diff --git a/arangosh/Import/ImportFeature.cpp b/arangosh/Import/ImportFeature.cpp
index 9d14335533..0ca2930c9f 100644
--- a/arangosh/Import/ImportFeature.cpp
+++ b/arangosh/Import/ImportFeature.cpp
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ void ImportFeature::collectOptions(
       new DiscreteValuesParameter<StringParameter>(&_createCollectionType,
                                                    types));
 
-  std::unordered_set<std::string> imports = {"csv", "tsv", "json", "auto"};
+  std::unordered_set<std::string> imports = {"csv", "tsv", "json", "jsonl", "auto"};
 
   options->addOption(
       "--type", "type of import file",
@@ -230,12 +230,8 @@ void ImportFeature::start() {
     }
 
     std::string extension = match[1].str();
-    if (extension == "json") {
-      _typeImport = "json";
-    } else if (extension == "csv") {
-      _typeImport = "csv";
-    } else if (extension == "tsv") {
-      _typeImport = "tsv";
+    if (extension == "json" || extension == "jsonl" || extension == "csv" || extension == "tsv") {
+      _typeImport = extension;
     } else {
       LOG_TOPIC(FATAL, arangodb::Logger::FIXME) << "Unsupported file extension '" << extension << "'";
       FATAL_ERROR_EXIT();
@@ -386,9 +382,9 @@ void ImportFeature::start() {
                               arangodb::import::ImportHelper::TSV);
     }
 
-    else if (_typeImport == "json") {
+    else if (_typeImport == "json" || _typeImport == "jsonl") {
       std::cout << "Starting JSON import..." << std::endl;
-      ok = ih.importJson(_collectionName, _filename);
+      ok = ih.importJson(_collectionName, _filename, (_typeImport == "jsonl"));
     }
 
     else {
diff --git a/arangosh/Import/ImportHelper.cpp b/arangosh/Import/ImportHelper.cpp
index 122865e526..1feea0da81 100644
--- a/arangosh/Import/ImportHelper.cpp
+++ b/arangosh/Import/ImportHelper.cpp
@@ -280,7 +280,8 @@ bool ImportHelper::importDelimited(std::string const& collectionName,
 }
 
 bool ImportHelper::importJson(std::string const& collectionName,
-                              std::string const& fileName) {
+                              std::string const& fileName,
+                              bool assumeLinewise) {
   _collectionName = collectionName;
   _firstLine = "";
   _outputBuffer.clear();
@@ -309,6 +310,11 @@ bool ImportHelper::importJson(std::string const& collectionName,
   bool isObject = false;
   bool checkedFront = false;
 
+  if (assumeLinewise) {
+    checkedFront = true;
+    isObject = false;
+  }
+
   // progress display control variables
   int64_t totalRead = 0;
   double nextProgress = ProgressStep;
@@ -345,8 +351,7 @@ bool ImportHelper::importJson(std::string const& collectionName,
 
     if (!checkedFront) {
       // detect the import file format (single lines with individual JSON
-      // objects
-      // or a JSON array with all documents)
+      // objects or a JSON array with all documents)
       char const* p = _outputBuffer.begin();
       char const* e = _outputBuffer.end();
 
diff --git a/arangosh/Import/ImportHelper.h b/arangosh/Import/ImportHelper.h
index 11f0278845..91443dfade 100644
--- a/arangosh/Import/ImportHelper.h
+++ b/arangosh/Import/ImportHelper.h
@@ -79,7 +79,8 @@ class ImportHelper {
   //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
   bool importJson(std::string const& collectionName,
-                  std::string const& fileName);
+                  std::string const& fileName,
+                  bool assumeLinewise);
 
   //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
   /// @brief sets the action to carry out on duplicate _key
diff --git a/arangosh/Shell/V8ClientConnection.cpp b/arangosh/Shell/V8ClientConnection.cpp
index 7ba5160e44..c4ea18be4b 100644
--- a/arangosh/Shell/V8ClientConnection.cpp
+++ b/arangosh/Shell/V8ClientConnection.cpp
@@ -1024,7 +1024,7 @@ static void ClientConnection_importJson(
   std::string fileName = TRI_ObjectToString(isolate, args[0]);
   std::string collectionName = TRI_ObjectToString(isolate, args[1]);
 
-  if (ih.importJson(collectionName, fileName)) {
+  if (ih.importJson(collectionName, fileName, false)) {
     v8::Handle<v8::Object> result = v8::Object::New(isolate);
 
     result->Set(TRI_V8_ASCII_STRING("lines"),