diff --git a/AUTHORS b/AUTHORS
index b96d20bb0d..279c1a4dd4 100644
--- a/AUTHORS
+++ b/AUTHORS
@@ -695,6 +695,7 @@ answer newbie questions, and generally made Django that much better:
     Gasper Zejn <zejn@kiberpipa.org>
     Jarek Zgoda <jarek.zgoda@gmail.com>
     Cheng Zhang
+    Peter Zsoldos <http://zsoldosp.eu>
     <Please alphabetize new entries>
 
 A big THANK YOU goes to:
diff --git a/django/db/backends/mysql/client.py b/django/db/backends/mysql/client.py
index 2106c4d3da..dc1d9846b8 100644
--- a/django/db/backends/mysql/client.py
+++ b/django/db/backends/mysql/client.py
@@ -6,14 +6,15 @@ from django.db.backends import BaseDatabaseClient
 class DatabaseClient(BaseDatabaseClient):
     executable_name = 'mysql'
 
-    def runshell(self):
-        settings_dict = self.connection.settings_dict
-        args = [self.executable_name]
+    @classmethod
+    def settings_to_cmd_args(cls, settings_dict):
+        args = [cls.executable_name]
         db = settings_dict['OPTIONS'].get('db', settings_dict['NAME'])
         user = settings_dict['OPTIONS'].get('user', settings_dict['USER'])
         passwd = settings_dict['OPTIONS'].get('passwd', settings_dict['PASSWORD'])
         host = settings_dict['OPTIONS'].get('host', settings_dict['HOST'])
         port = settings_dict['OPTIONS'].get('port', settings_dict['PORT'])
+        cert = settings_dict['OPTIONS'].get('ssl', {}).get('ca')
         defaults_file = settings_dict['OPTIONS'].get('read_default_file')
         # Seems to be no good way to set sql_mode with CLI.
 
@@ -30,7 +31,12 @@ class DatabaseClient(BaseDatabaseClient):
                 args += ["--host=%s" % host]
         if port:
             args += ["--port=%s" % port]
+        if cert:
+            args += ["--ssl-ca=%s" % cert]
         if db:
             args += [db]
+        return args
 
+    def runshell(self):
+        args = DatabaseClient.settings_to_cmd_args(self.connection.settings_dict)
         subprocess.call(args)
diff --git a/docs/releases/1.8.txt b/docs/releases/1.8.txt
index 86d39c4f88..6569a2c447 100644
--- a/docs/releases/1.8.txt
+++ b/docs/releases/1.8.txt
@@ -203,6 +203,9 @@ Management Commands
   command is now always the ``dest`` name specified in the command option
   definition (as long as the command uses the new :py:mod:`argparse` module).
 
+* The :djadmin:`dbshell` command now supports MySQL's optional SSL certificate
+  authority setting (``--ssl-ca``).
+
 Models
 ^^^^^^
 
diff --git a/tests/dbshell/__init__.py b/tests/dbshell/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/tests/dbshell/tests.py b/tests/dbshell/tests.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7efb97d9cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/dbshell/tests.py
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+from django.db.backends.mysql.client import DatabaseClient
+from django.test import SimpleTestCase
+
+
+class MySqlDbshellCommandTestCase(SimpleTestCase):
+
+    def test_fails_with_keyerror_on_incomplete_config(self):
+        with self.assertRaises(KeyError):
+            self.get_command_line_arguments({})
+
+    def test_basic_params_specified_in_settings(self):
+        self.assertEqual(
+            ['mysql', '--user=someuser', '--password=somepassword',
+             '--host=somehost', '--port=444', 'somedbname'],
+            self.get_command_line_arguments({
+                'NAME': 'somedbname',
+                'USER': 'someuser',
+                'PASSWORD': 'somepassword',
+                'HOST': 'somehost',
+                'PORT': 444,
+                'OPTIONS': {},
+            }))
+
+    def test_options_override_settings_proper_values(self):
+        settings_port = 444
+        options_port = 555
+        self.assertNotEqual(settings_port, options_port, 'test pre-req')
+        self.assertEqual(
+            ['mysql', '--user=optionuser', '--password=optionpassword',
+             '--host=optionhost', '--port={}'.format(options_port), 'optiondbname'],
+            self.get_command_line_arguments({
+                'NAME': 'settingdbname',
+                'USER': 'settinguser',
+                'PASSWORD': 'settingpassword',
+                'HOST': 'settinghost',
+                'PORT': settings_port,
+                'OPTIONS': {
+                    'db': 'optiondbname',
+                    'user': 'optionuser',
+                    'passwd': 'optionpassword',
+                    'host': 'optionhost',
+                    'port': options_port,
+                },
+            }))
+
+    def test_can_connect_using_sockets(self):
+        self.assertEqual(
+            ['mysql', '--user=someuser', '--password=somepassword',
+             '--socket=/path/to/mysql.socket.file', 'somedbname'],
+            self.get_command_line_arguments({
+                'NAME': 'somedbname',
+                'USER': 'someuser',
+                'PASSWORD': 'somepassword',
+                'HOST': '/path/to/mysql.socket.file',
+                'PORT': None,
+                'OPTIONS': {},
+            }))
+
+    def test_ssl_certificate_is_added(self):
+        self.assertEqual(
+            ['mysql', '--user=someuser', '--password=somepassword',
+             '--host=somehost', '--port=444', '--ssl-ca=sslca', 'somedbname'],
+            self.get_command_line_arguments({
+                'NAME': 'somedbname',
+                'USER': 'someuser',
+                'PASSWORD': 'somepassword',
+                'HOST': 'somehost',
+                'PORT': 444,
+                'OPTIONS': {'ssl': {'ca': 'sslca'}},
+            }))
+
+    def get_command_line_arguments(self, connection_settings):
+        return DatabaseClient.settings_to_cmd_args(connection_settings)