diff --git a/ChangeLog.md b/ChangeLog.md
--- a/ChangeLog.md
+++ b/ChangeLog.md
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+## 1.5.1
+
+* New render setting, `rsXMLDeclaration`; setting it to `False` omits the XML declaration.
+
 ## 1.5.0
 
 * `tag` function no longer throws an exception when attributes don't match [#93](https://github.com/snoyberg/xml/pull/93)
diff --git a/Text/XML.hs b/Text/XML.hs
--- a/Text/XML.hs
+++ b/Text/XML.hs
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@
     , R.rsNamespaces
     , R.rsAttrOrder
     , R.rsUseCDATA
+    , R.rsXMLDeclaration
     , R.orderAttrs
       -- * Conversion
     , toXMLDocument
diff --git a/Text/XML/Stream/Parse.hs b/Text/XML/Stream/Parse.hs
--- a/Text/XML/Stream/Parse.hs
+++ b/Text/XML/Stream/Parse.hs
@@ -34,10 +34,12 @@
 -- > data Person = Person Int Text
 -- >     deriving Show
 -- >
--- > parsePerson = tagName "person" (requireAttr "age") $ \age -> do
+-- > parsePerson :: MonadThrow m => Consumer Event m (Maybe Person)
+-- > parsePerson = tag' "person" (requireAttr "age") $ \age -> do
 -- >     name <- content
 -- >     return $ Person (read $ unpack age) name
 -- >
+-- > parsePeople :: MonadThrow m => Sink Event m (Maybe [Person])
 -- > parsePeople = tagNoAttr "people" $ many parsePerson
 -- >
 -- > main = do
@@ -47,7 +49,7 @@
 --
 -- will produce:
 --
--- > [Person {age = 25, name = "Michael"},Person {age = 2, name = "Eliezer"}]
+-- > [Person 25 "Michael",Person 2 "Eliezer"]
 --
 -- This module also supports streaming results using 'yield'.
 -- This allows parser results to be processed using conduits
@@ -58,21 +60,23 @@
 -- See http://stackoverflow.com/q/21367423/2597135 for a related discussion.
 --
 -- > {-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings #-}
+-- > import Control.Monad (void)
+-- > import Control.Monad.Trans.Class (lift)
 -- > import Control.Monad.Trans.Resource
 -- > import Data.Conduit
+-- > import qualified Data.Conduit.List as CL
 -- > import Data.Text (Text, unpack)
+-- > import Data.XML.Types (Event)
 -- > import Text.XML.Stream.Parse
--- > import Text.XML (Name)
--- > import Control.Monad.Trans.Class (lift)
--- > import Control.Monad (void)
--- > import qualified Data.Conduit.List as CL
 -- >
 -- > data Person = Person Int Text deriving Show
 -- >
--- > parsePerson = tagName "person" (requireAttr "age") $ \age -> do
+-- > parsePerson :: MonadThrow m => Consumer Event m (Maybe Person)
+-- > parsePerson = tag' "person" (requireAttr "age") $ \age -> do
 -- >     name <- content
 -- >     return $ Person (read $ unpack age) name
 -- >
+-- > parsePeople :: MonadThrow m => Conduit Event m Person
 -- > parsePeople = void $ tagNoAttr "people" $ manyYield parsePerson
 -- >
 -- > main = runResourceT $
@@ -200,7 +204,7 @@
 type Ents = [(Text, Text)]
 
 tokenToEvent :: ParseSettings -> Ents -> [NSLevel] -> Token -> (Ents, [NSLevel], [Event])
-tokenToEvent _ es n (TokenBeginDocument _) = (es, n, [])
+tokenToEvent _ es n (TokenXMLDeclaration _) = (es, n, [])
 tokenToEvent _ es n (TokenInstruction i) = (es, n, [EventInstruction i])
 tokenToEvent ps es n (TokenBeginElement name as isClosed _) =
     (es, n', if isClosed then [begin, end] else [begin])
@@ -314,7 +318,7 @@
         case parser $ decodeUtf8With lenientDecode nextChunk of
             AT.Fail{} -> fallback
             AT.Partial f -> await >>= maybe fallback (loop chunks f)
-            AT.Done _ (TokenBeginDocument attrs) -> findEncoding attrs
+            AT.Done _ (TokenXMLDeclaration attrs) -> findEncoding attrs
             AT.Done{} -> fallback
       where
         chunks = nextChunk : chunks0
@@ -450,7 +454,7 @@
                 char' '?'
                 char' '>'
                 newline <|> return ()
-                return $ TokenBeginDocument as
+                return $ TokenXMLDeclaration as
             else do
                 skipSpace
                 x <- T.pack <$> manyTill anyChar (try $ string "?>")
diff --git a/Text/XML/Stream/Render.hs b/Text/XML/Stream/Render.hs
--- a/Text/XML/Stream/Render.hs
+++ b/Text/XML/Stream/Render.hs
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
     , rsNamespaces
     , rsAttrOrder
     , rsUseCDATA
+    , rsXMLDeclaration
     , orderAttrs
       -- * Event rendering
     , tag
@@ -83,6 +84,12 @@
       -- Default: @False@
       --
       -- @since 1.3.3
+    , rsXMLDeclaration :: Bool
+      -- ^ Determines whether the XML declaration will be output.
+      --
+      -- Default: @True@
+      --
+      -- @since 1.5.1
     }
 
 instance Default RenderSettings where
@@ -91,6 +98,7 @@
         , rsNamespaces = []
         , rsAttrOrder = const Map.toList
         , rsUseCDATA = const False
+        , rsXMLDeclaration = True
         }
 
 -- | Convenience function to create an ordering function suitable for
@@ -139,7 +147,7 @@
     renderEvent' = renderEvent yield' settings
 
 renderEvent :: Monad m => (Flush Builder -> Producer m o) -> RenderSettings -> Conduit (Flush Event) m o
-renderEvent yield' RenderSettings { rsPretty = isPretty, rsNamespaces = namespaces0, rsUseCDATA = useCDATA } =
+renderEvent yield' RenderSettings { rsPretty = isPretty, rsNamespaces = namespaces0, rsUseCDATA = useCDATA, rsXMLDeclaration = useXMLDecl } =
     loop []
   where
     loop nslevels = await >>= maybe (return ()) (go nslevels)
@@ -159,34 +167,35 @@
                 yield' $ Chunk token
                 loop nslevels'
             _ -> do
-                let (token, nslevels') = eventToToken nslevels useCDATA e
+                let (token, nslevels') = eventToToken nslevels useCDATA useXMLDecl e
                 yield' $ Chunk token
                 loop nslevels'
 
-eventToToken :: Stack -> (Content -> Bool) -> Event -> (Builder, [NSLevel])
-eventToToken s _ EventBeginDocument =
-    (tokenToBuilder $ TokenBeginDocument
+eventToToken :: Stack -> (Content -> Bool) -> Bool -> Event -> (Builder, [NSLevel])
+eventToToken s _ True EventBeginDocument =
+    (tokenToBuilder $ TokenXMLDeclaration
             [ ("version", [ContentText "1.0"])
             , ("encoding", [ContentText "UTF-8"])
             ]
      , s)
-eventToToken s _ EventEndDocument = (mempty, s)
-eventToToken s _ (EventInstruction i) = (tokenToBuilder $ TokenInstruction i, s)
-eventToToken s _ (EventBeginDoctype n meid) = (tokenToBuilder $ TokenDoctype n meid [], s)
-eventToToken s _ EventEndDoctype = (mempty, s)
-eventToToken s _ (EventCDATA t) = (tokenToBuilder $ TokenCDATA t, s)
-eventToToken s _ (EventEndElement name) =
+eventToToken s _ False EventBeginDocument = (mempty, s)
+eventToToken s _ _ EventEndDocument = (mempty, s)
+eventToToken s _ _ (EventInstruction i) = (tokenToBuilder $ TokenInstruction i, s)
+eventToToken s _ _ (EventBeginDoctype n meid) = (tokenToBuilder $ TokenDoctype n meid [], s)
+eventToToken s _ _ EventEndDoctype = (mempty, s)
+eventToToken s _ _ (EventCDATA t) = (tokenToBuilder $ TokenCDATA t, s)
+eventToToken s _ _ (EventEndElement name) =
     (tokenToBuilder $ TokenEndElement $ nameToTName sl name, s')
   where
     (sl:s') = s
-eventToToken s useCDATA (EventContent c)
+eventToToken s useCDATA _ (EventContent c)
     | useCDATA c =
         case c of
           ContentText txt -> (tokenToBuilder $ TokenCDATA txt, s)
           ContentEntity txt -> (tokenToBuilder $ TokenCDATA txt, s)
     | otherwise  = (tokenToBuilder $ TokenContent c, s)
-eventToToken s _ (EventComment t) = (tokenToBuilder $ TokenComment t, s)
-eventToToken _ _ EventBeginElement{} = error "eventToToken on EventBeginElement" -- mkBeginToken False s name attrs
+eventToToken s _ _ (EventComment t) = (tokenToBuilder $ TokenComment t, s)
+eventToToken _ _ _ EventBeginElement{} = error "eventToToken on EventBeginElement" -- mkBeginToken False s name attrs
 
 type Stack = [NSLevel]
 
diff --git a/Text/XML/Stream/Token.hs b/Text/XML/Stream/Token.hs
--- a/Text/XML/Stream/Token.hs
+++ b/Text/XML/Stream/Token.hs
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 oneSpace :: Builder
 oneSpace = copyByteString " "
 
-data Token = TokenBeginDocument [TAttribute]
+data Token = TokenXMLDeclaration [TAttribute]
            | TokenInstruction Instruction
            | TokenBeginElement TName [TAttribute] Bool Int -- ^ indent
            | TokenEndElement TName
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@
            | TokenCDATA Text
     deriving Show
 tokenToBuilder :: Token -> Builder
-tokenToBuilder (TokenBeginDocument attrs) =
+tokenToBuilder (TokenXMLDeclaration attrs) =
     fromByteString "<?xml"
     `mappend` foldAttrs oneSpace attrs (fromByteString "?>")
 tokenToBuilder (TokenInstruction (Instruction target data_)) = mconcat
diff --git a/test/main.hs b/test/main.hs
--- a/test/main.hs
+++ b/test/main.hs
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@
         it "strips duplicated attributes" stripDuplicateAttributes
         it "displays comments" testRenderComments
         it "conduit parser" testConduitParser
+        it "can omit the XML declaration" omitXMLDeclaration
     describe "XML Cursors" $ do
         it "has correct parent" cursorParent
         it "has correct ancestor" cursorAncestor
@@ -527,6 +528,14 @@
         ma <- P.tagNoAttr "item" (return 1)
         maybe (return ()) (\a -> C.yield a >> f) ma
 
+omitXMLDeclaration :: Assertion
+omitXMLDeclaration = Res.renderLBS settings input @?= spec
+  where
+    settings = def { Res.rsXMLDeclaration = False }
+    input = Res.Document (Prologue [] Nothing [])
+              (Res.Element "foo" Map.empty [Res.NodeContent "bar"])
+              []
+    spec = "<foo>bar</foo>"
 
 name :: [Cu.Cursor] -> [Text]
 name [] = []
diff --git a/xml-conduit.cabal b/xml-conduit.cabal
--- a/xml-conduit.cabal
+++ b/xml-conduit.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:            xml-conduit
-version:         1.5.0
+version:         1.5.1
 license:         MIT
 license-file:    LICENSE
 author:          Michael Snoyman <michael@snoyman.com>, Aristid Breitkreuz <aristidb@googlemail.com>