diff --git a/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcConnectionIT.java b/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcConnectionIT.java
index 1dcbe6c03c9..1c66ff51d64 100644
--- a/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcConnectionIT.java
+++ b/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcConnectionIT.java
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ public class JdbcConnectionIT extends ConnectionTestCase {
 
     @Override
     protected Properties connectionProperties() {
-        return JdbcSecurityIT.adminProperties();
+        Properties properties = super.connectionProperties();
+        properties.putAll(JdbcSecurityIT.adminProperties());
+        return properties;
     }
 }
diff --git a/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcDatabaseMetaDataIT.java b/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcDatabaseMetaDataIT.java
index 91f96d328bb..a12428d91f9 100644
--- a/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcDatabaseMetaDataIT.java
+++ b/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcDatabaseMetaDataIT.java
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ public class JdbcDatabaseMetaDataIT extends DatabaseMetaDataTestCase {
 
     @Override
     protected Properties connectionProperties() {
-        return JdbcSecurityIT.adminProperties();
+        Properties properties = super.connectionProperties();
+        properties.putAll(JdbcSecurityIT.adminProperties());
+        return properties;
     }
 }
diff --git a/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcErrorsIT.java b/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcErrorsIT.java
index a62825caa42..ceab2673ca9 100644
--- a/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcErrorsIT.java
+++ b/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcErrorsIT.java
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ public class JdbcErrorsIT extends ErrorsTestCase {
 
     @Override
     protected Properties connectionProperties() {
-        return JdbcSecurityIT.adminProperties();
+        Properties properties = super.connectionProperties();
+        properties.putAll(JdbcSecurityIT.adminProperties());
+        return properties;
     }
 }
diff --git a/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcFetchSizeIT.java b/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcFetchSizeIT.java
index 8de48fd442a..f78743fb7f7 100644
--- a/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcFetchSizeIT.java
+++ b/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcFetchSizeIT.java
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ public class JdbcFetchSizeIT extends FetchSizeTestCase {
 
     @Override
     protected Properties connectionProperties() {
-        return JdbcSecurityIT.adminProperties();
+        Properties properties = super.connectionProperties();
+        properties.putAll(JdbcSecurityIT.adminProperties());
+        return properties;
     }
 }
diff --git a/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcSecurityIT.java b/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcSecurityIT.java
index 9f718ce61d8..c9c89ffd470 100644
--- a/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcSecurityIT.java
+++ b/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcSecurityIT.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import java.util.Properties;
 
 import static org.elasticsearch.xpack.qa.sql.jdbc.JdbcAssert.assertResultSets;
 import static org.elasticsearch.xpack.qa.sql.jdbc.JdbcIntegrationTestCase.elasticsearchAddress;
+import static org.elasticsearch.xpack.qa.sql.jdbc.JdbcIntegrationTestCase.randomKnownTimeZone;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.contains;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.containsString;
 
@@ -33,7 +34,10 @@ public class JdbcSecurityIT extends SqlSecurityTestCase {
     }
 
     static Connection es(Properties properties) throws SQLException {
-        return DriverManager.getConnection("jdbc:es://" + elasticsearchAddress(), properties);
+        Properties props = new Properties();
+        props.put("timezone", randomKnownTimeZone());
+        props.putAll(properties);
+        return DriverManager.getConnection("jdbc:es://" + elasticsearchAddress(), props);
     }
 
     static Properties userProperties(String user) {
diff --git a/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcSimpleExampleIT.java b/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcSimpleExampleIT.java
index 2481297a822..4a0cb3aee6f 100644
--- a/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcSimpleExampleIT.java
+++ b/qa/sql/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/security/JdbcSimpleExampleIT.java
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ public class JdbcSimpleExampleIT extends SimpleExampleTestCase {
 
     @Override
     protected Properties connectionProperties() {
-        return JdbcSecurityIT.adminProperties();
+        Properties properties = super.connectionProperties();
+        properties.putAll(JdbcSecurityIT.adminProperties());
+        return properties;
     }
 }
diff --git a/qa/sql/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/jdbc/JdbcIntegrationTestCase.java b/qa/sql/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/jdbc/JdbcIntegrationTestCase.java
index 93874b9ebf2..59fe9a1dec4 100644
--- a/qa/sql/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/jdbc/JdbcIntegrationTestCase.java
+++ b/qa/sql/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/qa/sql/jdbc/JdbcIntegrationTestCase.java
@@ -74,8 +74,10 @@ public abstract class JdbcIntegrationTestCase extends ESRestTestCase {
         // tag::connect-dm
         String address = "jdbc:es://" + elasticsearchAddress();   // <1>
         Properties connectionProperties = connectionProperties(); // <2>
-        return DriverManager.getConnection(address, connectionProperties);
+        Connection connection = DriverManager.getConnection(address, connectionProperties);
         // end::connect-dm
+        assertNotNull("The timezone should be specified", connectionProperties.getProperty(JdbcConfiguration.TIME_ZONE));
+        return connection;
     }
 
     protected Connection useDataSource() throws SQLException {
@@ -85,8 +87,10 @@ public abstract class JdbcIntegrationTestCase extends ESRestTestCase {
         dataSource.setUrl(address);
         Properties connectionProperties = connectionProperties(); // <2>
         dataSource.setProperties(connectionProperties);
-        return dataSource.getConnection();
+        Connection connection = dataSource.getConnection();
         // end::connect-ds
+        assertNotNull("The timezone should be specified", connectionProperties.getProperty(JdbcConfiguration.TIME_ZONE));
+        return connection;
     }
 
     public static void index(String index, CheckedConsumer<XContentBuilder, IOException> body) throws IOException {