diff --git a/modules/ingest-common/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/ingest/common/DateFormat.java b/modules/ingest-common/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/ingest/common/DateFormat.java
index 7301ad8a9e9..ae3bc6b5d78 100644
--- a/modules/ingest-common/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/ingest/common/DateFormat.java
+++ b/modules/ingest-common/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/ingest/common/DateFormat.java
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ enum DateFormat {
     Iso8601 {
         @Override
         Function<String, ZonedDateTime> getFunction(String format, ZoneId timezone, Locale locale) {
-            return (date) -> DateFormatters.from(DateFormatter.forPattern("strict_date_time").parse(date)).withZoneSameInstant(timezone);
+            return (date) -> DateFormatters.from(DateFormatter.forPattern("iso8601").parse(date)).withZoneSameInstant(timezone);
         }
     },
     Unix {
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/time/DateFormatters.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/time/DateFormatters.java
index 1cbaaeb80b8..957f632973d 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/time/DateFormatters.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/time/DateFormatters.java
@@ -175,6 +175,43 @@ public class DateFormatters {
     private static final DateFormatter STRICT_DATE_OPTIONAL_TIME_NANOS = new JavaDateFormatter("strict_date_optional_time_nanos",
         STRICT_DATE_OPTIONAL_TIME_PRINTER_NANOS, STRICT_DATE_OPTIONAL_TIME_FORMATTER_WITH_NANOS);
 
+    /**
+     * Returns a ISO 8601 compatible date time formatter and parser.
+     * This is not fully compatible to the existing spec, which would require far more edge cases, but merely compatible with the
+     * existing joda time ISO data formater
+     */
+    private static final DateFormatter ISO_8601 = new JavaDateFormatter("iso8601", STRICT_DATE_OPTIONAL_TIME_PRINTER,
+        new DateTimeFormatterBuilder()
+            .append(STRICT_YEAR_MONTH_DAY_FORMATTER)
+            .optionalStart()
+            .appendLiteral('T')
+            .optionalStart()
+            .appendValue(HOUR_OF_DAY, 2, 2, SignStyle.NOT_NEGATIVE)
+            .optionalStart()
+            .appendLiteral(':')
+            .appendValue(MINUTE_OF_HOUR, 2, 2, SignStyle.NOT_NEGATIVE)
+            .optionalStart()
+            .appendLiteral(':')
+            .appendValue(SECOND_OF_MINUTE, 2, 2, SignStyle.NOT_NEGATIVE)
+            .optionalStart()
+            .appendFraction(NANO_OF_SECOND, 1, 9, true)
+            .optionalEnd()
+            .optionalStart()
+            .appendLiteral(",")
+            .appendFraction(NANO_OF_SECOND, 1, 9, false)
+            .optionalEnd()
+            .optionalEnd()
+            .optionalStart()
+            .appendZoneOrOffsetId()
+            .optionalEnd()
+            .optionalStart()
+            .append(TIME_ZONE_FORMATTER_NO_COLON)
+            .optionalEnd()
+            .optionalEnd()
+            .optionalEnd()
+            .optionalEnd()
+            .toFormatter(Locale.ROOT));
+
     /////////////////////////////////////////
     //
     // BEGIN basic time formatters
@@ -1363,7 +1400,9 @@ public class DateFormatters {
             throw new IllegalArgumentException("No date pattern provided");
         }
 
-        if ("basicDate".equals(input) || "basic_date".equals(input)) {
+        if ("iso8601".equals(input)) {
+            return ISO_8601;
+        } else if ("basicDate".equals(input) || "basic_date".equals(input)) {
             return BASIC_DATE;
         } else if ("basicDateTime".equals(input) || "basic_date_time".equals(input)) {
             return BASIC_DATE_TIME;
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/common/joda/JavaJodaTimeDuellingTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/common/joda/JavaJodaTimeDuellingTests.java
index cd92061ae25..b5fcf1c7f30 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/common/joda/JavaJodaTimeDuellingTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/common/joda/JavaJodaTimeDuellingTests.java
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import org.elasticsearch.common.time.DateFormatters;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.ESTestCase;
 import org.joda.time.DateTime;
 import org.joda.time.DateTimeZone;
+import org.joda.time.format.ISODateTimeFormat;
 
 import java.time.ZoneOffset;
 import java.time.ZonedDateTime;
@@ -665,6 +666,23 @@ public class JavaJodaTimeDuellingTests extends ESTestCase {
         }
     }
 
+    // the iso 8601 parser is available via Joda.forPattern(), so we have to test this slightly differently
+    public void testIso8601Parsers() {
+        String format = "iso8601";
+        org.joda.time.format.DateTimeFormatter isoFormatter = ISODateTimeFormat.dateTimeParser().withZone(DateTimeZone.UTC);
+        JodaDateFormatter jodaFormatter = new JodaDateFormatter(format, isoFormatter, isoFormatter);
+        DateFormatter javaFormatter = DateFormatter.forPattern(format);
+
+        assertSameDate("2018-10-10T", format, jodaFormatter, javaFormatter);
+        assertSameDate("2018-10-10T10", format, jodaFormatter, javaFormatter);
+        assertSameDate("2018-10-10T10:11", format, jodaFormatter, javaFormatter);
+        assertSameDate("2018-10-10T10:11:12", format, jodaFormatter, javaFormatter);
+        assertSameDate("2018-10-10T10:11:12.123", format, jodaFormatter, javaFormatter);
+        assertSameDate("2018-10-10T10:11:12.123Z", format, jodaFormatter, javaFormatter);
+        assertSameDate("2018-10-10T10:11:12,123", format, jodaFormatter, javaFormatter);
+        assertSameDate("2018-10-10T10:11:12,123Z", format, jodaFormatter, javaFormatter);
+    }
+
     private void assertSamePrinterOutput(String format, ZonedDateTime javaDate, DateTime jodaDate) {
         assertThat(jodaDate.getMillis(), is(javaDate.toInstant().toEpochMilli()));
         String javaTimeOut = DateFormatter.forPattern(format).format(javaDate);