diff --git a/builtin/providers/vcd/config.go b/builtin/providers/vcd/config.go
index 44403146e..56ec6b9a6 100644
--- a/builtin/providers/vcd/config.go
+++ b/builtin/providers/vcd/config.go
@@ -14,11 +14,13 @@ type Config struct {
 	Href            string
 	VDC             string
 	MaxRetryTimeout int
+	InsecureFlag    bool
 }
 
 type VCDClient struct {
 	*govcd.VCDClient
 	MaxRetryTimeout int
+	InsecureFlag    bool
 }
 
 func (c *Config) Client() (*VCDClient, error) {
@@ -28,8 +30,8 @@ func (c *Config) Client() (*VCDClient, error) {
 	}
 
 	vcdclient := &VCDClient{
-		govcd.NewVCDClient(*u),
-		c.MaxRetryTimeout}
+		govcd.NewVCDClient(*u, c.InsecureFlag),
+		c.MaxRetryTimeout, c.InsecureFlag}
 	org, vcd, err := vcdclient.Authenticate(c.User, c.Password, c.Org, c.VDC)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Something went wrong: %s", err)
diff --git a/builtin/providers/vcd/provider.go b/builtin/providers/vcd/provider.go
index 6ba1a07a6..a04d13904 100644
--- a/builtin/providers/vcd/provider.go
+++ b/builtin/providers/vcd/provider.go
@@ -50,6 +50,13 @@ func Provider() terraform.ResourceProvider {
 				DefaultFunc: schema.EnvDefaultFunc("VCD_MAX_RETRY_TIMEOUT", 60),
 				Description: "Max num seconds to wait for successful response when operating on resources within vCloud (defaults to 60)",
 			},
+
+			"allow_unverified_ssl": &schema.Schema{
+				Type:        schema.TypeBool,
+				Optional:    true,
+				DefaultFunc: schema.EnvDefaultFunc("VCD_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED_SSL", false),
+				Description: "If set, VCDClient will permit unverifiable SSL certificates.",
+			},
 		},
 
 		ResourcesMap: map[string]*schema.Resource{
@@ -72,6 +79,7 @@ func providerConfigure(d *schema.ResourceData) (interface{}, error) {
 		Href:            d.Get("url").(string),
 		VDC:             d.Get("vdc").(string),
 		MaxRetryTimeout: d.Get("maxRetryTimeout").(int),
+		InsecureFlag:    d.Get("allow_unverified_ssl").(bool),
 	}
 
 	return config.Client()
diff --git a/website/source/docs/providers/vcd/index.html.markdown b/website/source/docs/providers/vcd/index.html.markdown
index b671470b4..c5de0b9ba 100644
--- a/website/source/docs/providers/vcd/index.html.markdown
+++ b/website/source/docs/providers/vcd/index.html.markdown
@@ -19,12 +19,13 @@ Use the navigation to the left to read about the available resources.
 ```
 # Configure the VMware vCloud Director Provider
 provider "vcd" {
-	user            = "${var.vcd_user}"
-	password        = "${var.vcd_pass}"
-	org             = "${var.vcd_org}"
-	url             = "${var.vcd_url}"
-	vdc             = "${var.vcd_vdc}"
-	maxRetryTimeout = "${var.vcd_maxRetryTimeout}"	
+	user                 = "${var.vcd_user}"
+	password             = "${var.vcd_pass}"
+	org                  = "${var.vcd_org}"
+	url                  = "${var.vcd_url}"
+	vdc                  = "${var.vcd_vdc}"
+	maxRetryTimeout      = "${var.vcd_maxRetryTimeout}"	
+       allow_unverified_ssl = "${var.vcd_allow_unverified_ssl}"
 }
 
 # Create a new network
@@ -55,4 +56,9 @@ The following arguments are used to configure the VMware vCloud Director Provide
   by vCloud Director to be successful. If a resource action fails, the action will be retried
   (as long as it is still within the `maxRetryTimeout` value) to try and ensure success. 
   Defaults to 60 seconds if not set.
-  Can also be specified with the `VCD_MAX_RETRY_TIMEOUT` environment variable.  
+  Can also be specified with the `VCD_MAX_RETRY_TIMEOUT` environment variable.
+* `allow_unverified_ssl` - (Optional) Boolean that can be set to true to 
+  disable SSL certificate verification. This should be used with care as it
+  could allow an attacker to intercept your auth token. If omitted, default
+  value is false. Can also be specified with the 
+  `VCD_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED_SSL` environment variable.