diff --git a/src/main/scala/ostrich/OstrichSolver.scala b/src/main/scala/ostrich/OstrichSolver.scala
index e668f48749..8fc23e7497 100644
--- a/src/main/scala/ostrich/OstrichSolver.scala
+++ b/src/main/scala/ostrich/OstrichSolver.scala
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ class OstrichSolver(theory : OstrichStringTheory,
                     flags : OFlags) {
 
   import theory.{str, str_len, str_empty, str_cons, str_++, str_in_re,
-                 str_to_re,
+                 str_to_re, re_from_str,
                  str_replace, str_replacere, str_replaceall, str_replaceallre,
                  re_none, re_all, re_allchar, re_charrange,
                  re_++, re_union, re_inter, re_*, re_+, re_opt, re_comp,
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ class OstrichSolver(theory : OstrichStringTheory,
 
   val rexOps : Set[IFunction] =
     Set(re_none, re_all, re_allchar, re_charrange, re_++, re_union, re_inter,
-        re_*, re_+, re_opt, re_comp, re_loop, str_to_re)
+        re_*, re_+, re_opt, re_comp, re_loop, str_to_re, re_from_str)
 
   private val p = theory.functionPredicateMap
 
diff --git a/src/main/scala/ostrich/OstrichStringTheory.scala b/src/main/scala/ostrich/OstrichStringTheory.scala
index 459631757e..5feafd99b1 100644
--- a/src/main/scala/ostrich/OstrichStringTheory.scala
+++ b/src/main/scala/ostrich/OstrichStringTheory.scala
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ class OstrichStringTheory(transducers : Seq[(String, Transducer)],
                    str_replacere, str_replaceallre, str_to_re,
                    re_none, re_eps, re_all, re_allchar, re_charrange,
                    re_++, re_union, re_inter, re_*, re_+, re_opt, re_comp,
-                   re_loop))
+                   re_loop, re_from_str))
      yield functionPredicateMap(f)) ++
     (for (f <- List(str_len); if flags.useLength != OFlags.LengthOptions.Off)
      yield functionPredicateMap(f)) ++
diff --git a/src/main/scala/ostrich/Regex2Aut.scala b/src/main/scala/ostrich/Regex2Aut.scala
index 62688cdb21..127cd3b95e 100644
--- a/src/main/scala/ostrich/Regex2Aut.scala
+++ b/src/main/scala/ostrich/Regex2Aut.scala
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ class Regex2Aut(theory : OstrichStringTheory) {
 
   import theory.{re_none, re_all, re_eps, re_allchar, re_charrange,
                  re_++, re_union, re_inter, re_*, re_+, re_opt, re_comp,
-                 re_loop, str_to_re}
+                 re_loop, str_to_re, re_from_str}
 
   def buildBricsRegex(t : ITerm) : String = t match {
     case IFunApp(`re_none`, _) =>
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ class Regex2Aut(theory : OstrichStringTheory) {
       "~(" + buildBricsRegex(a) + ")"
     case IFunApp(`re_loop`, Seq(IIntLit(n1), IIntLit(n2), a)) =>
       "(" + buildBricsRegex(a) + "){" + n1 + "," + n2 + "}"
+
     case IFunApp(`str_to_re`, Seq(a)) =>
       StringTheory.term2List(a) match {
         case Seq() =>
@@ -68,8 +69,44 @@ class Regex2Aut(theory : OstrichStringTheory) {
                 c <- "[\\" + numToUnicode(v) + "]")
            yield c).mkString
       }
+
+    case IFunApp(`re_from_str`, Seq(a)) => {
+      // TODO: this translation has to be checked more carefully, there might
+      // be problems due to escaping
+      val str = StringTheory.term2String(a)
+
+      // BRICS cannot handle anchors, so currently we are just removing them
+      // TODO: find a better solution for this
+
+      var begin = 0
+      while (begin < str.size && str(begin) == '^') {
+        Console.err.println("Warning: ignoring anchor ^")
+        begin = begin + 1
+      }
+
+      var end = str.size
+      while (end > 0 && str(end - 1) == '$') {
+        Console.err.println("Warning: ignoring anchor $")
+        end = end - 1
+      }
+
+      val str2 = str.slice(begin, end)
+
+      // handle some of the PCRE sequences
+      // TODO: do this more systematically
+      val str3 = str2.replaceAll("""\\w""", "[A-Za-z0-9_]")
+                     .replaceAll("""\\W""", "[^A-Za-z0-9_]")
+                     .replaceAll("""\\s""", "[ ]")
+                     .replaceAll("""\\S""", "[^ ]")
+                     .replaceAll("""\\d""", "[0-9]")
+                     .replaceAll("""\\D""", "[^0-9]")
+                     
+      str3
+    }
+
     case _ =>
-      throw new IllegalArgumentException
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException(
+        "could not translate " + t + " to an automaton")
   }
 
   def buildBricsAut(t : ITerm) : BAutomaton =
diff --git a/src/test/scala/SMTLIBTests.scala b/src/test/scala/SMTLIBTests.scala
index 0e19e9a696..696ca5d4da 100644
--- a/src/test/scala/SMTLIBTests.scala
+++ b/src/test/scala/SMTLIBTests.scala
@@ -161,4 +161,13 @@ object SMTLIBTests extends Properties("SMTLIBTests") {
   property("substring.smt2") =
     checkFile("tests/substring.smt2", "sat")
 
+  property("parse-regex.smt2") =
+    checkFile("tests/parse-regex.smt2", "sat")
+  property("parse-regex2.smt2") =
+    checkFile("tests/parse-regex2.smt2", "sat")
+  property("parse-regex2b.smt2") =
+    checkFile("tests/parse-regex2b.smt2", "unsat")
+  property("parse-regex4.smt2") =
+    checkFile("tests/parse-regex4.smt2", "sat")
+
 }
diff --git a/tests/parse-regex-incremental.smt2 b/tests/parse-regex-incremental.smt2
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0eca1bdccf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/parse-regex-incremental.smt2
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+
+
+(set-logic QF_S)
+
+(declare-const w String)
+
+(assert (str.in.re w (re.from.str "^[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z0-9-_\.]{1,20}$")))
+
+(check-sat)
+(get-model)
+
+(assert (str.in.re w (re.* (re.range "a" "z"))))
+
+(check-sat)
+(get-model)
+
+(assert (= (str.len w) 5))
+
+(check-sat)
+(get-model)
diff --git a/tests/parse-regex.smt2 b/tests/parse-regex.smt2
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..391ac7f110
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/parse-regex.smt2
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+(set-logic QF_S)
+
+(declare-const w String)
+
+(assert (str.in.re w (re.from.str "^[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z0-9-_\.]{1,20}$")))
+(assert (str.in.re w (re.* (re.range "a" "z"))))
+(assert (= (str.len w) 5))
+
+(check-sat)
+(get-model)
diff --git a/tests/parse-regex2.smt2 b/tests/parse-regex2.smt2
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1059b99f28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/parse-regex2.smt2
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+(set-logic QF_S)
+
+(declare-const w String)
+
+(assert (str.in.re w (re.from.str "[\+]\d{2}[\(]\d{2}[\)]\d{4}[\-]\d{4}")))
+
+(check-sat)
+(get-model)
diff --git a/tests/parse-regex2b.smt2 b/tests/parse-regex2b.smt2
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..56d756e943
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/parse-regex2b.smt2
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+(set-logic QF_S)
+
+(declare-const w String)
+
+(assert (str.in.re w (re.from.str "[\+]\d{2}[\(]\d{2}[\)]\d{4}[\-]\d{4}")))
+(assert (str.contains w "a"))
+
+(check-sat)
+(get-model)
diff --git a/tests/parse-regex3.smt2 b/tests/parse-regex3.smt2
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e3242027dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/parse-regex3.smt2
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+(set-logic QF_S)
+
+(declare-const w String)
+
+; currently not working; the : is unexpected
+(assert (str.in.re w (re.from.str "^(?:0|\(?\+33\)?\s?|0033\s?)[1-79](?:[\.\-\s]?\d\d){4}$")))
+
+(check-sat)
+(get-model)
diff --git a/tests/parse-regex4.smt2 b/tests/parse-regex4.smt2
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f306b36360
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/parse-regex4.smt2
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+(set-logic QF_S)
+
+(declare-const w String)
+
+(assert (str.in.re w (re.from.str "^#?([a-fA-F0-9]{6}|[a-fA-F0-9]{3})$")))
+
+(check-sat)
+(get-model)