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Participant
January 17, 2018
Answered

Please Wait... other applications (NFFBAR) cannot read file

  • January 17, 2018
  • 3 replies
  • 7435 views

The IRS  NFFBAR BSA E-Filing System cannot read the saved PDF -file The file selected is not a valid Individual FBAR (pdf) file.

The Please Wait... If this message is not ... still appears in the saved file.

I am running  Acrobat Reader DC  2018.009.20050 ( a version greater than the one I try to download) on iMac  High Sierra with Safari. 

I have seen this issue in the forum discussions, but could not find relevant fixes.

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer AnandSri

Hello rarthurr

Sorry for the delayed response and inconvenience caused, if you are trying to open the PDF file in a browser, please refer to the following KB doc and try the suggestion PDF won’t display. Please wait … Link: https://forums.adobe.com/docs/DOC-8651

Let us know how it goes.

Regards,

Anand Sri.

3 replies

Participant
March 18, 2018

To summarize: 1) Download a fresh copy of the FBAR form; 2) Cut and paste info from old form into new form (or re-key everything); 3) Sign and submit. Works like a charm.

Don't bother trying to Export/Import data from old form to new using the Acrobat Form Options menu, as that will corrupt the new form and you'll have to start over. Either re-key everything or cut and paste.

Don't waste your time trying to use your 2016 FBAR as a template for 2017. Although it looks like the same form, it's not and will not be accepted no matter how hard you try.

Participant
September 29, 2020

I am having the same problem with the 2019 form. I think this may be still correct for this year:

"Don't bother trying to Export/Import data from old form to new using the Acrobat Form Options menu, as that will corrupt the new form and you'll have to start over. Either re-key everything or cut and paste."

I was able to import all the data from 2018 to 2019, however it fails to validate, wrongly saying the value or account number is missing. I tested a second version where I cut and pasted for the first two accounts, and that validated (still a problem with the "state" which I am hoping I can leave blank). Exporting the two files and comparing the two xml archives they are identical, yet one has errors and the other doesn't. This is insane. I wasted 1 1/2 days so I will give up and tomorrow just cut-and -paste, validate as I go,  and just hope for the best.

Legend
September 29, 2020

If the form designer changes the form fields or some kinds of validation you can't just export and import. The advice has been: re-key. No, that wasn't a good choice by the form creator, but complain to them.

AnandSri
AnandSriCorrect answer
Legend
February 9, 2018

Hello rarthurr

Sorry for the delayed response and inconvenience caused, if you are trying to open the PDF file in a browser, please refer to the following KB doc and try the suggestion PDF won’t display. Please wait … Link: https://forums.adobe.com/docs/DOC-8651

Let us know how it goes.

Regards,

Anand Sri.

rarthurrAuthor
Participant
February 9, 2018

Thank you for the information, interesting to read about the possibilities.

In my case the issue was solved by downloading the newest NFFBAR form, something I should have done before asking the question.

Legend
January 17, 2018

This is a common message and usually means you are trying to view in a browser.

rarthurrAuthor
Participant
January 17, 2018

Of course the file is being accessed (as an attachment)  by an application running in the browser Safari.  The application is not really trying to view it but rather to determine if it is a legitimate PDF file.

The government website BSA E-Filing System has for several years now been able to read the attached PDF file that has been signed and saved with Adobe Reader.  Now suddenly under either a new Adobe or a new macOS or a new Safari  or a combination of these three it no longer works.

rarthurrAuthor
Participant
January 17, 2018

Sorry !!!

As I should have done earlier I went to the website where they announce that older forms are no longer accepted.

I haven't tried out their new forms yet, but consider this thread as closed.

If it still doesn't work then their website has the problem.

Thank you anyway.