Gazettes and laws
Consolidated and original versions of laws
Short answer
- EU consolidated texts
- No legal effect 1
- legislation.gov.uk amendment target
- Within three months of coming into force 3
- Revised UK primary legislation base date
- 1 February 1991 3
- US CFR update cycle
- Once a year 5
Two kinds of text
An original version shows a law as first enacted or made, with no later changes 3. A revised or consolidated version brings later amendments into the text 3. EUR-Lex defines consolidation as combining an initial act and all its later amendments and corrections in one document 1.
European Union
The Publications Office of the European Union regularly consolidates acts of secondary legislation, international agreements and the founding treaties 1. EUR-Lex says these consolidated texts have no legal effect and serve as documentation 1. Council Regulation (EU) No 216/2013 makes the Official Journal published in electronic form the authentic version, from 1 July 2013 2.
United Kingdom
legislation.gov.uk keeps revised versions of most primary legislation, with a base date of 1 February 1991, and of Northern Ireland legislation from 1 January 2006 3. Secondary legislation made from 2018 onwards is kept up to date, and revised versions cover secondary legislation made from 2014 3. The editorial team aims to apply new amendments within three months of their coming into force 3.
Changes usually appear in the Changes to Legislation facility four to eight weeks after the amending law is received 3. Where changes are outstanding, they are listed at the top of the affected provision 3.
Other jurisdictions
| Jurisdiction | Official text | Updated text |
|---|---|---|
| United States 5 | Federal Register, published every business day 5 | Code of Federal Regulations, published once a year 5 |
| Singapore 4 | Not the online SSO text, which is unofficial 4 | Revised editions on SSO 4 |
| Australia 6 | Federal Register of Legislation, the authorised website 6 | Full text and lifecycle of each law 6 |
| Germany 7 | Online Bundesgesetzblatt PDF, the official version 7 | Not covered on the page read |
| Kenya 8 | Laws of Kenya, published by Kenya Law 8 | Revised and consolidated by Kenya Law under Legal Notice No. 29 of 2009 8 |
Kenya and Australia
Kenya Law is the official publisher of the Laws of Kenya 8. It revises and consolidates the laws under Legal Notice No. 29 of 2009 8. Australia's Federal Register of Legislation holds the full text of laws and details of each law's lifecycle, including how laws relate to one another 6.
What to do in practice
Common questions
Is a consolidated EU text legally binding?
No. EUR-Lex says consolidated texts have no legal effect 1.
Is legislation.gov.uk up to date?
All Acts are kept up to date, and amendments are applied within a target of three months. Outstanding changes are listed 3.
What is the difference between the Federal Register and the CFR?
The Federal Register is published every business day. The CFR holds the full text of regulations by title and is published once a year 5.
Is Singapore Statutes Online official?
It says it provides the unofficial version and should not be relied on as the authoritative text 4.
Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@documentlocker.org.
Sources
- EUR-Lex: Consolidated texts
- EUR-Lex: Council Regulation (EU) No 216/2013 of 7 March 2013 on the electronic publication of the Official Journal of the European Union
- legislation.gov.uk: Help
- Singapore Statutes Online: About Us
- National Archives: About the Federal Register
- Federal Register of Legislation: Home Page
- Bundesgesetzblatt: Startseite
- Kenya Law: About
Related
- Official gazettes and legislation databases compared
How official gazettes differ by country: who publishes them, how often, whether the online edition is the official one and where to read them free.
- How to cite a primary document
How to cite laws, gazette notices, judgments and company filings so a reader can find the exact version: identifiers, versions, dates and official URLs.
- Certified copies explained
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- Where primary documents live and how to get them
Where official laws, gazette notices, court judgments and company filings are published, in the US, UK, EU, India, Kenya and other jurisdictions.