diff --git a/common/clients.py b/common/clients.py
index d4ccda3..48db671 100644
--- a/common/clients.py
+++ b/common/clients.py
@@ -71,11 +71,13 @@
         self.conf = conf
         self.admin_credentials = admin_credentials
 
-        if self.conf.auth_url.find('/v'):
-            self.auth_version = self.conf.auth_url.split('/v')[1]
-        else:
-            raise ValueError(_('Incorrectly specified auth_url config: no '
-                               'version found.'))
+        self.auth_version = self.conf.auth_version
+        if not self.auth_version:
+            try:
+                self.auth_version = self.conf.auth_url.split('/v')[1]
+            except IndexError:
+                raise ValueError(_('Please specify version in auth_url or '
+                                   'auth_version in config.'))
         self.insecure = self.conf.disable_ssl_certificate_validation
         self.ca_file = self.conf.ca_file
 
diff --git a/common/config.py b/common/config.py
index baf8380..d7126c4 100644
--- a/common/config.py
+++ b/common/config.py
@@ -50,7 +50,9 @@
                deprecated_opts=[cfg.DeprecatedOpt('admin_tenant_name',
                                                   group='heat_plugin')]),
     cfg.StrOpt('auth_url',
-               help="Full URI of the OpenStack Identity API (Keystone)"),
+               help="Full URI of the OpenStack Identity API (Keystone)."),
+    cfg.StrOpt('auth_version',
+               help="OpenStack Identity API version."),
     cfg.StrOpt('user_domain_name',
                help="User domain name, if keystone v3 auth_url "
                     "is used"),