diff --git a/src/main/java/org/javarosa/core/model/instance/CsvExternalInstance.java b/src/main/java/org/javarosa/core/model/instance/CsvExternalInstance.java
index c3194d6c2..242130d96 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/javarosa/core/model/instance/CsvExternalInstance.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/javarosa/core/model/instance/CsvExternalInstance.java
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package org.javarosa.core.model.instance;
 
+import java.io.BufferedReader;
 import java.io.File;
+import java.io.FileReader;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
 import org.apache.commons.csv.CSVFormat;
@@ -13,7 +15,10 @@ public static TreeElement parse(String instanceId, String path) throws IOExcepti
         final TreeElement root = new TreeElement("root", 0);
         root.setInstanceName(instanceId);
 
-        final CSVParser csvParser = CSVParser.parse(new File(path), StandardCharsets.UTF_8, CSVFormat.DEFAULT.withFirstRecordAsHeader());
+        final CSVFormat csvFormat = CSVFormat.DEFAULT
+            .withDelimiter(getDelimiter(path))
+            .withFirstRecordAsHeader();
+        final CSVParser csvParser = CSVParser.parse(new File(path), StandardCharsets.UTF_8, csvFormat);
         final String[] fieldNames = csvParser.getHeaderMap().keySet().toArray(new String[0]);
         int multiplicity = 0;
 
@@ -32,4 +37,16 @@ public static TreeElement parse(String instanceId, String path) throws IOExcepti
 
         return root;
     }
+
+    private static char getDelimiter(String path) throws IOException {
+        char delimiter = ',';
+        try (BufferedReader reader = new BufferedReader(new FileReader(path))) {
+            String header = reader.readLine();
+
+            if (header.contains(";")) {
+                delimiter = ';';
+            }
+        }
+        return delimiter;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/javarosa/core/model/instance/CsvExternalInstanceTest.java b/src/test/java/org/javarosa/core/model/instance/CsvExternalInstanceTest.java
index 7f1a7e3cf..3e13bd362 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/javarosa/core/model/instance/CsvExternalInstanceTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/javarosa/core/model/instance/CsvExternalInstanceTest.java
@@ -8,32 +8,44 @@
 import org.junit.Test;
 
 public class CsvExternalInstanceTest {
-    private TreeElement root;
+    private TreeElement commaSeparated;
+    private TreeElement tabSeparated;
 
     @Before
     public void setUp() throws IOException {
-        root = CsvExternalInstance.parse("id", r("non_trivial.csv").toString());
+        commaSeparated = CsvExternalInstance.parse("id", r("external-secondary-comma-complex.csv").toString());
+        tabSeparated = CsvExternalInstance.parse("id", r("external-secondary-semicolon-complex.csv").toString());
     }
 
     @Test
     public void heading_has_no_extra_quotes() {
-        assertEquals("label", root.getChildAt(0).getChildAt(0).getName());
+        assertEquals("label", commaSeparated.getChildAt(0).getChildAt(0).getName());
+        assertEquals("label", tabSeparated.getChildAt(0).getChildAt(0).getName());
     }
 
     @Test
     public void value_has_no_extra_quotes() {
-        assertEquals("A", root.getChildAt(0).getChildAt(0).getValue().getValue());
+        assertEquals("A", commaSeparated.getChildAt(0).getChildAt(0).getValue().getValue());
+        assertEquals("A", tabSeparated.getChildAt(0).getChildAt(0).getValue().getValue());
     }
 
     @Test
     public void quoted_string_with_comma() {
-        assertEquals("121 Main St, NE", root.getChildAt(6).getChildAt(0).getValue().getValue());
+        assertEquals("121 Main St, NE", commaSeparated.getChildAt(6).getChildAt(0).getValue().getValue());
+        assertEquals("121 Main St, NE", tabSeparated.getChildAt(6).getChildAt(0).getValue().getValue());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void quoted_string_with_semicolon() {
+        assertEquals("text; more text", commaSeparated.getChildAt(7).getChildAt(0).getValue().getValue());
+        assertEquals("text; more text", tabSeparated.getChildAt(7).getChildAt(0).getValue().getValue());
     }
 
     @Test
     public void missing_fields_replaced_with_spaces() {
         for (int fieldIndex = 1; fieldIndex < 2; fieldIndex++) {
-            assertEquals("", root.getChildAt(5).getChildAt(fieldIndex).getValue().getValue());
+            assertEquals("", commaSeparated.getChildAt(5).getChildAt(fieldIndex).getValue().getValue());
+            assertEquals("", tabSeparated.getChildAt(5).getChildAt(fieldIndex).getValue().getValue());
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/test/resources/org/javarosa/core/model/instance/non_trivial.csv b/src/test/resources/org/javarosa/core/model/instance/external-secondary-comma-complex.csv
similarity index 54%
rename from src/test/resources/org/javarosa/core/model/instance/non_trivial.csv
rename to src/test/resources/org/javarosa/core/model/instance/external-secondary-comma-complex.csv
index 3ec94c7b6..20f509bfc 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/org/javarosa/core/model/instance/non_trivial.csv
+++ b/src/test/resources/org/javarosa/core/model/instance/external-secondary-comma-complex.csv
@@ -5,4 +5,5 @@ C,c
 AA,aa,a
 AB,ab,a
 AC
-"121 Main St, NE", main, m
+"121 Main St, NE",main,m
+"text; more text",foo,bar
diff --git a/src/test/resources/org/javarosa/core/model/instance/external-secondary-semicolon-complex.csv b/src/test/resources/org/javarosa/core/model/instance/external-secondary-semicolon-complex.csv
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..50bb116d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/resources/org/javarosa/core/model/instance/external-secondary-semicolon-complex.csv
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+"label";"name";"first"
+"A";"a";
+B;b;
+C;c
+AA;aa;a
+AB;ab;a
+AC
+"121 Main St, NE";main;m
+"text; more text";foo;bar