Document Types

Akoma Ntoso defines 13 document types, each represented by a specific XML element that sits directly under the <akomaNtoso> root. The types fall into three categories based on their body structure.

Hierarchical documents (legislative body)

These use <body> and contain a hierarchy of parts, sections, articles, etc.

Element	Description	Typical use
`<act>`	An enacted law	Statutes, codes, regulations, decrees
`<bill>`	A proposed law not yet enacted	Parliamentary bills, draft legislation
`<amendment>`	A proposed change to a bill	Individual amendments during legislative process
`<amendmentList>`	A collection of amendments	Omnibus amendment packages

Minimal act example

<akomaNtoso xmlns="http://docs.oasis-open.org/legaldocml/ns/akn/3.0">
  <act name="example-act">
    <meta>
      <identification source="#source">
        <FRBRWork>
          <FRBRthis value="/akn/us/act/2024-01-01/1"/>
          <FRBRuri value="/akn/us/act/2024-01-01/1"/>
          <FRBRdate date="2024-01-01" name="enactment"/>
          <FRBRauthor href="#congress"/>
          <FRBRcountry value="us"/>
        </FRBRWork>
        <FRBRExpression>
          <FRBRthis value="/akn/us/act/2024-01-01/1/eng@"/>
          <FRBRuri value="/akn/us/act/2024-01-01/1/eng@"/>
          <FRBRdate date="2024-01-01" name="enactment"/>
          <FRBRlanguage language="eng"/>
        </FRBRExpression>
        <FRBRManifestation>
          <FRBRthis value="/akn/us/act/2024-01-01/1/eng@/main.xml"/>
          <FRBRformat value="application/akn+xml"/>
        </FRBRManifestation>
      </identification>
    </meta>
    <body>
      <article eId="art_1">
        <heading>Article 1</heading>
        <content><p>The text of the article.</p></content>
      </article>
    </body>
  </act>
</akomaNtoso>

Amendment structure

Amendments use a special body element <amendmentBody> instead of <body>:

<amendment name="amendment-1">
  <meta><!-- ... --></meta>
  <preface>
    <p>Amendment by <docProponent>Senator X</docProponent> to
    <affectedDocument href="/akn/us/bill/2024-01-01/1">Bill 1</affectedDocument>.</p>
  </preface>
  <amendmentBody>
    <amendmentContent>
      <p>Replace article 3 with the following: ...</p>
    </amendmentContent>
    <amendmentJustification>
      <p>Reason for the amendment.</p>
    </amendmentJustification>
  </amendmentBody>
</amendment>

Debate documents

These use <debateBody> and contain speeches, questions, and voting sections.

Element	Description	Typical use
`<debate>`	A full parliamentary debate transcript	Plenary session records, committee hearings
`<debateReport>`	A report/summary of a debate	Official reports, Hansard-style records

See Debates for details.

Other structured documents

These use <mainBody> (a generic body for non-hierarchical content) or specialized structures.

Element	Description	Typical use
`<doc>`	A generic legal document	Memoranda, reports, any document that doesn't fit other types
`<statement>`	An official statement	Government statements, press releases
`<judgment>`	A court decision	Court judgments, opinions, orders
`<officialGazette>`	An official gazette publication	National gazette issues
`<documentCollection>`	A collection of documents	Bill packages (bill + explanatory memo + annexes)
`<portion>`	A fragment of a larger document	When only part of a document is available
`<components>`	Container for component documents	Subdocuments attached to a main document

When to use `<doc>`

<doc> is the catch-all. If your document doesn't fit any other type, use <doc>. It uses <mainBody> instead of <body>:

<doc name="memorandum">
  <meta><!-- ... --></meta>
  <mainBody>
    <p>Content of the memorandum.</p>
  </mainBody>
</doc>

Document collections

A <documentCollection> groups related documents, such as a bill package containing the bill itself plus a memorandum. It uses <collectionBody> with <component> children:

<documentCollection name="billPackage">
  <meta><!-- ... --></meta>
  <collectionBody>
    <component eId="cmp_1">
      <documentRef eId="cmp_1__dref_1" href="#bill" showAs="BILL"/>
    </component>
    <component eId="cmp_2">
      <documentRef eId="cmp_2__dref_1" href="#memorandum" showAs="MEMORANDUM"/>
    </component>
  </collectionBody>
</documentCollection>

Body element summary

Document type(s)	Body element
`act`, `bill`	`<body>`
`amendment`	`<amendmentBody>`
`debate`, `debateReport`	`<debateBody>`
`doc`, `statement`, `judgment`	`<mainBody>`
`officialGazette`, `documentCollection`	`<collectionBody>`

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