Official Sync:2026-03-15

PDF Accessibility Checklist

27 checks covering EN 301 549 Chapter 10 / PDF/UA (ISO 14289). Mark each check Pass, Fail, or N/A, guidance and fix instructions expand inline.

Legal basis, PDF accessibility

Directive (EU) 2016/2102, Public Sector Accessibility Directive, Article 4, Requirements for the accessibility of websites and mobile applications

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Directive (EU) 2016/2102, Public Sector Accessibility Directive
Article 4, Requirements for the accessibility of websites and mobile applications
Member States shall ensure that public sector bodies take the necessary measures to make their websites and mobile applications more accessible by making them perceivable, operable, understandable and robust.
Retrieved 2026-04-30View on EUR-Lex ↗

What is this?

This checklist helps you assess the accessibility of PDF files you produce or distribute, checking for tags, reading order, colour contrast, form fields, and other requirements.

When do I need this?

Use this when you create or commission PDF documents that customers, users, or the public will receive. Applies to contracts, guides, statements, invoices, and any other distributed PDF.

Applies to:All PDFs distributed to consumers as part of a product or service covered by the EAA.

1
Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro, The Accessibility Checker in Acrobat Pro is the standard tool for PDF accessibility testing. The free Reader does not include this feature.
2
Run the Accessibility Checker, Go to Tools → Accessibility → Full Check. Fix the issues flagged by the checker first.
3
Work through this checklist, This checklist covers additional items the automated checker may miss, including reading order and colour contrast.
4
Test with a screen reader, Use Acrobat's Read Out Loud feature or NVDA to verify the PDF reads correctly from start to finish.
5
Export for your Technical File, Download the completed checklist.

Blank checklist, printable form

PDF Accessibility Checklist

27 checks covering EN 301 549 Chapter 10 / PDF/UA (ISO 14289). Mark each check Pass, Fail, or N/A, guidance and fix instructions expand inline.

Blank checklist for offline completion.

Tick one box per row. Add comments and evidence references in the Notes column as needed.

Document Identity

Ref	Severity	Requirement	Status
WCAG 2.4.2 Page Titled (Level A)	Critical	Document title set in metadataThe document title must be set in the file's metadata (not just the first heading). Screen readers announce the title when the document is opened.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A
WCAG 3.1.1 Language of Page (Level A)	Critical	Primary language declaredThe document's primary language must be specified so screen readers select the correct voice and pronunciation engine.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A
Best Practice	Minor	Author and subject metadata presentAuthor and subject fields help cataloguing systems and assistive technologies describe the document to users. Recommended for official, public-facing documents.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A
ISO 14289-1 (PDF/UA-1) §6.7.11	Critical	PDF/UA-1 XMP identification metadata presentA PDF/UA-conforming document must contain an XMP metadata stream in the document catalog that includes the PDF/UA identification schema. The namespace must be declared as xmlns:pdfuaid='http://www.aiim.org/pdfua/ns/id/' and the element <pdfuaid:part>1</pdfuaid:part> must be present. Without this marker, the document cannot be declared PDF/UA-1 conformant even if it passes all other checks. The document title must appear in the XMP stream as <dc:title><rdf:Alt><rdf:li xml:lang="x-default">...</rdf:li></rdf:Alt></dc:title>, not only in the Info dictionary.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A
WCAG 2.4.2 Page Titled (Level A)	Major	ViewerPreferences/DisplayDocTitle set to trueThe PDF viewer preferences dictionary must set /DisplayDocTitle to true so that the title from the document's metadata (XMP <dc:title> or Info dictionary /Title) is displayed in the viewer's title bar, not the filename. Screen reader users rely on the window title to know which document they are working in.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A

Structure & Reading Order

Ref	Severity	Requirement	Status
WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A)	Critical	Document is tagged (PDF tags present)Tagged PDFs carry a logical structure tree (headings, paragraphs, lists, tables). Without tags, screen readers read content in arbitrary order or announce nothing useful.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A
WCAG 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence (Level A)	Critical	Reading order matches visual layoutThe tag tree order must match the intended reading sequence. Multi-column layouts, sidebars, and text boxes frequently have wrong reading order when exported naively from Word.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A
WCAG 1.3.1 / 2.4.6 Headings and Labels (Level AA)	Major	Heading styles used (H1, H2, H3…)Headings must use the built-in heading paragraph styles, not manually bolded/enlarged text. This ensures tags export as <H1>, <H2> etc. And screen reader users can navigate by heading.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A
WCAG 1.3.1 (Level A)	Major	Heading levels are not skippedHeading levels must be hierarchical: H1 → H2 → H3. Jumping from H1 to H3 implies a missing H2 section and confuses screen reader users navigating by heading.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A
WCAG 1.3.1 (Level A)	Major	Lists use proper list styles (not manual dashes)Bullet points and numbered lists must use Word's List styles so they export as <L>, <LI> tags. Manual en-dashes or typed '1.' characters export as plain paragraphs, losing list semantics.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A
WCAG 2.4.5 Multiple Ways (Level AA)	Major	Bookmarks present for documents over 20 pagesPDF bookmarks (the navigation panel) are essential for long documents. Screen reader users use them to jump to sections, equivalent to a table of contents.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A

Images & Non-text Content

Ref	Severity	Requirement	Status
WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A)	Critical	All informative images have alt textEvery meaningful image must have a text alternative describing its purpose. Decorative images must be explicitly marked as artifacts (ignored by screen readers).	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A
WCAG 1.1.1 (Level A)	Major	Decorative images marked as artifactsDecorative images (dividers, backgrounds, ornamental shapes) must be tagged as Artifacts so screen readers skip them. If left as tagged figures without alt text, screen readers will announce the filename.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A
WCAG 1.1.1 (Level A)	Critical	Charts and diagrams have descriptive alt text or a text equivalentCharts must either have detailed alt text describing the data shown, or be accompanied by a data table or text summary. Alt text like 'bar chart' is insufficient.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A
WCAG 1.1.1 (Level A)	Critical	Document is not a scanned image (real text present)PDFs created by scanning paper documents are images of text, they contain no selectable or readable text. Screen readers cannot read them at all.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A

Tables

Ref	Severity	Requirement	Status
WCAG 1.3.1 (Level A)	Critical	Tables have header rows/columns tagged as <TH>Table header cells must be tagged as <TH> with a Scope attribute (Row or Column) so screen readers can associate data cells with their headers. Without this, screen readers read tables as a flat list of cells.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A
WCAG 1.3.1 (Level A)	Major	Tables have a caption or accessible nameComplex data tables should have a caption (<Caption> tag) describing their purpose. This lets screen reader users decide whether to explore the table before entering it.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A
WCAG 1.3.1 (Level A)	Major	Tables are not used for visual layout onlyTables used purely for positioning content (like two-column layouts) must be marked as presentation/artifact tables, not data tables. Otherwise, screen readers announce them as data tables with confusing headers.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A

Links & Navigation

Ref	Severity	Requirement	Status	Notes / Evidence
WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose In Context (Level AA)	Major	Hyperlinks have descriptive text (not 'click here')Link text must describe the destination or purpose. 'Click here', 'read more', and bare URLs are inaccessible, screen reader users navigate links out of context and need each link to be self-explanatory.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A
WCAG 2.4.4 (Level AA)	Minor	Full URLs in text are readable when spokenLong raw URLs like https://example.com/2024/q4/report.pdf are read character-by-character by some screen readers. Prefer linked text over pasted URLs in body copy.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A

Contrast & Visual

Ref	Severity	Requirement	Status
WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast Minimum (Level AA)	Critical	Text meets minimum contrast ratio (4.5:1 for normal, 3:1 for large)All body text must have at least 4.5:1 contrast against its background. Large text (18pt+ or 14pt+ bold) requires 3:1. Light grey on white or yellow on white are common failures.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A
WCAG 1.4.1 Use of Colour (Level A)	Major	Colour is not used as the only visual means of conveying informationIf a chart uses only colour to distinguish categories, or an error state is shown only in red, users with colour blindness cannot access that information. Supplement colour with patterns, labels, or icons.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A
WCAG 1.4.5 Images of Text (Level AA)	Major	Text is not presented as images (unless logo or essential)Screenshots or images containing text cannot be resized, zoomed, or read by screen readers. This is common with scanned forms, infographic headers, and pull quotes saved as images.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A

Forms

Ref	Severity	Requirement	Status	Notes / Evidence
WCAG 1.3.1 / 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A)	Critical	Interactive form fields have accessible labelsPDF form fields created with Acrobat must have a Tooltip set, this is what screen readers announce when the field receives focus. Without it, users hear only the field type ('text field').	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A
WCAG 2.4.3 Focus Order (Level A)	Major	Form tab order is logicalKeyboard and screen reader users Tab through form fields. If the tab order doesn't match the visual layout, users fill fields out of sequence and make errors.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A

Other

Ref	Severity	Requirement	Status	Notes / Evidence
WCAG 2.4.2 Page Titled (Level A)	Minor	PDF opens showing the document title (not filename) in the title barIf the PDF is configured to show 'Document Title' rather than 'Filename' in the title bar, screen readers can announce the document's proper title when it opens.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A
WCAG 4.1.2 (Level A)	Critical	Security settings do not block assistive technologiesSome PDF security settings (DRM/encryption) block screen readers from reading the content. The standard requires that accessibility not be restricted by content protection.	☐ Pass ☐ Partial ☐ FAIL ☐ N/A

Total

Passed

Failed

N/A

Pending

Completion0%

27 of 27 checks shown

Document Identity

Critical

Document title set in metadata

WCAG 2.4.2 Page Titled (Level A)

Critical

Primary language declared

WCAG 3.1.1 Language of Page (Level A)

Minor

Author and subject metadata present

Best Practice

Critical

PDF/UA-1 XMP identification metadata present

ISO 14289-1 (PDF/UA-1) §6.7.11

Major

ViewerPreferences/DisplayDocTitle set to true

WCAG 2.4.2 Page Titled (Level A)

Structure & Reading Order

Critical

Document is tagged (PDF tags present)

WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A)

Critical

Reading order matches visual layout

WCAG 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence (Level A)

Major

Heading styles used (H1, H2, H3…)

WCAG 1.3.1 / 2.4.6 Headings and Labels (Level AA)

Major

Heading levels are not skipped

WCAG 1.3.1 (Level A)

Major

Lists use proper list styles (not manual dashes)

WCAG 1.3.1 (Level A)

Major

Bookmarks present for documents over 20 pages

WCAG 2.4.5 Multiple Ways (Level AA)

Images & Non-text Content

Critical

All informative images have alt text

WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A)

Major

Decorative images marked as artifacts

WCAG 1.1.1 (Level A)

Critical

Charts and diagrams have descriptive alt text or a text equivalent

WCAG 1.1.1 (Level A)

Critical

Document is not a scanned image (real text present)

WCAG 1.1.1 (Level A)

Tables

Critical

Tables have header rows/columns tagged as <TH>

WCAG 1.3.1 (Level A)

Major

Tables have a caption or accessible name

WCAG 1.3.1 (Level A)

Major

Tables are not used for visual layout only

WCAG 1.3.1 (Level A)

Links & Navigation

Major

Hyperlinks have descriptive text (not 'click here')

WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose In Context (Level AA)

Minor

Full URLs in text are readable when spoken

WCAG 2.4.4 (Level AA)

Contrast & Visual

Critical

Text meets minimum contrast ratio (4.5:1 for normal, 3:1 for large)

WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast Minimum (Level AA)

Major

Colour is not used as the only visual means of conveying information

WCAG 1.4.1 Use of Colour (Level A)

Major

Text is not presented as images (unless logo or essential)

WCAG 1.4.5 Images of Text (Level AA)

Forms

Critical

Interactive form fields have accessible labels

WCAG 1.3.1 / 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A)

Major

Form tab order is logical

WCAG 2.4.3 Focus Order (Level A)

Other

Minor

PDF opens showing the document title (not filename) in the title bar

WCAG 2.4.2 Page Titled (Level A)

Critical

Security settings do not block assistive technologies

WCAG 4.1.2 (Level A)

EN 301 549 Chapter 10, Non-web documents. Under the EAA, documents provided as part of a digital service (e.g. Invoices, bank statements, booking confirmations, product manuals) must be accessible. PDF/UA (ISO 14289-1) is the recognised technical standard. Documents failing Chapter 10 are a direct EAA non-conformity for service providers in scope.

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Legal basis:EAA Act, Annex I →

Every export includes a legal-evidence metadata footer with the audit ID, generation date, tool version, EN 301 549 clauses, and the standard disclaimer. Legal-grade evidence, not legal advice.

Important Legal Disclaimer

This tool is a self-assessment aid only and does not constitute legal advice or a formally certified compliance assessment. Outputs, including reports, scores, checklists, and accessibility statements, are for internal use and should be reviewed by a qualified legal representative or independent accessibility auditor before being relied upon for regulatory, procurement, or public-disclosure purposes. All assessment risk lies with the internal assessor. accessibilityref, its developers, and staff accept zero liability for losses arising from use of or reliance on these outputs. Always verify against official sources: the W3C WCAG 2.2 Recommendation, the European Accessibility Act (Directive 2019/882), and your national enforcement authority.