diff --git a/include/libssh/libssh.h b/include/libssh/libssh.h
index 4051f73d..9b6b2fca 100644
--- a/include/libssh/libssh.h
+++ b/include/libssh/libssh.h
@@ -414,6 +414,8 @@ LIBSSH_API enum ssh_keytypes_e ssh_privatekey_type(ssh_private_key privatekey);
 
 LIBSSH_API ssh_key ssh_key_new(void);
 LIBSSH_API void ssh_key_free (ssh_key key);
+LIBSSH_API int ssh_pki_import_privkey_base64(ssh_key key, ssh_session session,
+                                const char *b64_key, const char *passphrase);
 LIBSSH_API void ssh_print_hexa(const char *descr, const unsigned char *what, size_t len);
 LIBSSH_API int ssh_scp_accept_request(ssh_scp scp);
 LIBSSH_API int ssh_scp_close(ssh_scp scp);
diff --git a/include/libssh/pki.h b/include/libssh/pki.h
index 73f02ec3..1f593459 100644
--- a/include/libssh/pki.h
+++ b/include/libssh/pki.h
@@ -39,6 +39,9 @@ struct ssh_key_struct {
 #endif
 };
 
+#define ssh_key_is_public(k) (k && k->flags & SSH_KEY_FLAG_PUBLIC)
+#define ssh_key_is_private(k) (k && k->flags & SSH_KEY_FLAG_PRIVATE)
+
 void ssh_key_clean (ssh_key key);
 enum ssh_keytypes_e ssh_key_type(ssh_key key);
 int ssh_key_import_private(ssh_key key, ssh_session session,
diff --git a/src/pki.c b/src/pki.c
index aec7690c..6e1e4512 100644
--- a/src/pki.c
+++ b/src/pki.c
@@ -114,6 +114,31 @@ int ssh_key_import_private(ssh_key key, ssh_session session, const char *filenam
   return SSH_OK;
 }
 
+int ssh_pki_import_privkey_base64(ssh_key key, ssh_session session,
+                    const char *b64_key, const char *passphrase) {
+    ssh_private_key priv;
+
+    if(b64_key == NULL || !*b64_key) {
+        return SSH_ERROR;
+    }
+
+    priv = privatekey_from_base64(session, b64_key, 0, passphrase);
+    if(priv == NULL) {
+        return SSH_ERROR;
+    }
+
+    ssh_key_clean(key);
+
+    key->dsa = priv->dsa_priv;
+    key->rsa = priv->rsa_priv;
+    key->type = priv->type;
+    key->flags = SSH_KEY_FLAG_PRIVATE | SSH_KEY_FLAG_PUBLIC;
+    key->type_c = ssh_type_to_char(key->type);
+
+    SAFE_FREE(priv);
+    return SSH_OK;
+}
+
 /**
  * @}
  */