIntent." }] }, { "id": "UnembeddedFont", "occurenceCount": 1, "occurences": [{ "context": "Page", "objReference": "46 0 obj", "pageNumber": 1, "statement": "The font is not embedded." }] }] }, "producer": "ConvertAPI", "verifiedConformance": null, "targetConformance": { "standard": "PDFA", "level": "B", "part": 2, "label": "pdfa-2b" }, "fileInfo": { "fileName": "Page12.pdf", "fileSize": 7634244 } } }
{ "isValid": false, "validationStatus": "NoConformanceClaimed", "message": "The document does not declare a PDF/A conformance level, so auto-detection found nothing to validate.", "details": { "failedChecks": { "count": 0, "checks": [] }, "producer": "ConvertAPI", "verifiedConformance": null, "targetConformance": null, "fileInfo": { "fileName": "ganesha.pdf", "fileSize": 307844 } } }
By default the response wraps a stored-file reference (a
Url to the report). Add
?download=inline to the conversion request and
the report JSON is returned directly in the response body, no second request to fetch it.
// default: response wraps a file reference POST https://v2.convertapi.com/convert/pdfa/to/validate { "Files": [{ "Url": ".../pdfa.json" }] } // report JSON in the response body, no round-trip POST https://v2.convertapi.com/convert/pdfa/to/validate?download=inline
Built for archival workflows at scale
When you are ready to automate, the ConvertAPI validation endpoint turns the standard into a single API call.
Fast validation
Validate documents in seconds against the full ISO 19005 ruleset on high-performance cloud infrastructure.
Industry-standard accuracy
veraPDF-aligned rules deliver consistent, authoritative compliance results across every PDF/A version.
Enterprise-grade security
ISO 27001, HIPAA and GDPR compliant, with encrypted processing and zero data retention after validation.
Global infrastructure
Strategically located servers keep latency low and availability high for archival workflows worldwide.
Detailed compliance reports
A structured report lists the detected conformance level and every PDF/A violation found.
Fits any workflow
A single REST endpoint and SDKs for every major language drop validation into existing pipelines.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is PDF/A?
PDF/A is an ISO-standardised version of PDF (ISO 19005) designed for long-term archiving. It requires everything needed to display the document (fonts, colour profiles, images) to be embedded, and forbids features like external links, JavaScript and encryption that could make a file unreadable in the future.
What is the difference between PDF and PDF/A?
A regular PDF can rely on external fonts or resources, contain dynamic content, and look different on different viewers. PDF/A is a stricter subset that locks all of this down so the document is self-contained and reproduces identically over time. Every PDF/A file is a PDF, but most PDFs are not valid PDF/A.
What do PDF/A-1, 2, 3 and 4 mean?
They are successive versions of the standard. PDF/A-1 (2005) is the original and strictest. PDF/A-2 (2011) adds transparency, layers and JPEG2000. PDF/A-3 (2012) additionally allows embedding any file type. PDF/A-4 (2020) is aligned with PDF 2.0 and modernises the conformance model.
What do the conformance levels A, B and U mean?
Level B (Basic) guarantees reliable visual reproduction. Level U adds Unicode text mapping so the text is searchable and extractable. Level A (Accessible) adds a tagged document structure for accessibility and reuse. They build on one another: B is the minimum, A is the most complete.
Why should I validate a PDF/A file?
Because saving a file as PDF/A does not guarantee it actually conforms. Validation checks the document against the full ISO ruleset and tells you definitively whether it passes. This matters for court e-filing, government submissions, accessibility mandates and any long-term archive where a non-conformant file could be rejected or become unreadable.
How does ConvertAPI validate PDF/A?
ConvertAPI checks documents against veraPDF-aligned validation rules, the industry-standard implementation of the ISO 19005 specification, and returns a structured report with a pass/fail verdict, the detected conformance level, and a detailed list of any violations.
Which PDF/A versions are supported?
All of them: PDF/A-1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 2u, 3a, 3b, 3u and PDF/A-4 (including 4e and 4f). You can target a specific conformance level or use automatic detection to validate against the level the document claims.
Validate your PDF/A documents with confidence
Verify a file against any PDF/A conformance level in seconds, or wire validation into your archival pipeline with one REST call. Create a free account to get started.