How to convert a document to PDF/A

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The reliable rule: convert from the source application — the Word processor, spreadsheet, or scanning software that made the document — not by "printing to PDF" (which strips fonts and text fidelity). Every major tool has a PDF/A switch; the trick is knowing where it hides.

Microsoft Word (and Excel, PowerPoint)

1. File → Save As → choose PDF.
2. In the save dialog, click Options.
3. Tick PDF/A compliant (ISO 19005-1). Newer Office versions offer PDF/A-1; if your court prefers PDF/A-2b, use the Acrobat or LibreOffice route below.
4. Save. Fonts are embedded and XMP metadata written automatically.

Adobe Acrobat (best control, works on existing PDFs too)

1. Open the PDF → Tools → Print Production → Preflight.
2. Search profiles for "PDF/A-2b" and run Convert to PDF/A-2b.
3. Acrobat reports success and writes the identification. This is also the route for fixing an existing PDF that was exported wrongly.

LibreOffice / OpenOffice (free)

1. File → Export as PDF.
2. General tab → Archive (PDF/A, ISO 19005) → select PDF/A-2b (or PDF/A-3b if attachments are wanted and allowed).
3. Export. Free, no license, excellent PDF/A-2b output.

Scanned documents — OCR first, always

A scan exported as-is becomes an image-only PDF/A: visually compliant, mechanically useless for a clerk who needs searchable text, and rejected or rasterized by many portals.

1. Scan at 300 dpi, straight, no shadows.
2. Run OCR: Acrobat's Recognize Text, or a free OCR tool.
3. Then export/convert to PDF/A-2b. The text layer is what makes it a filing-grade document.

What NOT to do

• Don't rename a plain PDF to .pdfa or trust a filename. The XMP metadata must carry the PDF/A identification — the checker reads it.
• Don't use "smallest file size" presets: they strip embedded fonts, the single most common rejection cause.
• Don't password-protect a filing, even "just for the draft": encryption is prohibited.

Verify — never skip this

Open the result and confirm the viewer shows a PDF/A notice; then run a real check. This site's browser checker validates the key requirements (fonts, metadata, encryption, attachments, searchable text) and shows a per-item pass/fail report in seconds. For a certified ISO 19005 conformance report, run the open-source validator veraPDF.