PDF/UA (ISO 14289)
PDF/UA is the ISO standard (14289) that defines how to make PDF files accessible, complementing WCAG with PDF-specific technical requirements.
PDF/UA, where UA stands for Universal Accessibility, is the international standard for accessible PDF documents. It is published as ISO 14289 and specifies the technical requirements a PDF must meet to be usable by assistive technologies such as screen readers. Where WCAG describes accessibility goals in technology-neutral terms, PDF/UA translates those goals into concrete rules for the PDF format itself.
The core of PDF/UA is structure. An accessible PDF must be a tagged PDF, meaning it carries a hidden logical structure tree that identifies headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, and reading order independently of how the content is visually laid out. Assistive technology uses these tags, not the visual appearance, to convey the document. An untagged PDF, even one that looks perfectly organized on screen, is typically inaccessible.
Beyond tagging, PDF/UA requires alternative text for meaningful images, a defined document language, a document title exposed in metadata, correctly marked tables with header associations, and the avoidance of accessibility anti-patterns such as content that exists only as a scanned image without a text layer. Interactive elements like form fields and links must also carry appropriate labels and structure.
PDF/UA and WCAG are complementary rather than competing. WCAG applies to PDFs as documents, and the W3C publishes PDF techniques for satisfying WCAG success criteria. Meeting PDF/UA generally aligns a document with the relevant WCAG requirements. This matters for compliance because U.S. Section 508 and EN 301 549 both cover electronic documents, and untagged PDFs are among the most common findings in real-world accessibility audits.
Sources
Primary references for the facts on this page. Links open in a new tab.
Accessibility goes beyond your PDFs
Your documents are one part of the picture; your web pages are the other. Scan your site to see how its pages measure against WCAG.
Read the accessible-documents guideRelated terms
WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)
WCAG is the W3C's technical standard for making web content accessible, and the benchmark most accessibility laws point to.
Section 508
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires U.S. federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible, using WCAG 2.0 Level AA as the technical standard.
Alt Text
Alt text is the text alternative for an image, required by WCAG success criterion 1.1.1 so that people who cannot see the image still receive its information.
EN 301 549
EN 301 549 is the European standard for ICT accessibility, used across EU public procurement and referenced by the European Accessibility Act.
Check your own site
Run a free scan against WCAG 2.2 Level AA. You get a score, a severity breakdown, and fix suggestions in seconds. Automated scanning covers the machine-testable criteria; pair it with manual testing for full coverage.