Gazettes and laws
Official gazettes and legislation databases compared
Short answer
- Federal Register frequency
- Every business day 1
- The Gazette notice types
- More than 450 2
- EU electronic OJ authentic from
- 1 July 2013 3
- Kenya Gazette issues online
- 8,255, years 1899 to 2026 5
- Bundesgesetzblatt online access
- Free 4
What a gazette does
A gazette publishes laws, regulations and notices that a legal rule says must be made public. The US Federal Register carries federal agency regulations, proposed rules, notices, executive orders, proclamations and other presidential documents 1. Agencies publish proposed rules there and must address significant comments when they issue final regulations 1.
The UK's The Gazette brings together The London Gazette, The Belfast Gazette and The Edinburgh Gazette 2. It mostly carries statutory notices, with more than 450 notice types. Most relate to corporate or personal insolvency and deceased estates 2. Only registered and verified people acting in an official capacity can place notices 2.
Print or electronic: which edition counts
Several gazettes now treat the online edition as the official one. Council Regulation (EU) No 216/2013 provides that only the Official Journal published in electronic form is authentic and produces legal effects, from 1 July 2013 3.
Germany's federal law gazette platform states that it provides the official version of the Bundesgesetzblatt as a PDF and that this replaces the printed version 4. Its search covers publications from 2023 4. In the United States, the Government Publishing Office distributes the Federal Register in paper, on microfiche and online as PDF files 1.
Gazettes side by side
| Gazette | Publisher | What it carries |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Register, United States 1 | Office of the Federal Register with the Government Publishing Office 1 | Rules, proposed rules, notices and presidential documents 1 |
| The Gazette, United Kingdom 2 | TSO, overseen by HMSO at The National Archives 2 | Statutory notices, mostly insolvency and deceased estates 2 |
| Official Journal, European Union 3 | European Union, electronic edition authentic 3 | EU acts with legal effect 3 |
| Bundesgesetzblatt, Germany 4 | Federal law gazette platform at recht.bund.de 4 | Federal laws, official PDF version 4 |
| Gazette of India 6 | Department of Publication, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs 6 | Extraordinary and weekly gazettes, Bills and Acts, recruitment rules 6 |
| Kenya Gazette 5 | Government of Kenya, archived on Kenya Law 5 | Official notices, issues from 1899 5 |
Legislation databases
A legislation database arranges laws by title rather than by date. legislation.gov.uk publishes Acts under the authority of the King's Printer and keeps both original and revised versions 7. Australia's Federal Register of Legislation calls itself the authorised whole-of-government website for Commonwealth legislation and is managed by the Office of Parliamentary Counsel under the Legislation Act 2003 8.
Singapore Statutes Online is the official website for the online version of Singapore's legislation, managed by the Legislation Division of the Attorney-General's Chambers 9. It states that it provides the unofficial version, which should not be relied on as the authoritative text 9. In Kenya, Kenya Law is the official publisher of the Laws of Kenya and revises and consolidates the laws 10.
How far back the archives go
The first issue of what is now The London Gazette appeared on 15 November 1665 as The Oxford Gazette 2. Kenya Law lists Kenya Gazette issues from 1899 to 2026, 8,255 in total 5. India's eGazette lists extraordinary and weekly gazettes with the ministry, subject, publish date and gazette ID 6.
Common questions
Is the online gazette the official version?
It depends on the jurisdiction. The electronic EU Official Journal is the authentic one from 1 July 2013 3, and Germany's online Bundesgesetzblatt replaces the printed version 4.
Who can publish a notice in The Gazette?
Only registered and verified people acting in an official capacity. TSO checks each registration and notice type 2.
What is the difference between a gazette and a legislation database?
A gazette publishes items in date order as they are made. A database such as legislation.gov.uk arranges laws by title and can show revised text 7.
Where can I find old Kenya Gazette issues?
Kenya Law lists issues from 1899 to 2026 5.
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
- National Archives: About the Federal Register
- The Gazette: About The Gazette
- EUR-Lex: Council Regulation (EU) No 216/2013 of 7 March 2013 on the electronic publication of the Official Journal of the European Union
- Bundesgesetzblatt: Startseite
- Kenya Law: Kenya Gazette
- Government of India: The Gazette of India
- legislation.gov.uk: Help
- Federal Register of Legislation: Home Page
- Singapore Statutes Online: About Us
- Kenya Law: About
Related
- 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.
- Consolidated and original versions of laws
Why consolidated or revised texts of laws can differ from the official version, with rules from EUR-Lex, legislation.gov.uk, Singapore, the US and Kenya.
- 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
What a certified copy of a court record or company filing is, how it differs from a free online copy, what it costs and when an apostille applies.