PFRA Forms Help Page

Fillable application forms have been created using the Adobe Acrobat file format, taking advantage of the interactive forms property of Acrobat. Fillable forms allow you to enter your data on-screen instead of completing forms by hand. It does not, however, transfer the information on-line.

After completing a form on-screen, you must print it, add your signature and then mail your signed copy to the appropriate PFRA office. Addresses of the PFRA offices are listed on the application forms.

Due to Internet security and privacy issues, most completed forms must be returned to government officials by mail or in person. In the future, we hope to provide more opportunity for online transactions.

• Software for using fillable forms
• Completing fillable forms
  • Navigating fields within a form
  • Check-off boxes and radio buttons
  • Multi-line fields
  • Fields with calculations
  • Date fields
  • Signatures
  • Pop-up help
• Printing and submitting forms
• Troubleshooting

Software for using fillable forms

In order to view and complete these forms on the screen, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4.05 or higher or Adobe Acrobat. To access the FREE Acrobat Reader software, please download it directly from Adobe for your particular platform. Tools to help make Adobe PDF files accessible to the visually disabled can be found at access.adobe.com.

If you are using the free Acrobat Reader software, you cannot save the form with the fill-in data for use at a later time. You will need to use the purchased version of Adobe Acrobat in order to do this. The free reader software will, however, allow you to save a blank fillable form for future use. To download blank forms:

• Right-click on the hyperlink to the form and then select "Save Target As" ( Internet Explorer) or "Save Link As" (Netscape).
• Save the form in the directory of your choice, then use the free Reader to view and print at your convenience

Navigating within a form

• You may select the hand tool from the Acrobat toolbar menu to move around the page so that you can view all the areas on it.
• A blinking cursor indicates the first fillable field or you may position the hand pointer inside a form field and click. The hand pointer changes to a I- beam in fields where entering text is permitted. The arrow pointer allows you to select a field or check box.
• You may select the Zoom in tool from Acrobat toolbar menu to change the magnification of the form. The keyboard equivalent is Control + (plus sign) for zooming in and Control - (minus sign) for zooming out.
• Press Tab to go to the next field. This helps ensure that you don't accidentally skip over any fields.
• Press Shift + Tab to go to the previous field.
• You may also use your cursor to move from field to field. Place your cursor in the field you want to fill in and click.

Check-off boxes and radio buttons

• When selecting a radio button or checkbox field, click in the radio button or checkbox. A checkmark within a box or a small solid circle will be displayed.
• To de-select a box, click on it again.

Multi-line fields

• Some fields have room for more than one line of text.To move to the next line within a field, hit Enter. Hit Tab to move to the next field.

Fields with calculations

• Some form fields perform calculations based on amounts you have entered. A field which performs a calculation will display "$0.00" when all fields on which the calculation is based are blank.
• Verify that all numbers you have entered and the field performing the calculations are correct.

Date fields

• Unless otherwise specified on a particular form, the format for dates can be one of the following: yyyy-mm-dd (e.g. 2002-02-08) or written in full (e.g. February 28, 2002)

Signatures

• In fields which require a signature, please do not forget to sign your name on the printed copy of the application form as an unsigned form cannot be processed.

Pop-up help

• Some form fields contain pop-up help boxes with further instructions specific to the form. These pop-up boxes will appear when you mouse-over the field and disappear on leaving the field.

Printing and submitting your application form

• Use the mouse to select an area of the form that is not inside a form field before printing the form. If a form field is active (contains the blinking bar) the contents will not print.
• NOTE: When printing Adobe Acrobat PDF files from within your web browser, do NOT use the web browser print facility. Instead, use the print button at the left of the Adobe Acrobat tool bar, which appears immediately above the viewing window.
• Before printing, check the form size as some forms require legal-size paper (8.5 X 14) .The Adobe Reader indicates the page size and number of pages on the lower left-hand corner of your screen.
• All forms submitted must be clear, legible, on good quality white paper and signed.
• Before submitting your form, either make a photocopy or print another copy for your records.

Having difficulty with fillable forms

• Make sure you have the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader installed.
• Check your version of Adobe Reader. Go to the Help menu and select About Adobe Reader. If your version is older than 4.0, then download the latest version from Adobe's web site.
• You may need to change your printer settings or update your print driver. Consult your printer documentation or company website for additional information.
• Try using Adobe PostScript drivers for your printer. Using Adobe PostScript printer drivers has been shown to alleviate some problems. You may also check with the web site of your printer's manufacturer for more information.

We hope you find this information helpful.

For more information about the PDF file format, please review our PDF Help page.