diff --git a/core/default_settings/app_defaults.php b/core/default_settings/app_defaults.php
index 0c982c4c7a..84179aaa9e 100644
--- a/core/default_settings/app_defaults.php
+++ b/core/default_settings/app_defaults.php
@@ -189,6 +189,14 @@ if ($domains_processed == 1) {
 		$array[$x]['default_setting_enabled'] = 'true';
 		$array[$x]['default_setting_description'] = '';
 		$x++;
+		$array[$x]['default_setting_uuid'] = 'e1c17089-1e75-4e46-9e59-4748bb6a6cec';
+		$array[$x]['default_setting_category'] = 'email';
+		$array[$x]['default_setting_subcategory'] = 'smtp_validate_certificate';
+		$array[$x]['default_setting_name'] = 'bolean';
+		$array[$x]['default_setting_value'] = 'true';
+		$array[$x]['default_setting_enabled'] = 'true';
+		$array[$x]['default_setting_description'] = 'set to false to ignore SSL certificate warnings e.g. for self-signed certificates';
+		$x++;
 		$array[$x]['default_setting_uuid'] = '8a07ab78-f386-482c-85dd-7ce8127597d6';
 		$array[$x]['default_setting_category'] = 'login';
 		$array[$x]['default_setting_subcategory'] = 'password_reset_key';
diff --git a/secure/fax_to_email.php b/secure/fax_to_email.php
index 476a34b83d..80e040153c 100644
--- a/secure/fax_to_email.php
+++ b/secure/fax_to_email.php
@@ -571,6 +571,23 @@ if(!function_exists('fax_split_dtmf')) {
 			else {
 				$mail->IsSMTP(); // set mailer to use SMTP
 			}
+
+		//optionally skip certificate validation
+			if (isset($_SESSION['email']['smtp_validate_certificate'])) {
+				if ($_SESSION['email']['smtp_validate_certificate']['boolean'] == "false") {
+
+					// this works around TLS certificate problems e.g. self-signed certificates
+					$mail->SMTPOptions = array(
+						'ssl' => array(
+						'verify_peer' => false,
+						'verify_peer_name' => false,
+						'allow_self_signed' => true
+						)
+					);
+				}
+			}
+			
+
 			if ($smtp['auth'] == "true") {
 				$mail->SMTPAuth = $smtp['auth']; // turn on/off SMTP authentication
 			}
diff --git a/secure/v_mailto.php b/secure/v_mailto.php
index ce0a395e0b..3ad81519e3 100644
--- a/secure/v_mailto.php
+++ b/secure/v_mailto.php
@@ -189,6 +189,22 @@
 			default: $mail->IsSMTP(); break;
 		}
 	} else $mail->IsSMTP();
+
+// optional bypass TLS certificate check e.g. for self-signed certificates
+    if (isset($_SESSION['email']['smtp_validate_certificate'])) {
+            if ($_SESSION['email']['smtp_validate_certificate']['boolean'] == "false") {
+
+                    // this is needed to work around TLS certificate problems
+                    $mail->SMTPOptions = array(
+                            'ssl' => array(
+                            'verify_peer' => false,
+                            'verify_peer_name' => false,
+                            'allow_self_signed' => true
+                            )
+                    );
+            }
+    }
+
 	$mail->SMTPAuth = $smtp['auth'];
 	$mail->Host = $smtp['host'];
 	if ($smtp['port']!=0) $mail->Port=$smtp['port'];