diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 648469e625..317be3c373 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -53,6 +53,8 @@ all:
 # Define NO_SOCKADDR_STORAGE if your platform does not have struct
 # sockaddr_storage.
 #
+# Define NO_ICONV if your libc does not properly support iconv.
+#
 # Define COLLISION_CHECK below if you believe that SHA1's
 # 1461501637330902918203684832716283019655932542976 hashes do not give you
 # sufficient guarantee that no collisions between objects will ever happen.
@@ -380,6 +382,10 @@ else
 endif
 endif
 
+ifdef NO_ICONV
+	ALL_CFLAGS += -DNO_ICONV
+endif
+
 ifdef PPC_SHA1
 	SHA1_HEADER = "ppc/sha1.h"
 	LIB_OBJS += ppc/sha1.o ppc/sha1ppc.o
diff --git a/mailinfo.c b/mailinfo.c
index ff2d4d4038..3c56f8c108 100644
--- a/mailinfo.c
+++ b/mailinfo.c
@@ -7,7 +7,9 @@
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <ctype.h>
+#ifndef NO_ICONV
 #include <iconv.h>
+#endif
 #include "git-compat-util.h"
 #include "cache.h"
 
@@ -469,6 +471,7 @@ static int decode_b_segment(char *in, char *ot, char *ep)
 
 static void convert_to_utf8(char *line, char *charset)
 {
+#ifndef NO_ICONV
 	char *in, *out;
 	size_t insize, outsize, nrc;
 	char outbuf[4096]; /* cheat */
@@ -501,6 +504,7 @@ static void convert_to_utf8(char *line, char *charset)
 		return;
 	*out = 0;
 	strcpy(line, outbuf);
+#endif
 }
 
 static void decode_header_bq(char *it)