diff --git a/legi2pdf/xsl/section.xsl b/legi2pdf/xsl/section.xsl
index ebd106c..65b381a 100644
--- a/legi2pdf/xsl/section.xsl
+++ b/legi2pdf/xsl/section.xsl
@@ -253,10 +253,31 @@ Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301, USA.
     </xsl:if>
     <xsl:call-template name="content-templates"/>
     <xsl:if test="not($parchemin)">
-      <xsl:text>\end{multicols}&#10;</xsl:text>
+      <xsl:choose>
+        <!-- if it's a document getting straight to a legistic level we keep
+             the columns open and they'll get closed when the end-of-document
+             processing instruction will be met.
+          -->
+        <xsl:when test="not(following-sibling::legistic_title)"></xsl:when>
+        <xsl:when test="not(following-sibling::legistic_chapter)"></xsl:when>
+        <xsl:when test="not(following-sibling::legistic_section)"></xsl:when>
+        <xsl:otherwise>
+          <xsl:text>\end{multicols}&#10;</xsl:text>
+        </xsl:otherwise>
+      </xsl:choose>
     </xsl:if>
 </xsl:template>
 
+<xsl:template match="processing-instruction('end-of-document')">
+  <xsl:if test="not($parchemin)">
+     <!-- columns have been left open after <nosection/>, they must be closed
+          now that the end of the document has been reached.
+      -->
+    <xsl:if test="//nosection/following-sibling::legistic_title"><xsl:text>\end{multicols}&#10;</xsl:text></xsl:if>
+    <xsl:if test="//nosection/following-sibling::legistic_chapter"><xsl:text>\end{multicols}&#10;</xsl:text></xsl:if>
+    <xsl:if test="//nosection/following-sibling::legistic_section"><xsl:text>\end{multicols}&#10;</xsl:text></xsl:if>
+  </xsl:if>
+</xsl:template>
 
 <xsl:template match="part">
     <xsl:param name="bridgehead" select="ancestor::preface|ancestor::colophon|ancestor::dedication"/>
diff --git a/odf2legi/odf2legi.py b/odf2legi/odf2legi.py
index 8d704f1..ceca26a 100644
--- a/odf2legi/odf2legi.py
+++ b/odf2legi/odf2legi.py
@@ -1140,6 +1140,8 @@ def convert_to_legi_xml(content, metadata=None, styles=None):
                     # clear it.
                     offstructure.remove(offstructure.getchildren()[0])
 
+    legi.append(ET.ProcessingInstruction('end-of-document'))
+
     # get content as an XML tree
     out = StringIO()
     ET.ElementTree(legi).write(out)