diff --git a/django/utils/formats.py b/django/utils/formats.py
index fc68179f3a..5bb8d75df7 100644
--- a/django/utils/formats.py
+++ b/django/utils/formats.py
@@ -47,10 +47,15 @@ def iter_format_modules(lang, format_module_path=None):
     Does the heavy lifting of finding format modules.
     """
     if check_for_language(lang):
-        format_locations = ['django.conf.locale.%s']
-        if format_module_path:
-            format_locations.append(format_module_path + '.%s')
-            format_locations.reverse()
+        format_locations = []
+        if settings.FORMAT_MODULE_PATH:
+            if isinstance(settings.FORMAT_MODULE_PATH, six.string_types):
+                format_module_path_setting = [settings.FORMAT_MODULE_PATH]
+            else:
+                format_module_path_setting = settings.FORMAT_MODULE_PATH
+            for path in format_module_path_setting:
+                format_locations.append(path + '.%s')
+        format_locations.append('django.conf.locale.%s')
         locale = to_locale(lang)
         locales = [locale]
         if '_' in locale:
diff --git a/docs/ref/settings.txt b/docs/ref/settings.txt
index 597e39ab99..926f0d300e 100644
--- a/docs/ref/settings.txt
+++ b/docs/ref/settings.txt
@@ -1378,6 +1378,20 @@ like::
                 __init__.py
                 formats.py
 
+.. versionchanged:: 1.8
+
+    You can also set this setting to a list of Python paths, for example::
+
+        FORMAT_MODULE_PATH = [
+            'mysite.formats',
+            'some_app.formats',
+        ]
+
+    When Django searches for a certain format, it will go through all given
+    Python paths until it finds a module that actually defines the given
+    format. This means that formats defined in packages farther up in the list
+    will take precedence over the same formats in packages farther down.
+
 Available formats are :setting:`DATE_FORMAT`, :setting:`TIME_FORMAT`,
 :setting:`DATETIME_FORMAT`, :setting:`YEAR_MONTH_FORMAT`,
 :setting:`MONTH_DAY_FORMAT`, :setting:`SHORT_DATE_FORMAT`,
diff --git a/docs/releases/1.8.txt b/docs/releases/1.8.txt
index 6b0cb85058..22d8ca7d20 100644
--- a/docs/releases/1.8.txt
+++ b/docs/releases/1.8.txt
@@ -133,7 +133,10 @@ Forms
 Internationalization
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
-* ...
+* :setting:`FORMAT_MODULE_PATH` can now be a list of strings representing
+  module paths. This allows importing several format modules from different
+  reusable apps. It also allows overriding those custom formats in your main
+  Django project.
 
 Management Commands
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
diff --git a/docs/topics/i18n/formatting.txt b/docs/topics/i18n/formatting.txt
index 04b36e2767..94b2eed8ee 100644
--- a/docs/topics/i18n/formatting.txt
+++ b/docs/topics/i18n/formatting.txt
@@ -154,11 +154,20 @@ Django provides format definitions for many locales, but sometimes you might
 want to create your own, because a format files doesn't exist for your locale,
 or because you want to overwrite some of the values.
 
-To use custom formats, specify the path where you'll place format files first.
-To do that, just set your :setting:`FORMAT_MODULE_PATH` setting to the package
-where format files will exist, for instance::
 
-    FORMAT_MODULE_PATH = 'mysite.formats'
+.. versionchanged:: 1.8
+
+    The ability to specify FORMAT_MODULE_PATH as a list was added. Previously,
+    only a single string value was supported.
+
+To use custom formats, specify the path where you'll place format files
+first. To do that, just set your :setting:`FORMAT_MODULE_PATH` setting to
+the package where format files will exist, for instance::
+
+    FORMAT_MODULE_PATH = [
+        'mysite.formats',
+        'some_app.formats',
+    ]
 
 Files are not placed directly in this directory, but in a directory named as
 the locale, and must be named ``formats.py``.
diff --git a/tests/utils_tests/test_formats.py b/tests/utils_tests/test_formats.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..17fa9fdadf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/utils_tests/test_formats.py
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+"""Tests for ``django/utils/formats.py``."""
+from django.test import TestCase
+from django.utils.formats import iter_format_modules
+
+
+class IterFormatModulesTestCase(TestCase):
+    """Tests for the ``iter_format_modules`` method."""
+    longMessage = True
+
+    def test_returns_correct_default(self):
+        """
+        Should return default module when FORMAT_MODULE_PATH is not set.
+        """
+        result = list(iter_format_modules('en'))
+        self.assertEqual(len(result), 1, msg=(
+            "Should return only Django's default formats module."))
+        self.assertEqual(
+            result[0].__name__, 'django.conf.locale.en.formats', msg=(
+                'Should have added the language to the module path'))
+
+    def test_with_setting_as_basestring(self):
+        """
+        Before ticket #20477 FORMAT_MODULE_PATH was supposed to be a string.
+
+        This test ensures backwards compatibility.
+        """
+        with self.settings(
+                FORMAT_MODULE_PATH='utils_tests.test_module.formats'):
+            result = list(iter_format_modules('en'))
+            self.assertEqual(len(result), 2, msg=(
+                'Should return both, the default value and the one from the'
+                ' setting'))
+            self.assertEqual(
+                result[0].__name__,
+                'utils_tests.test_module.formats.en.formats',
+                msg=('Should return the module from the setting first and'
+                     ' should have added the language to the module path'))
+
+    def test_with_setting_as_list_of_strings(self):
+        """
+        After ticket #20477 FORMAT_MODULE_PATH can also be a list of strings.
+
+        This tests verifies the new functionality.
+        """
+        FORMAT_MODULE_PATH = [
+            'utils_tests.test_module.formats',
+            'utils_tests.test_module.formats2',
+        ]
+        with self.settings(
+                FORMAT_MODULE_PATH=FORMAT_MODULE_PATH):
+            result = list(iter_format_modules('en'))
+            self.assertEqual(len(result), 3, msg=(
+                'Should return the default value and the two values from the'
+                ' setting'))
+            self.assertEqual(
+                result[0].__name__,
+                'utils_tests.test_module.formats.en.formats',
+                msg=('Should return the values from the setting and add the'
+                     ' language to the module path'))
diff --git a/tests/utils_tests/test_module/formats/__init__.py b/tests/utils_tests/test_module/formats/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6dc04db23d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/utils_tests/test_module/formats/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+"""
+Custom format module. Used by tests in ``tests/utils_tests/test_formats.py``.
+
+"""
diff --git a/tests/utils_tests/test_module/formats/en/__init__.py b/tests/utils_tests/test_module/formats/en/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/tests/utils_tests/test_module/formats/en/formats.py b/tests/utils_tests/test_module/formats/en/formats.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/tests/utils_tests/test_module/formats2/__init__.py b/tests/utils_tests/test_module/formats2/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/tests/utils_tests/test_module/formats2/en/__init__.py b/tests/utils_tests/test_module/formats2/en/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/tests/utils_tests/test_module/formats2/en/formats.py b/tests/utils_tests/test_module/formats2/en/formats.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2