PDF/UA Compliance

PDF/UA (Universal Accessibility) is the international ISO standard for accessible PDF documents. AdaRemediation ensures your PDFs meet PDF/UA-1 requirements for maximum accessibility and compliance.

What is PDF/UA?

PDF/UA, formally known as ISO 14289-1, defines the technical requirements for universally accessible PDF documents. Published in 2012, it provides specific, testable criteria that ensure PDFs work reliably with assistive technologies.

Unlike WCAG, which provides guidelines, PDF/UA specifies exact technical requirements for the PDF file format. A PDF that passes PDF/UA validation will work consistently across different screen readers and assistive technologies.

Key PDF/UA Requirements

Tagged PDF Structure

All content must be tagged with appropriate structure tags. No untagged content is allowed except for artifacts (decorative elements).

Semantic Tags

Tags must accurately represent the document structure—headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, and figures must use appropriate tag types.

Reading Order

The tag structure must reflect a logical reading order that makes sense when content is read sequentially.

Alternative Text

All images and figures must have alternative text or be marked as artifacts if decorative.

Document Metadata

The document must have a title, and the document language must be specified.

PDF/UA vs WCAG

While WCAG and PDF/UA complement each other, they serve different purposes:

  • WCAG: Provides accessibility guidelines applicable to all digital content
  • PDF/UA: Provides specific technical requirements for the PDF format

A PDF that meets PDF/UA requirements will typically also satisfy WCAG success criteria related to document structure and assistive technology compatibility.

Why PDF/UA Matters

  • Ensures consistent behavior across assistive technologies
  • Provides clear, testable compliance criteria
  • Increasingly required by government regulations worldwide
  • Demonstrates commitment to accessibility
  • Reduces legal risk

How AdaRemediation Ensures PDF/UA Compliance

Our remediation process applies all PDF/UA requirements:

  • Complete document tagging with semantic structure
  • Proper artifact marking for decorative content
  • Correct reading order in tag structure
  • Alternative text for all figures
  • Accessible table markup with headers
  • Document metadata and language specification
  • PDF/UA identifier in metadata

Validate your PDFs against PDF/UA

Get a free accessibility scan to identify PDF/UA compliance issues.

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