diff --git a/metaschema-java-binding/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/binding/DeserializationHandler.java b/metaschema-java-binding/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/binding/DeserializationHandler.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4b1e1efda
--- /dev/null
+++ b/metaschema-java-binding/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/binding/DeserializationHandler.java
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+/*
+ * Portions of this software was developed by employees of the National Institute
+ * of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the Federal Government and is
+ * being made available as a public service. Pursuant to title 17 United States
+ * Code Section 105, works of NIST employees are not subject to copyright
+ * protection in the United States. This software may be subject to foreign
+ * copyright. Permission in the United States and in foreign countries, to the
+ * extent that NIST may hold copyright, to use, copy, modify, create derivative
+ * works, and distribute this software and its documentation without fee is hereby
+ * granted on a non-exclusive basis, provided that this notice and disclaimer
+ * of warranty appears in all copies.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED 'AS IS' WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER
+ * EXPRESSED, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY WARRANTY
+ * THAT THE SOFTWARE WILL CONFORM TO SPECIFICATIONS, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
+ * MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND FREEDOM FROM
+ * INFRINGEMENT, AND ANY WARRANTY THAT THE DOCUMENTATION WILL CONFORM TO THE
+ * SOFTWARE, OR ANY WARRANTY THAT THE SOFTWARE WILL BE ERROR FREE.  IN NO EVENT
+ * SHALL NIST BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DIRECT,
+ * INDIRECT, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, ARISING OUT OF, RESULTING FROM,
+ * OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THIS SOFTWARE, WHETHER OR NOT BASED UPON WARRANTY,
+ * CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE, WHETHER OR NOT INJURY WAS SUSTAINED BY PERSONS OR
+ * PROPERTY OR OTHERWISE, AND WHETHER OR NOT LOSS WAS SUSTAINED FROM, OR AROSE OUT
+ * OF THE RESULTS OF, OR USE OF, THE SOFTWARE OR SERVICES PROVIDED HEREUNDER.
+ */
+
+package gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.binding;
+
+public interface DeserializationHandler {
+
+  /**
+   * A method called just before the object data is read and added to the object.
+   * 
+   * @param parent
+   *          the Java object containing this object
+   */
+  void beforeDeserialize(Object parent);
+
+  /**
+   * A method called just after the object's data is read and added to the object.
+   * 
+   * @param parent
+   *          the Java object containing this object
+   */
+  void afterDeserialize(Object parent);
+
+}