PDF/UA-1 · CLAUSE 7.18.3

Page tab order does not follow the structure

A page containing annotations does not set Tabs to S, which is what makes keyboard focus follow the logical structure order.

Rule 7.18.3-1 ISO 14289-1 Object: PDPage

Why it matters

Keyboard and screen reader users tab through links and fields in an unpredictable order, often jumping around the page.

How to fix it

  • Set the Tabs entry to S on every page that has annotations.
  • In Acrobat Pro use the Page Thumbnails panel, Page Properties > Tab Order > Use Document Structure.
  • Apply this to all pages: a single missed page breaks keyboard navigation there.
WCAG 2.4.3 Focus Order (A)

What the standard says

Every page on which there is an annotation shall contain in its page dictionary the key Tabs, and its value shall be S

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"