diff --git a/mount/init.go b/mount/init.go
index 0de9a83c0..91a27294a 100644
--- a/mount/init.go
+++ b/mount/init.go
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ func InitializeMountNamespace(rootfs, console string, sysReadonly bool, hostRoot
 	if mountConfig.NoPivotRoot {
 		err = MsMoveRoot(rootfs)
 	} else {
-		err = PivotRoot(rootfs)
+		err = PivotRoot(rootfs, mountConfig.PivotDir)
 	}
 
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/mount/mount_config.go b/mount/mount_config.go
index eef9b8ce4..f19465e60 100644
--- a/mount/mount_config.go
+++ b/mount/mount_config.go
@@ -13,6 +13,11 @@ type MountConfig struct {
 	// This is a common option when the container is running in ramdisk
 	NoPivotRoot bool `json:"no_pivot_root,omitempty"`
 
+	// PivotDir allows a custom directory inside the container's root filesystem to be used as pivot, when NoPivotRoot is not set.
+	// When a custom PivotDir not set, a temporary dir inside the root filesystem will be used. The pivot dir needs to be writeable.
+	// This is required when using read only root filesystems. In these cases, a read/writeable path can be (bind) mounted somewhere inside the root filesystem to act as pivot.
+	PivotDir string `json:"pivot_dir,omitempty"`
+
 	// ReadonlyFs will remount the container's rootfs as readonly where only externally mounted
 	// bind mounts are writtable
 	ReadonlyFs bool `json:"readonly_fs,omitempty"`
diff --git a/mount/pivotroot.go b/mount/pivotroot.go
index a88ed4a84..acc3be24c 100644
--- a/mount/pivotroot.go
+++ b/mount/pivotroot.go
@@ -10,8 +10,15 @@ import (
 	"syscall"
 )
 
-func PivotRoot(rootfs string) error {
-	pivotDir, err := ioutil.TempDir(rootfs, ".pivot_root")
+func PivotRoot(rootfs, pivotBaseDir string) error {
+	if pivotBaseDir == "" {
+		pivotBaseDir = "/"
+	}
+	tmpDir := filepath.Join(rootfs, pivotBaseDir)
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(tmpDir, 0755); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("can't create tmp dir %s, error %v", tmpDir, err)
+	}
+	pivotDir, err := ioutil.TempDir(tmpDir, ".pivot_root")
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("can't create pivot_root dir %s, error %v", pivotDir, err)
 	}
@@ -25,7 +32,7 @@ func PivotRoot(rootfs string) error {
 	}
 
 	// path to pivot dir now changed, update
-	pivotDir = filepath.Join("/", filepath.Base(pivotDir))
+	pivotDir = filepath.Join(pivotBaseDir, filepath.Base(pivotDir))
 	if err := syscall.Unmount(pivotDir, syscall.MNT_DETACH); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("unmount pivot_root dir %s", err)
 	}