diff --git a/gstreamer/Cargo.toml b/gstreamer/Cargo.toml
index 1fed0b212..40da955f3 100644
--- a/gstreamer/Cargo.toml
+++ b/gstreamer/Cargo.toml
@@ -24,19 +24,26 @@ num-rational = { version = "0.2", default-features = false, features = [] }
 lazy_static = "1.0"
 futures-core-preview = { version = "0.2", optional = true }
 muldiv = "0.2"
+serde = { version = "1.0", optional = true }
+serde_derive = { version = "1.0", optional = true }
 
 [build-dependencies.rustdoc-stripper]
 version = "0.1"
 optional = true
 
+[dev-dependencies]
+ron = "0.2"
+serde_json = "1.0"
+
 [features]
 v1_10 = ["gstreamer-sys/v1_10"]
 v1_12 = ["gstreamer-sys/v1_12", "v1_10"]
 v1_14 = ["gstreamer-sys/v1_14", "v1_12"]
 embed-lgpl-docs = ["rustdoc-stripper"]
 purge-lgpl-docs = ["rustdoc-stripper"]
-dox = ["gstreamer-sys/dox", "glib/dox", "futures"]
+dox = ["gstreamer-sys/dox", "glib/dox", "futures", "ser_de"]
 futures = ["futures-core-preview"]
+ser_de = ["serde", "serde_derive"]
 default-features = []
 
 [badges]
diff --git a/gstreamer/src/date_time.rs b/gstreamer/src/date_time.rs
index 577aab7a2..0a394f0bf 100644
--- a/gstreamer/src/date_time.rs
+++ b/gstreamer/src/date_time.rs
@@ -18,3 +18,151 @@ impl fmt::Display for DateTime {
         )
     }
 }
+
+#[cfg(feature = "ser_de")]
+pub(crate) mod serde {
+    use serde::de::{Deserialize, Deserializer};
+    use serde::ser::{Serialize, Serializer, SerializeStruct};
+    use DateTime;
+
+    impl<'a> Serialize for DateTime {
+        fn serialize<S: Serializer>(&self, serializer: S) -> Result<S::Ok, S::Error> {
+            let mut datetime = serializer.serialize_struct("DateTime", 8)?;
+            datetime.serialize_field("tz_offset", &self.get_time_zone_offset())?;
+            datetime.serialize_field("y", &self.get_year())?;
+            datetime.serialize_field("m", &self.get_month())?;
+            datetime.serialize_field("d", &self.get_day())?;
+            datetime.serialize_field("h", &self.get_hour())?;
+            datetime.serialize_field("mn", &self.get_minute())?;
+            datetime.serialize_field("s", &self.get_second())?;
+            datetime.serialize_field("us", &self.get_microsecond())?;
+            datetime.end()
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[derive(Deserialize)]
+    struct DateTimeDe {
+        tz_offset: f32,
+        y: i32,
+        m: i32,
+        d: i32,
+        h: i32,
+        mn: i32,
+        s: i32,
+        us: i32,
+    }
+
+    impl From<DateTimeDe> for DateTime {
+        fn from(dt_de: DateTimeDe) -> Self {
+            ::DateTime::new(
+                dt_de.tz_offset,
+                dt_de.y,
+                dt_de.m,
+                dt_de.d,
+                dt_de.h,
+                dt_de.mn,
+                f64::from(dt_de.s) + f64::from(dt_de.us) / 1_000_000f64,
+            )
+        }
+    }
+
+    impl<'de> Deserialize<'de> for DateTime {
+        fn deserialize<D: Deserializer<'de>>(deserializer: D) -> Result<Self, D::Error> {
+            DateTimeDe::deserialize(deserializer)
+                .and_then(|datetime_de| Ok(datetime_de.into()))
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    #[cfg(feature = "ser_de")]
+    #[test]
+    fn test_serialize() {
+        extern crate ron;
+        extern crate serde_json;
+
+        use DateTime;
+
+        ::init().unwrap();
+
+        let datetime = DateTime::new(2f32, 2018, 5, 28, 16, 6, 42.841f64);
+
+        // don't use newlines
+        let mut pretty_config = ron::ser::PrettyConfig::default();
+        pretty_config.new_line = "".to_string();
+
+        let res = ron::ser::to_string_pretty(&datetime, pretty_config);
+        assert_eq!(
+            Ok(
+                concat!(
+                    "(",
+                    "    tz_offset: 2,",
+                    "    y: 2018,",
+                    "    m: 5,",
+                    "    d: 28,",
+                    "    h: 16,",
+                    "    mn: 6,",
+                    "    s: 42,",
+                    "    us: 841000,",
+                    ")"
+                )
+                    .to_owned()
+            ),
+            res,
+        );
+
+        let res = serde_json::to_string(&datetime).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(
+            "{\"tz_offset\":2.0,\"y\":2018,\"m\":5,\"d\":28,\"h\":16,\"mn\":6,\"s\":42,\"us\":841000}"
+                .to_owned(),
+            res,
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[cfg(feature = "ser_de")]
+    #[test]
+    fn test_deserialize() {
+        extern crate ron;
+        extern crate serde_json;
+
+        use DateTime;
+
+        ::init().unwrap();
+
+        let datetime_ron = r#"
+            (
+                tz_offset: 2,
+                y: 2018,
+                m: 5,
+                d: 28,
+                h: 16,
+                mn: 6,
+                s: 42,
+                us: 841000,
+            )
+        "#;
+        let datetime: DateTime = ron::de::from_str(datetime_ron).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(datetime.get_time_zone_offset(), 2f32);
+        assert_eq!(datetime.get_year(), 2018);
+        assert_eq!(datetime.get_month(), 5);
+        assert_eq!(datetime.get_day(), 28);
+        assert_eq!(datetime.get_hour(), 16);
+        assert_eq!(datetime.get_minute(), 6);
+        assert_eq!(datetime.get_second(), 42);
+        assert_eq!(datetime.get_microsecond(), 841_000);
+
+        let datetime_json = r#"
+            {"tz_offset":2.0,"y":2018,"m":5,"d":28,"h":16,"mn":6,"s":42,"us":841000}
+        "#;
+        let datetime: DateTime = serde_json::from_str(datetime_json).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(datetime.get_time_zone_offset(), 2f32);
+        assert_eq!(datetime.get_year(), 2018);
+        assert_eq!(datetime.get_month(), 5);
+        assert_eq!(datetime.get_day(), 28);
+        assert_eq!(datetime.get_hour(), 16);
+        assert_eq!(datetime.get_minute(), 6);
+        assert_eq!(datetime.get_second(), 42);
+        assert_eq!(datetime.get_microsecond(), 841_000);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/gstreamer/src/lib.rs b/gstreamer/src/lib.rs
index 792a70256..6f43bef24 100644
--- a/gstreamer/src/lib.rs
+++ b/gstreamer/src/lib.rs
@@ -30,6 +30,12 @@ extern crate futures_core;
 
 extern crate muldiv;
 
+#[cfg(feature = "ser_de")]
+extern crate serde;
+#[cfg(feature = "ser_de")]
+#[macro_use]
+extern crate serde_derive;
+
 use glib::translate::{from_glib, from_glib_full};
 
 macro_rules! assert_initialized_main_thread {