diff --git a/test/functional/__init__.py b/test/functional/__init__.py
index 248875a6..f0fea3be 100644
--- a/test/functional/__init__.py
+++ b/test/functional/__init__.py
@@ -57,6 +57,11 @@ def _load_config(force_reload=False):
                 auth_url += 'v1.0'
             conf['auth_url'] = auth_url
 
+        try:
+            conf['cacert'] = parser.get('func_test', 'cacert')
+        except configparser.NoOptionError:
+            conf['cacert'] = None
+
         try:
             conf['account_username'] = parser.get('func_test',
                                                   'account_username')
diff --git a/test/functional/test_openstacksdk.py b/test/functional/test_openstacksdk.py
index cee7f4e9..e51773ae 100644
--- a/test/functional/test_openstacksdk.py
+++ b/test/functional/test_openstacksdk.py
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ class TestOpenStackSDK(unittest.TestCase):
                 auth_url=TEST_CONFIG['auth_url'],
                 username=TEST_CONFIG['account_username'],
                 password=TEST_CONFIG['password'],
+                cacert=TEST_CONFIG['cacert'],
             )
             cls.object_store = cls.conn.object_store
 
diff --git a/test/functional/test_swiftclient.py b/test/functional/test_swiftclient.py
index 54c514de..aaade879 100644
--- a/test/functional/test_swiftclient.py
+++ b/test/functional/test_swiftclient.py
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ class TestFunctional(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def _get_config(self):
         self.auth_url = TEST_CONFIG['auth_url']
+        self.cacert = TEST_CONFIG['cacert']
         self.auth_version = TEST_CONFIG['auth_version']
         self.account_username = TEST_CONFIG['account_username']
         self.password = TEST_CONFIG['password']
@@ -52,7 +53,7 @@ class TestFunctional(unittest.TestCase):
         """
         return swiftclient.Connection(
             self.auth_url, self.account_username, self.password,
-            auth_version=self.auth_version)
+            auth_version=self.auth_version, cacert=self.cacert)
 
     def setUp(self):
         super(TestFunctional, self).setUp()
@@ -486,7 +487,7 @@ class TestUsingKeystone(TestFunctional):
 
         return swiftclient.Connection(
             self.auth_url, username, self.password,
-            auth_version=self.auth_version,
+            auth_version=self.auth_version, cacert=self.cacert,
             os_options={'tenant_name': account})
 
 
@@ -515,4 +516,5 @@ class TestUsingKeystoneV3(TestFunctional):
                       'user_domain_name': user_domain}
         return swiftclient.Connection(self.auth_url, username, password,
                                       auth_version=self.auth_version,
+                                      cacert=self.cacert,
                                       os_options=os_options)
diff --git a/test/sample.conf b/test/sample.conf
index 49bca90a..04dfdd9a 100644
--- a/test/sample.conf
+++ b/test/sample.conf
@@ -6,6 +6,11 @@ auth_uri = http://127.0.0.1:8080/auth/v1.0/
 #auth_version = 2
 #auth_uri = http://localhost:5000/v2.0/
 
+# You may want to run tests against endpoints that use development certs
+# without installing the CA system-wide. Use this to trust an extra set
+# of certificates.
+#cacert = /path/to/trusted-ca.crt
+
 # Primary functional test account (needs admin access to the account).
 # By default the tests use a swiftclient.client.Connection instance with user
 # attribute set to 'account:username' based on the options 'account' and