diff --git a/collects/tests/xml/test.rkt b/collects/tests/xml/test.rkt
index 04f1d118b1..af4243278d 100644
--- a/collects/tests/xml/test.rkt
+++ b/collects/tests/xml/test.rkt
@@ -121,6 +121,7 @@ END
      (test-xexpr? (list 'p "one" "two" "three"))
      (test-xexpr? 'nbsp)
      (test-xexpr? 10)
+     (test-not-xexpr? 0)
      (test-xexpr? (make-cdata #f #f "unquoted <b>"))
      (test-xexpr? (make-comment "Comment!"))
      (test-xexpr? (make-pcdata #f #f "quoted <b>"))
@@ -249,6 +250,10 @@ END
          (list (make-entity (make-source (make-location 1 6 7) (make-location 1 11 12)) '40)))
         (list)))
      
+     (test-read-xml/exn
+      "<root>&#0;</root>"
+      "read-xml: lex-error: at position 1.10/11: not a well-formed numeric entity (does not match the production for Char, see XML 4.1)")
+     
      (test-read-xml
       "<!-- comment --><br />"
       '(make-document
@@ -616,7 +621,7 @@ END
                        (validate-xexpr xe))))]
         (test-suite
          "validate-xexpr"
-         (test-validate-xexpr 4)
+         (test-validate-xexpr 64)
          (test-validate-xexpr 'nbsp)
          (test-validate-xexpr "string")
          (test-validate-xexpr (make-pcdata #f #f "pcdata"))
@@ -628,6 +633,7 @@ END
          (test-validate-xexpr '(a ([href "#"]) "string"))
          
          (test-validate-xexpr/exn #f #f)
+         (test-validate-xexpr/exn 4 4)
          (test-validate-xexpr/exn + +)
          (test-validate-xexpr/exn '(a ([href foo]) bar) 'foo)
          (test-validate-xexpr/exn '("foo" bar) '("foo" bar))))
diff --git a/collects/xml/private/reader.rkt b/collects/xml/private/reader.rkt
index 43f567dfae..a4e342cd19 100644
--- a/collects/xml/private/reader.rkt
+++ b/collects/xml/private/reader.rkt
@@ -203,6 +203,8 @@
                               [else (string->number (read-until #\; in pos))])])
                      (unless (number? n)
                        (lex-error in pos "malformed numeric entity"))
+                     (unless (valid-char? n)
+                       (lex-error in pos "not a well-formed numeric entity (does not match the production for Char, see XML 4.1)"))
                      n)]
                   [else
                    (begin0
diff --git a/collects/xml/private/structures.rkt b/collects/xml/private/structures.rkt
index bb8dab9536..e58ad1120c 100644
--- a/collects/xml/private/structures.rkt
+++ b/collects/xml/private/structures.rkt
@@ -44,6 +44,17 @@
 ; Misc = Comment
 ;      |  Processing-instruction
 
+; Section 2.2 of XML 1.1
+; (XML 1.0 is slightly different and looks less restrictive)
+(define (valid-char? i)
+  (and (exact-nonnegative-integer? i)
+       (or (= i #x9)
+           (= i #xA)
+           (= i #xD)
+           (<= #x20 i #xD7FF)
+           (<= #xE000 i #xFFFD)
+           (<= #x10000 i #x10FFFF))))
+
 ; Entity = (make-entity Location Location (U Nat Symbol))
 (define-struct (entity source) (text) #:transparent)
 
@@ -124,6 +135,7 @@
  (struct (cdata source) ([start location/c]
                          [stop location/c]
                          [string string?])) 
+ [valid-char? (any/c . -> . boolean?)]
  (struct (entity source) ([start location/c]
                           [stop location/c]
-                          [text (or/c symbol? exact-nonnegative-integer?)])))
+                          [text (or/c symbol? valid-char?)])))
diff --git a/collects/xml/private/xexpr.rkt b/collects/xml/private/xexpr.rkt
index 0b19488d45..8c76c62be0 100644
--- a/collects/xml/private/xexpr.rkt
+++ b/collects/xml/private/xexpr.rkt
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 ;;        |  (list* Symbol (listof Attribute-srep) (listof Xexpr))
 ;;        |  (cons Symbol (listof Xexpr))
 ;;        |  Symbol
-;;        |  Nat
+;;        |  Nat (WFC: Valid Char)
 ;;        |  Comment
 ;;        |  Processing-instruction
 ;;        |  Cdata
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 (define xexpr-drop-empty-attributes (make-parameter #f))
 
 (define xexpr-datum/c
-  (or/c string? symbol? exact-nonnegative-integer?
+  (or/c string? symbol? valid-char?
         comment? p-i? cdata? pcdata?))
 
 #;(define xexpr/c
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@
   (cond
     ((string? x) (true))
     ((symbol? x) (true))
-    ((exact-nonnegative-integer? x) (true))
+    ((valid-char? x) (true))
     ((comment? x) (true))
     ((p-i? x) (true))
     ((cdata? x) (true))
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@
     ; Entities
     [(symbol? x)
      (fprintf out "&~a;" x)]
-    [(exact-nonnegative-integer? x)
+    [(valid-char? x)
      (fprintf out "&#~a;" x)]
     ; Embedded XML
     [(source? x)
diff --git a/collects/xml/xml.scrbl b/collects/xml/xml.scrbl
index 0436126d9c..c684f06bbf 100644
--- a/collects/xml/xml.scrbl
+++ b/collects/xml/xml.scrbl
@@ -108,7 +108,11 @@ Represents an attribute within an element.}
 @defthing[permissive/c contract?]{
  If @racket[(permissive-xexprs)] is @racket[#t], then equivalent to @racket[any/c], otherwise equivalent to @racket[(make-none/c 'permissive)]}
 
-@defstruct[(entity source) ([text (or/c symbol? exact-nonnegative-integer?)])]{
+@defproc[(valid-char? [x any/c]) boolean?]{
+ Returns true if @racket[x] is an exact-nonnegative-integer whose character interpretation under UTF-8 is from the set (#x9 | #xA | #xD | [#x20-#xD7FF] | [#xE000-#xFFFD] | [#x10000-#x10FFFF]), in accordance with section 2.2 of the XML 1.1 spec.
+}
+
+@defstruct[(entity source) ([text (or/c symbol? valid-char?)])]{
 
 Represents a symbolic or numerical entity.}
 
@@ -142,12 +146,12 @@ Returns @racket[#t] if @racket[v] is a @tech{X-expression}, @racket[#f] otherwis
 The following grammar describes expressions that create @tech{X-expressions}:
 
 @racketgrammar[
-#:literals (cons list)
+#:literals (cons list valid-char?)
 xexpr string
       (list symbol (list (list symbol string) ...) xexpr ...)
       (cons symbol (list xexpr ...))
       symbol
-      exact-nonnegative-integer
+      valid-char?
       cdata
       misc
 ]
@@ -162,7 +166,7 @@ represented by a string.
 A @racket[_symbol] represents a symbolic entity. For example,
 @racket['nbsp] represents @litchar{&nbsp;}.
 
-An @racket[_exact-nonnegative-integer] represents a numeric entity. For example,
+An @racket[valid-char?] represents a numeric entity. For example,
 @racketvalfont{#x20} represents @litchar{&#20;}.
 
 A @racket[_cdata] is an instance of the @racket[cdata] structure type,