diff --git a/mdx/aaf/aaf-import.xml b/mdx/aaf/aaf-import.xml
index cb3ea051..c2729602 100644
--- a/mdx/aaf/aaf-import.xml
+++ b/mdx/aaf/aaf-import.xml
@@ -21,12 +21,12 @@
             <list>
                 <ref bean="fetchAafExportAggregate"/>
                 <ref bean="checkAafSignature"/>
-                <ref bean="errorAnnouncingFilter"/>
+                <ref bean="errorAnnouncingFilter"/><!-- should be fatal -->
                 <ref bean="disassemble"/>
                 
                 <ref bean="standardImportActions"/>
                 
-                <ref bean="assemble"/>
+                <ref bean="standardImportTail"/>
             </list>
         </property>
     </bean>
diff --git a/mdx/arnes/arnes-import.xml b/mdx/arnes/arnes-import.xml
index e2828578..cddc2f74 100644
--- a/mdx/arnes/arnes-import.xml
+++ b/mdx/arnes/arnes-import.xml
@@ -21,12 +21,12 @@
             <list>
                 <ref bean="fetchArnesExportAggregate"/>
                 <ref bean="checkArnesSignature"/>
-                <ref bean="errorAnnouncingFilter"/>
+                <ref bean="errorAnnouncingFilter"/><!-- should be fatal -->
                 <ref bean="disassemble"/>
                 
                 <ref bean="standardImportActions"/>
                 
-                <ref bean="assemble"/>
+                <ref bean="standardImportTail"/>
             </list>
         </property>
     </bean>
diff --git a/mdx/caf/caf-import.xml b/mdx/caf/caf-import.xml
index 11687e00..6ab50940 100644
--- a/mdx/caf/caf-import.xml
+++ b/mdx/caf/caf-import.xml
@@ -21,12 +21,12 @@
             <list>
                 <ref bean="fetchCafExportAggregate"/>
                 <ref bean="checkCafSignature"/>
-                <ref bean="errorAnnouncingFilter"/>
+                <ref bean="errorAnnouncingFilter"/><!-- should be fatal -->
                 <ref bean="disassemble"/>
                 
                 <ref bean="standardImportActions"/>
                 
-                <ref bean="assemble"/>
+                <ref bean="standardImportTail"/>
             </list>
         </property>
     </bean>
diff --git a/mdx/common-beans.xml b/mdx/common-beans.xml
index 3f106229..bc7e25a6 100644
--- a/mdx/common-beans.xml
+++ b/mdx/common-beans.xml
@@ -186,6 +186,40 @@
         <property name="id" value="assemble"/>
     </bean>
     
+    <!--
+        normaliseNamespaces
+        
+        A pipeline stage that can be used before serialisation to normalise the namespaces
+        used in an XML document.
+    -->
+    <bean id="normaliseNamespaces" class="net.shibboleth.metadata.dom.XSLTransformationStage"
+        init-method="initialize" lazy-init="true">
+        <property name="id" value="normaliseNamespaces"/>
+        <property name="xslResource">
+            <bean class="org.opensaml.util.resource.FilesystemResource">
+                <constructor-arg value="#{ systemProperties['basedir'] }/build/ns_norm.xsl"/>
+            </bean>
+        </property>
+    </bean>
+    
+    <!--
+        standardImportTail
+        
+        Standard actions performed at the end of any metadata import channel.  As imports
+        are currently ending up in files, build an EntitiesDescriptor and normalise the
+        namespaces in the document ready for serialisation.
+    -->
+    <bean id="standardImportTail" class="net.shibboleth.metadata.pipeline.CompositeStage"
+        init-method="initialize" lazy-init="true">
+        <property name="id" value="standardImportTail"/>
+        <property name="composedStages">
+            <list>
+                <ref bean="assemble"/>
+                <ref bean="normaliseNamespaces"/>
+            </list>
+        </property>
+    </bean>
+    
     <!--
         Standard serializer.
     -->
diff --git a/mdx/edugain/edugain-import.xml b/mdx/edugain/edugain-import.xml
index 06f41acc..f882f64b 100644
--- a/mdx/edugain/edugain-import.xml
+++ b/mdx/edugain/edugain-import.xml
@@ -25,12 +25,12 @@
             <list>
                 <ref bean="fetchEduGainExportAggregate"/>
                 <ref bean="checkEdugainSignature"/>
-                <ref bean="errorAnnouncingFilter"/>
+                <ref bean="errorAnnouncingFilter"/><!-- should be fatal -->
                 <ref bean="disassemble"/>
                 
                 <ref bean="standardImportActions"/>
                 
-                <ref bean="assemble"/>
+                <ref bean="standardImportTail"/>
             </list>
         </property>
     </bean>
diff --git a/mdx/edugate/edugate-import.xml b/mdx/edugate/edugate-import.xml
index 63b1bc5d..e18d2f57 100644
--- a/mdx/edugate/edugate-import.xml
+++ b/mdx/edugate/edugate-import.xml
@@ -21,12 +21,12 @@
             <list>
                 <ref bean="fetchEdugateExportAggregate"/>
                 <ref bean="checkEdugateSignature"/>
-                <ref bean="errorAnnouncingFilter"/>
+                <ref bean="errorAnnouncingFilter"/><!-- should be fatal -->
                 <ref bean="disassemble"/>
                 
                 <ref bean="standardImportActions"/>
                 
-                <ref bean="assemble"/>
+                <ref bean="standardImportTail"/>
             </list>
         </property>
     </bean>
diff --git a/mdx/incommon/incommon-import.xml b/mdx/incommon/incommon-import.xml
index 450918dd..4a4d8855 100644
--- a/mdx/incommon/incommon-import.xml
+++ b/mdx/incommon/incommon-import.xml
@@ -21,12 +21,12 @@
             <list>
                 <ref bean="fetchInCommonExportAggregate"/>
                 <ref bean="checkInCommonSignature"/>
-                <ref bean="errorAnnouncingFilter"/>
+                <ref bean="errorAnnouncingFilter"/><!-- should be fatal -->
                 <ref bean="disassemble"/>
                 
                 <ref bean="standardImportActions"/>
                 
-                <ref bean="assemble"/>
+                <ref bean="standardImportTail"/>
             </list>
         </property>
     </bean>
diff --git a/mdx/swamid/swamid-import.xml b/mdx/swamid/swamid-import.xml
index a6f84091..65b2bfdd 100644
--- a/mdx/swamid/swamid-import.xml
+++ b/mdx/swamid/swamid-import.xml
@@ -21,12 +21,12 @@
             <list>
                 <ref bean="fetchSwamidExportAggregate"/>
                 <ref bean="checkSwamidSignature"/>
-                <ref bean="errorAnnouncingFilter"/>
+                <ref bean="errorAnnouncingFilter"/><!-- should be fatal -->
                 <ref bean="disassemble"/>
                 
                 <ref bean="standardImportActions"/>
                 
-                <ref bean="assemble"/>
+                <ref bean="standardImportTail"/>
             </list>
         </property>
     </bean>
diff --git a/mdx/switch/switch-import.xml b/mdx/switch/switch-import.xml
index 1f2e0bc9..eab3fd0c 100644
--- a/mdx/switch/switch-import.xml
+++ b/mdx/switch/switch-import.xml
@@ -21,12 +21,12 @@
             <list>
                 <ref bean="fetchSwitchExportAggregate"/>
                 <ref bean="checkSwitchSignature"/>
-                <ref bean="errorAnnouncingFilter"/>
+                <ref bean="errorAnnouncingFilter"/><!-- should be fatal -->
                 <ref bean="disassemble"/>
                 
                 <ref bean="standardImportActions"/>
                 
-                <ref bean="assemble"/>
+                <ref bean="standardImportTail"/>
             </list>
         </property>
     </bean>
diff --git a/mdx/uk/uk-collect.xml b/mdx/uk/uk-collect.xml
index 8eba035f..5550ec3a 100644
--- a/mdx/uk/uk-collect.xml
+++ b/mdx/uk/uk-collect.xml
@@ -67,6 +67,8 @@
                 -->
                 <ref bean="check_check"/>
                 <ref bean="errorAnnouncingFilter"/><!-- should be fatal -->
+
+                <ref bean="normaliseNamespaces"/>
             </list>
         </property>
     </bean>