diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Serializer/Normalizer/DateTimeNormalizer.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Serializer/Normalizer/DateTimeNormalizer.php
index 5958aab067..960782bc46 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Serializer/Normalizer/DateTimeNormalizer.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Serializer/Normalizer/DateTimeNormalizer.php
@@ -23,18 +23,22 @@ use Symfony\Component\Serializer\Exception\UnexpectedValueException;
 class DateTimeNormalizer implements NormalizerInterface, DenormalizerInterface
 {
     const FORMAT_KEY = 'datetime_format';
+    const TIMEZONE_KEY = 'datetime_timezone';
 
     /**
      * @var string
      */
     private $format;
+    private $timezone;
 
     /**
-     * @param string $format
+     * @param string             $format
+     * @param \DateTimeZone|null $timezone
      */
-    public function __construct($format = \DateTime::RFC3339)
+    public function __construct($format = \DateTime::RFC3339, \DateTimeZone $timezone = null)
     {
         $this->format = $format;
+        $this->timezone = $timezone;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -49,6 +53,11 @@ class DateTimeNormalizer implements NormalizerInterface, DenormalizerInterface
         }
 
         $format = isset($context[self::FORMAT_KEY]) ? $context[self::FORMAT_KEY] : $this->format;
+        $timezone = $this->getTimezone($context);
+
+        if (null !== $timezone) {
+            $object = (new \DateTimeImmutable('@'.$object->getTimestamp()))->setTimezone($timezone);
+        }
 
         return $object->format($format);
     }
@@ -69,9 +78,15 @@ class DateTimeNormalizer implements NormalizerInterface, DenormalizerInterface
     public function denormalize($data, $class, $format = null, array $context = array())
     {
         $dateTimeFormat = isset($context[self::FORMAT_KEY]) ? $context[self::FORMAT_KEY] : null;
+        $timezone = $this->getTimezone($context);
 
         if (null !== $dateTimeFormat) {
-            $object = \DateTime::class === $class ? \DateTime::createFromFormat($dateTimeFormat, $data) : \DateTimeImmutable::createFromFormat($dateTimeFormat, $data);
+            if (null === $timezone && PHP_VERSION_ID < 50600) {
+                // https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=68669
+                $object = \DateTime::class === $class ? \DateTime::createFromFormat($dateTimeFormat, $data) : \DateTimeImmutable::createFromFormat($dateTimeFormat, $data);
+            } else {
+                $object = \DateTime::class === $class ? \DateTime::createFromFormat($dateTimeFormat, $data, $timezone) : \DateTimeImmutable::createFromFormat($dateTimeFormat, $data, $timezone);
+            }
 
             if (false !== $object) {
                 return $object;
@@ -89,7 +104,7 @@ class DateTimeNormalizer implements NormalizerInterface, DenormalizerInterface
         }
 
         try {
-            return \DateTime::class === $class ? new \DateTime($data) : new \DateTimeImmutable($data);
+            return \DateTime::class === $class ? new \DateTime($data, $timezone) : new \DateTimeImmutable($data, $timezone);
         } catch (\Exception $e) {
             throw new UnexpectedValueException($e->getMessage(), $e->getCode(), $e);
         }
@@ -126,4 +141,15 @@ class DateTimeNormalizer implements NormalizerInterface, DenormalizerInterface
 
         return $formattedErrors;
     }
+
+    private function getTimezone(array $context)
+    {
+        $dateTimeZone = array_key_exists(self::TIMEZONE_KEY, $context) ? $context[self::TIMEZONE_KEY] : $this->timezone;
+
+        if (null === $dateTimeZone) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        return $dateTimeZone instanceof \DateTimeZone ? $dateTimeZone : new \DateTimeZone($dateTimeZone);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Serializer/Tests/Normalizer/DateTimeNormalizerTest.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Serializer/Tests/Normalizer/DateTimeNormalizerTest.php
index 6d622bbcc0..43cb67c968 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Serializer/Tests/Normalizer/DateTimeNormalizerTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Serializer/Tests/Normalizer/DateTimeNormalizerTest.php
@@ -52,6 +52,32 @@ class DateTimeNormalizerTest extends TestCase
         $this->assertEquals('16', (new DateTimeNormalizer('y'))->normalize(new \DateTime('2016/01/01', new \DateTimeZone('UTC'))));
     }
 
+    public function testNormalizeUsingTimeZonePassedInConstructor()
+    {
+        $normalizer = new DateTimeNormalizer(\DateTime::RFC3339, new \DateTimeZone('Japan'));
+
+        $this->assertSame('2016-12-01T00:00:00+09:00', $normalizer->normalize(new \DateTime('2016/12/01', new \DateTimeZone('Japan'))));
+        $this->assertSame('2016-12-01T09:00:00+09:00', $normalizer->normalize(new \DateTime('2016/12/01', new \DateTimeZone('UTC'))));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @dataProvider normalizeUsingTimeZonePassedInContextProvider
+     */
+    public function testNormalizeUsingTimeZonePassedInContext($expected, $input, $timezone)
+    {
+        $this->assertSame($expected, $this->normalizer->normalize($input, null, array(
+            DateTimeNormalizer::TIMEZONE_KEY => $timezone,
+        )));
+    }
+
+    public function normalizeUsingTimeZonePassedInContextProvider()
+    {
+        yield array('2016-12-01T00:00:00+00:00', new \DateTime('2016/12/01', new \DateTimeZone('UTC')), null);
+        yield array('2016-12-01T00:00:00+09:00', new \DateTime('2016/12/01', new \DateTimeZone('Japan')), new \DateTimeZone('Japan'));
+        yield array('2016-12-01T09:00:00+09:00', new \DateTime('2016/12/01', new \DateTimeZone('UTC')), new \DateTimeZone('Japan'));
+        yield array('2016-12-01T09:00:00+09:00', new \DateTimeImmutable('2016/12/01', new \DateTimeZone('UTC')), new \DateTimeZone('Japan'));
+    }
+
     /**
      * @expectedException \Symfony\Component\Serializer\Exception\InvalidArgumentException
      * @expectedExceptionMessage The object must implement the "\DateTimeInterface".
@@ -76,6 +102,17 @@ class DateTimeNormalizerTest extends TestCase
         $this->assertEquals(new \DateTime('2016/01/01', new \DateTimeZone('UTC')), $this->normalizer->denormalize('2016-01-01T00:00:00+00:00', \DateTime::class));
     }
 
+    public function testDenormalizeUsingTimezonePassedInConstructor()
+    {
+        $timezone = new \DateTimeZone('Japan');
+        $expected = new \DateTime('2016/12/01 17:35:00', $timezone);
+        $normalizer = new DateTimeNormalizer(null, $timezone);
+
+        $this->assertEquals($expected, $normalizer->denormalize('2016.12.01 17:35:00', \DateTime::class, null, array(
+            DateTimeNormalizer::FORMAT_KEY => 'Y.m.d H:i:s',
+        )));
+    }
+
     public function testDenormalizeUsingFormatPassedInContext()
     {
         $this->assertEquals(new \DateTimeImmutable('2016/01/01'), $this->normalizer->denormalize('2016.01.01', \DateTimeInterface::class, null, array(DateTimeNormalizer::FORMAT_KEY => 'Y.m.d|')));
@@ -83,6 +120,45 @@ class DateTimeNormalizerTest extends TestCase
         $this->assertEquals(new \DateTime('2016/01/01'), $this->normalizer->denormalize('2016.01.01', \DateTime::class, null, array(DateTimeNormalizer::FORMAT_KEY => 'Y.m.d|')));
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @dataProvider denormalizeUsingTimezonePassedInContextProvider
+     */
+    public function testDenormalizeUsingTimezonePassedInContext($input, $expected, $timezone, $format = null)
+    {
+        $actual = $this->normalizer->denormalize($input, \DateTimeInterface::class, null, array(
+            DateTimeNormalizer::TIMEZONE_KEY => $timezone,
+            DateTimeNormalizer::FORMAT_KEY => $format,
+        ));
+
+        $this->assertEquals($expected, $actual);
+    }
+
+    public function denormalizeUsingTimezonePassedInContextProvider()
+    {
+        yield 'with timezone' => array(
+            '2016/12/01 17:35:00',
+            new \DateTimeImmutable('2016/12/01 17:35:00', new \DateTimeZone('Japan')),
+            new \DateTimeZone('Japan'),
+        );
+        yield 'with timezone as string' => array(
+            '2016/12/01 17:35:00',
+            new \DateTimeImmutable('2016/12/01 17:35:00', new \DateTimeZone('Japan')),
+            'Japan',
+        );
+        yield 'with format without timezone information' => array(
+            '2016.12.01 17:35:00',
+            new \DateTimeImmutable('2016/12/01 17:35:00', new \DateTimeZone('Japan')),
+            new \DateTimeZone('Japan'),
+            'Y.m.d H:i:s',
+        );
+        yield 'ignored with format with timezone information' => array(
+            '2016-12-01T17:35:00Z',
+            new \DateTimeImmutable('2016/12/01 17:35:00', new \DateTimeZone('UTC')),
+            'Europe/Paris',
+            \DateTime::RFC3339,
+        );
+    }
+
     /**
      * @expectedException \Symfony\Component\Serializer\Exception\UnexpectedValueException
      */