A website will not accept your PDF

The file is too large

Most portals set a size limit per file, and some a limit for the whole submission. Compress the PDF to a target just under the limit, or split it by size if the portal allows several files.

The portal wants PDF/A

Court e-filing and archive systems often require PDF/A, the long-term archival version of PDF. Convert the file to PDF/A, then validate it: the validator lists exactly what still blocks it — usually fonts that are not embedded or transparency.

The file has a password

Portals cannot read a password-protected PDF, and many reject files with editing restrictions too. If you know the password, remove it before uploading, and keep the protected copy for yourself.

The scan has no text

Some systems check that a PDF is searchable. A scan is a picture of a page; running OCR adds a text layer so the file can be searched and read by the portal.

The file name or page count

Two causes that are easy to miss.

• File names with accents, emoji, slashes or very long names are rejected by older portals. Rename the file to plain letters, numbers and hyphens.
• Some portals limit pages per file. Split the document and upload the parts in order.

Check the portal’s own rules

The upload limits page collects the published rules of common portals — immigration, courts, marketplaces and exam systems — and presets the right target size for each.