diff --git a/src/encoding/xml/marshal.go b/src/encoding/xml/marshal.go
index c30f0dca1514df..05b5542dfb4162 100644
--- a/src/encoding/xml/marshal.go
+++ b/src/encoding/xml/marshal.go
@@ -208,6 +208,7 @@ var (
 // EncodeToken allows writing a [ProcInst] with Target set to "xml" only as the first token
 // in the stream.
 func (enc *Encoder) EncodeToken(t Token) error {
+
 	p := &enc.p
 	switch t := t.(type) {
 	case StartElement:
@@ -227,10 +228,11 @@ func (enc *Encoder) EncodeToken(t Token) error {
 		p.WriteString("<!--")
 		p.Write(t)
 		p.WriteString("-->")
+		return p.cachedWriteError()
 	case ProcInst:
 		// First token to be encoded which is also a ProcInst with target of xml
 		// is the xml declaration. The only ProcInst where target of xml is allowed.
-		if t.Target == "xml" && p.wroteNonWS {
+		if t.Target == "xml" && p.w.Buffered() != 0 {
 			return fmt.Errorf("xml: EncodeToken of ProcInst xml target only valid for xml declaration, first token encoded")
 		}
 		if !isNameString(t.Target) {
@@ -255,30 +257,9 @@ func (enc *Encoder) EncodeToken(t Token) error {
 		p.WriteString(">")
 	default:
 		return fmt.Errorf("xml: EncodeToken of invalid token type")
-	}
-	if err := p.cachedWriteError(); err != nil || enc.p.wroteNonWS {
-		return err
-	}
-	enc.p.wroteNonWS = !isWhitespace(t)
-	return nil
-}
 
-// isWhitespace reports whether t is a CharData token consisting entirely of
-// XML whitespace.
-func isWhitespace(t Token) bool {
-	switch t := t.(type) {
-	case CharData:
-		for _, b := range t {
-			switch b {
-			case ' ', '\r', '\n', '\t':
-			default:
-				return false
-			}
-		}
-		return true
-	default:
-		return false
 	}
+	return p.cachedWriteError()
 }
 
 // isValidDirective reports whether dir is a valid directive text,
@@ -348,7 +329,6 @@ type printer struct {
 	prefixes   []string
 	tags       []Name
 	closed     bool
-	wroteNonWS bool
 	err        error
 }
 
diff --git a/src/encoding/xml/marshal_test.go b/src/encoding/xml/marshal_test.go
index 88918d4552b248..b8bce7170a60b6 100644
--- a/src/encoding/xml/marshal_test.go
+++ b/src/encoding/xml/marshal_test.go
@@ -2356,9 +2356,6 @@ func TestProcInstEncodeToken(t *testing.T) {
 	var buf bytes.Buffer
 	enc := NewEncoder(&buf)
 
-	if err := enc.EncodeToken(CharData(" \n\r\t")); err != nil {
-		t.Fatal("enc.EncodeToken: expected to be able to encode whitespace as first token")
-	}
 	if err := enc.EncodeToken(ProcInst{"xml", []byte("Instruction")}); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("enc.EncodeToken: expected to be able to encode xml target ProcInst as first token, %s", err)
 	}
diff --git a/src/encoding/xml/xml.go b/src/encoding/xml/xml.go
index 582cfee222be5b..0fe323f7c86afc 100644
--- a/src/encoding/xml/xml.go
+++ b/src/encoding/xml/xml.go
@@ -212,7 +212,6 @@ type Decoder struct {
 	line           int
 	linestart      int64
 	offset         int64
-	readNonWS      bool
 	unmarshalDepth int
 }
 
@@ -564,8 +563,6 @@ func (d *Decoder) rawToken() (Token, error) {
 		return EndElement{d.toClose}, nil
 	}
 
-	readNonWS := d.readNonWS
-
 	b, ok := d.getc()
 	if !ok {
 		return nil, d.err
@@ -578,12 +575,8 @@ func (d *Decoder) rawToken() (Token, error) {
 		if data == nil {
 			return nil, d.err
 		}
-		if !d.readNonWS && !isWhitespace(CharData(data)) {
-			d.readNonWS = true
-		}
 		return CharData(data), nil
 	}
-	d.readNonWS = true
 
 	if b, ok = d.mustgetc(); !ok {
 		return nil, d.err
@@ -634,11 +627,6 @@ func (d *Decoder) rawToken() (Token, error) {
 		data = data[0 : len(data)-2] // chop ?>
 
 		if target == "xml" {
-			if readNonWS {
-				d.err = errors.New("xml: XML declaration after start of document")
-				return nil, d.err
-			}
-
 			content := string(data)
 			ver := procInst("version", content)
 			if ver != "" && ver != "1.0" {
diff --git a/src/encoding/xml/xml_test.go b/src/encoding/xml/xml_test.go
index c3848c387301b6..a6763fd547ddfc 100644
--- a/src/encoding/xml/xml_test.go
+++ b/src/encoding/xml/xml_test.go
@@ -1352,12 +1352,10 @@ func TestParseErrors(t *testing.T) {
 
 		// Header-related errors.
 		{`<?xml version="1.1" encoding="UTF-8"?>`, `unsupported version "1.1"; only version 1.0 is supported`},
-		{`<foo><?xml version="1.0"?>`, `XML declaration after start of document`},
 
 		// Cases below are for "no errors".
 		{withDefaultHeader(`<?ok?>`), ``},
 		{withDefaultHeader(`<?ok version="ok"?>`), ``},
-		{`  <?xml version="1.0"?>`, ``},
 	}
 
 	for _, test := range tests {