diff --git a/django/contrib/auth/decorators.py b/django/contrib/auth/decorators.py
index 9b2504b33c..6ab428e9cd 100644
--- a/django/contrib/auth/decorators.py
+++ b/django/contrib/auth/decorators.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ from django.conf import settings
 from django.contrib.auth import REDIRECT_FIELD_NAME
 from django.core.exceptions import PermissionDenied
 from django.shortcuts import resolve_url
+from django.utils import six
 from django.utils.decorators import available_attrs
 from django.utils.six.moves.urllib.parse import urlparse
 
@@ -59,7 +60,7 @@ def permission_required(perm, login_url=None, raise_exception=False):
     is raised.
     """
     def check_perms(user):
-        if not isinstance(perm, (list, tuple)):
+        if isinstance(perm, six.string_types):
             perms = (perm, )
         else:
             perms = perm
diff --git a/docs/releases/1.9.txt b/docs/releases/1.9.txt
index a3fb56c6c0..55906864ef 100644
--- a/docs/releases/1.9.txt
+++ b/docs/releases/1.9.txt
@@ -114,6 +114,10 @@ Minor features
   a deprecation warning in older versions and is no longer supported in
   Django 1.9).
 
+* The permission argument of
+  :func:`~django.contrib.auth.decorators.permission_required()` accepts all
+  kinds of iterables, not only list and tuples.
+
 :mod:`django.contrib.gis`
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
diff --git a/docs/topics/auth/default.txt b/docs/topics/auth/default.txt
index 2df53816de..9e2d549fd1 100644
--- a/docs/topics/auth/default.txt
+++ b/docs/topics/auth/default.txt
@@ -580,7 +580,7 @@ The permission_required decorator
     (i.e. ``polls.can_vote`` for a permission on a model in the ``polls``
     application).
 
-    The decorator may also take a list of permissions.
+    The decorator may also take an iterable of permissions.
 
     Note that :func:`~django.contrib.auth.decorators.permission_required()`
     also takes an optional ``login_url`` parameter. Example::
@@ -599,6 +599,11 @@ The permission_required decorator
     (HTTP Forbidden) view<http_forbidden_view>` instead of redirecting to the
     login page.
 
+    .. versionchanged:: 1.9
+
+        In older versions, the ``permission`` parameter only worked with
+        strings, lists, and tuples instead of strings and any iterable.
+
 .. _applying-permissions-to-generic-views:
 
 Applying permissions to generic views
diff --git a/tests/auth_tests/test_decorators.py b/tests/auth_tests/test_decorators.py
index ff1b1f52a2..61c1962a74 100644
--- a/tests/auth_tests/test_decorators.py
+++ b/tests/auth_tests/test_decorators.py
@@ -76,6 +76,16 @@ class PermissionsRequiredDecoratorTest(TestCase):
         resp = a_view(request)
         self.assertEqual(resp.status_code, 200)
 
+    def test_many_permissions_in_set_pass(self):
+
+        @permission_required({'auth.add_customuser', 'auth.change_customuser'})
+        def a_view(request):
+            return HttpResponse()
+        request = self.factory.get('/rand')
+        request.user = self.user
+        resp = a_view(request)
+        self.assertEqual(resp.status_code, 200)
+
     def test_single_permission_pass(self):
 
         @permission_required('auth.add_customuser')