PDF/UA-1 · CLAUSE 7.1
Document is not tagged
The file has no usable logical structure: either the Marked flag is missing, there is no structure tree, or structure elements are detached from their parents.
Why it matters
This is the most severe accessibility failure. Without a structure tree, assistive technology has no reading order, no headings, and no way to describe content. Everything else in PDF/UA depends on this.
How to fix it
- Tag the document at the source: use Word, InDesign, or LaTeX export settings that produce a tagged PDF.
- If you only have the PDF, run Acrobat Pro's Accessibility > Autotag Document, then review the reading order manually.
- Never rely on autotagging alone for tables, forms, or multi-column layouts: check the result in the Tags panel.
WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A)
WCAG 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence (A)
What the standard says
A structure element dictionary shall contain the P (parent) entry according to ISO 32000-1:2008, 14.7.2, Table 355
Check your own PDF
Validate a file against PDF/UA-1 and see whether this rule fails in your document.
curl -sS -X POST "https://api.ua1.dev/api/validate?format=compact&profile=ua1" \ -F "file=@document.pdf"