--- a/src/codegen/fo/foproperties.xml	
+++ a/src/codegen/fo/foproperties.xml	
@@ -2054,10 +2054,17 @@ 
     <default></default>
   </property>
   <property>
+    <!-- from https://issues.apache.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=18801 -->
     <name>visibility</name>
-    <inherited>false</inherited>
-    <datatype>ToBeImplemented</datatype>
+    <inherited>true</inherited>
     <default>visible</default>
+    <datatype>Enum</datatype>
+    <enumeration>
+      <value const="VISIBLE">visible</value>
+      <value const="HIDDEN">hidden</value>
+      <value const="COLLAPSE">collapse</value>
+      <value const="INHERIT">inherit</value>
+    </enumeration>
   </property>
   <property>
     <name>z-index</name>
--- a/src/java/org/apache/fop/area/Trait.java	
+++ a/src/java/org/apache/fop/area/Trait.java	
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import org.apache.xmlgraphics.image.loader.ImageInfo;
 
 import org.apache.fop.fonts.FontTriplet;
 import org.apache.fop.traits.BorderProps;
+import org.apache.fop.traits.Visibility;
 import org.apache.fop.util.ColorUtil;
 
 import static org.apache.fop.fo.Constants.EN_REPEAT;
@@ -156,8 +157,11 @@ public final class Trait implements Serializable {
     /** The ptr trait. Used for accessibility   */
     public static final Integer PTR = 37;
 
+    /** Used to disable the rendering of a Block http://www.w3.org/TR/xsl/#rend-vis */
+    public static final Integer VISIBILITY = 38;
+
     /** Maximum value used by trait keys */
-    public static final int MAX_TRAIT_KEY = 37;
+    public static final int MAX_TRAIT_KEY = 38;
 
     private static final TraitInfo[] TRAIT_INFO = new TraitInfo[MAX_TRAIT_KEY + 1];
 
@@ -221,6 +225,7 @@ public final class Trait implements Serializable {
         put(SPACE_AFTER,    new TraitInfo("space-after", Integer.class));
         put(IS_REFERENCE_AREA,  new TraitInfo("is-reference-area", Boolean.class));
         put(IS_VIEWPORT_AREA,   new TraitInfo("is-viewport-area", Boolean.class));
+        put(VISIBILITY, new TraitInfo("visibility", Visibility.class));
 
     }
 
--- a/src/java/org/apache/fop/fo/flow/Block.java	
+++ a/src/java/org/apache/fop/fo/flow/Block.java	
@@ -83,12 +83,12 @@ public class Block extends FObjMixed implements BreakPropertySet, StructurePoint
     private Numeric widows;
     private int wrapOption;
     private int disableColumnBalancing;
+    private int visibility;
     // Unused but valid items, commented out for performance:
     //     private CommonAccessibility commonAccessibility;
     //     private CommonAural commonAural;
     //     private Length textDepth;
     //     private Length textAltitude;
-    //     private int visibility;
     // End of property values
 
     /**
@@ -135,6 +135,7 @@ public class Block extends FObjMixed implements BreakPropertySet, StructurePoint
         widows = pList.get(PR_WIDOWS).getNumeric();
         wrapOption = pList.get(PR_WRAP_OPTION).getEnum();
         disableColumnBalancing = pList.get(PR_X_DISABLE_COLUMN_BALANCING).getEnum();
+        visibility = pList.get(PR_VISIBILITY).getEnum();
     }
 
     /** {@inheritDoc} */
@@ -356,4 +357,7 @@ public class Block extends FObjMixed implements BreakPropertySet, StructurePoint
         return FO_BLOCK;
     }
 
+    public int getVisibility() {
+        return visibility;
+    }
 }
--- a/src/java/org/apache/fop/layoutmgr/BlockLayoutManager.java	
+++ a/src/java/org/apache/fop/layoutmgr/BlockLayoutManager.java	
@@ -332,6 +332,7 @@ public class BlockLayoutManager extends BlockStackingLayoutManager
         TraitSetter.addPtr(curBlockArea, getBlockFO().getPtr());  // used for accessibility
         TraitSetter.addSpaceBeforeAfter(curBlockArea, layoutContext.getSpaceAdjust(),
                 effSpaceBefore, effSpaceAfter);
+        TraitSetter.setVisibility(curBlockArea, getBlockFO().getVisibility());
         flush();
 
         curBlockArea = null;
--- a/src/java/org/apache/fop/layoutmgr/TraitSetter.java	
+++ a/src/java/org/apache/fop/layoutmgr/TraitSetter.java	
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import org.apache.fop.fo.properties.CommonBorderPaddingBackground.BorderInfo;
 import org.apache.fop.fonts.Font;
 import org.apache.fop.traits.BorderProps;
 import org.apache.fop.traits.MinOptMax;
+import org.apache.fop.traits.Visibility;
 
 /**
  * This is a helper class used for setting common traits on areas.
@@ -612,4 +613,19 @@ public final class TraitSetter {
             area.addTrait(Trait.PROD_ID, id);
         }
     }
+
+    public static void setVisibility(Area area, int visibility) {
+        Visibility v;
+        switch (visibility) {
+            case Constants.EN_COLLAPSE:
+                v = Visibility.COLLAPSE;
+                break;
+            case Constants.EN_HIDDEN:
+                v = Visibility.HIDDEN;
+                break;
+            default:
+                v = Visibility.VISIBLE;
+        }
+        area.addTrait(Trait.VISIBILITY, v);
+    }
 }
--- a/src/java/org/apache/fop/render/AbstractRenderer.java	
+++ a/src/java/org/apache/fop/render/AbstractRenderer.java	
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ import org.apache.fop.area.inline.InlineViewport;
 import org.apache.fop.area.inline.WordArea;
 import org.apache.fop.fo.Constants;
 import org.apache.fop.fonts.FontInfo;
+import org.apache.fop.traits.Visibility;
 
 /**
  * Abstract base class for all renderers. The Abstract renderer does all the
@@ -579,7 +580,8 @@ public abstract class AbstractRenderer
 
             handleBlockTraits(block);
 
-            if (children != null) {
+            if (children != null && block.getTrait(Trait.VISIBILITY) != Visibility.HIDDEN)
+		    {
                 renderBlocks(block, children);
             }
 
--- a/src/java/org/apache/fop/traits/Visibility.java	
+++ a/src/java/org/apache/fop/traits/Visibility.java	
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@ 
+/*
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+ * contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+ * The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+ * (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+ * the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package org.apache.fop.traits;
+
+/**
+ * http://www.w3.org/TR/xsl/#visibility
+ * @author Jerome Robert
+ */
+public enum Visibility { VISIBLE, HIDDEN, COLLAPSE }