diff --git a/django/contrib/auth/migrations/0002_alter_permission_name_max_length.py b/django/contrib/auth/migrations/0002_alter_permission_name_max_length.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8e82223237
--- /dev/null
+++ b/django/contrib/auth/migrations/0002_alter_permission_name_max_length.py
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+from __future__ import unicode_literals
+
+from django.db import models, migrations
+
+
+class Migration(migrations.Migration):
+
+    dependencies = [
+        ('auth', '0001_initial'),
+    ]
+
+    operations = [
+        migrations.AlterField(
+            model_name='permission',
+            name='name',
+            field=models.CharField(max_length=255, verbose_name='name'),
+        ),
+    ]
diff --git a/django/contrib/auth/models.py b/django/contrib/auth/models.py
index 14f0a5ecd8..9c6f7247bf 100644
--- a/django/contrib/auth/models.py
+++ b/django/contrib/auth/models.py
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ class Permission(models.Model):
     Three basic permissions -- add, change and delete -- are automatically
     created for each Django model.
     """
-    name = models.CharField(_('name'), max_length=50)
+    name = models.CharField(_('name'), max_length=255)
     content_type = models.ForeignKey(ContentType)
     codename = models.CharField(_('codename'), max_length=100)
     objects = PermissionManager()
diff --git a/django/contrib/auth/tests/test_management.py b/django/contrib/auth/tests/test_management.py
index a800b7379a..fc016135b2 100644
--- a/django/contrib/auth/tests/test_management.py
+++ b/django/contrib/auth/tests/test_management.py
@@ -503,8 +503,8 @@ class PermissionTestCase(TestCase):
 
         permission_content_type = ContentType.objects.get_by_natural_key('auth', 'permission')
         models.Permission.objects.filter(content_type=permission_content_type).delete()
-        models.Permission._meta.verbose_name = "some ridiculously long verbose name that is out of control"
+        models.Permission._meta.verbose_name = "some ridiculously long verbose name that is out of control" * 5
 
         six.assertRaisesRegex(self, exceptions.ValidationError,
-            "The verbose_name of permission is longer than 39 characters",
+            "The verbose_name of permission is longer than 244 characters",
             create_permissions, auth_app_config, verbosity=0)
diff --git a/docs/releases/1.8.txt b/docs/releases/1.8.txt
index 96bcc55051..7534a16e3d 100644
--- a/docs/releases/1.8.txt
+++ b/docs/releases/1.8.txt
@@ -46,6 +46,9 @@ Minor features
 * :class:`~django.contrib.auth.forms.PasswordResetForm` now
   has a method :meth:`~django.contrib.auth.forms.PasswordResetForm.send_email`
   that can be overridden to customize the mail to be sent.
+* The ``max_length`` of :attr:`Permission.name
+  <django.contrib.auth.models.Permission.name>` has been increased from 50 to
+  255 characters. Please run the database migration.
 
 :mod:`django.contrib.formtools`
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^