diff --git a/include/cppast/cpp_namespace.hpp b/include/cppast/cpp_namespace.hpp
index 97142ac..1b5025b 100644
--- a/include/cppast/cpp_namespace.hpp
+++ b/include/cppast/cpp_namespace.hpp
@@ -117,65 +117,69 @@ namespace cppast
     /// A [cppast::cpp_entity]() modelling a using directive.
     ///
     /// A using directive is `using namespace std`, for example.
+    /// \notes It does not have a name.
     class cpp_using_directive final : public cpp_entity
     {
     public:
+        static cpp_entity_kind kind() noexcept;
+
         /// \returns A newly created using directive.
         /// \notes It is not meant to be registered at the [cppast::cpp_entity_index](),
         /// as nothing can refer to it.
-        static std::unique_ptr<cpp_using_directive> build(const cpp_namespace_ref& target)
+        static std::unique_ptr<cpp_using_directive> build(cpp_namespace_ref target)
         {
-            return std::unique_ptr<cpp_using_directive>(new cpp_using_directive(target));
+            return std::unique_ptr<cpp_using_directive>(new cpp_using_directive(std::move(target)));
         }
 
         /// \returns The [cppast::cpp_namespace_ref]() that is being used.
-        /// \notes The name of the reference is the same as the name of this entity.
-        cpp_namespace_ref target() const
+        const cpp_namespace_ref& target() const
         {
-            return {target_, name()};
+            return target_;
         }
 
     private:
-        cpp_using_directive(const cpp_namespace_ref& target)
-        : cpp_entity(target.name()), target_(target.id())
+        cpp_using_directive(cpp_namespace_ref target) : cpp_entity(""), target_(std::move(target))
         {
         }
 
         cpp_entity_kind do_get_entity_kind() const noexcept override;
 
-        cpp_entity_id target_;
+        cpp_namespace_ref target_;
     };
 
     /// A [cppast::cpp_entity]() modelling a using declaration.
     ///
     /// A using declaration is `using std::vector`, for example.
+    /// \notes It does not have a name.
     class cpp_using_declaration final : public cpp_entity
     {
     public:
+        static cpp_entity_kind kind() noexcept;
+
         /// \returns A newly created using declaration.
         /// \notes It is not meant to be registered at the [cppast::cpp_entity_index](),
         /// as nothing can refer to it.
-        static std::unique_ptr<cpp_using_declaration> build(const cpp_entity_ref& target)
+        static std::unique_ptr<cpp_using_declaration> build(cpp_entity_ref target)
         {
-            return std::unique_ptr<cpp_using_declaration>(new cpp_using_declaration(target));
+            return std::unique_ptr<cpp_using_declaration>(
+                new cpp_using_declaration(std::move(target)));
         }
 
         /// \returns The [cppast::cpp_entity_ref]() that is being used.
         /// \notes The name of the reference is the same as the name of this entity.
-        cpp_entity_ref target() const
+        const cpp_entity_ref& target() const noexcept
         {
-            return {target_, name()};
+            return target_;
         }
 
     private:
-        cpp_using_declaration(const cpp_entity_ref& target)
-        : cpp_entity(target.name()), target_(target.id())
+        cpp_using_declaration(cpp_entity_ref target) : cpp_entity(""), target_(std::move(target))
         {
         }
 
         cpp_entity_kind do_get_entity_kind() const noexcept override;
 
-        cpp_entity_id target_;
+        cpp_entity_ref target_;
     };
 } // namespace cppast
 
diff --git a/src/cpp_entity.cpp b/src/cpp_entity.cpp
index 4950ad2..3c370c5 100644
--- a/src/cpp_entity.cpp
+++ b/src/cpp_entity.cpp
@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@ using namespace cppast;
 
 std::string cppast::full_name(const cpp_entity& e)
 {
+    if (e.name().empty())
+        return "";
+
     std::string scopes;
 
     for (auto cur = e.parent(); cur; cur = cur.value().parent())
diff --git a/src/cpp_namespace.cpp b/src/cpp_namespace.cpp
index 8821733..caee2be 100644
--- a/src/cpp_namespace.cpp
+++ b/src/cpp_namespace.cpp
@@ -43,12 +43,22 @@ cpp_entity_kind cpp_namespace_alias::do_get_entity_kind() const noexcept
     return kind();
 }
 
-cpp_entity_kind cpp_using_directive::do_get_entity_kind() const noexcept
+cpp_entity_kind cpp_using_directive::kind() noexcept
 {
     return cpp_entity_kind::using_directive_t;
 }
 
-cpp_entity_kind cpp_using_declaration::do_get_entity_kind() const noexcept
+cpp_entity_kind cpp_using_directive::do_get_entity_kind() const noexcept
+{
+    return kind();
+}
+
+cpp_entity_kind cpp_using_declaration::kind() noexcept
 {
     return cpp_entity_kind::using_declaration_t;
 }
+
+cpp_entity_kind cpp_using_declaration::do_get_entity_kind() const noexcept
+{
+    return kind();
+}
diff --git a/src/libclang/namespace_parser.cpp b/src/libclang/namespace_parser.cpp
index 8976b26..3e74331 100644
--- a/src/libclang/namespace_parser.cpp
+++ b/src/libclang/namespace_parser.cpp
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include "parse_functions.hpp"
 
 #include <cppast/cpp_namespace.hpp>
+#include <clang-c/Index.h>
 
 #include "libclang_visitor.hpp"
 
@@ -50,7 +51,7 @@ std::unique_ptr<cpp_entity> detail::parse_cpp_namespace(const detail::parse_cont
 
 namespace
 {
-    cpp_entity_id ns_alias_target_id(const CXCursor& cur)
+    cpp_entity_id parse_ns_target_cursor(const CXCursor& cur)
     {
         cpp_entity_id result("");
         detail::visit_children(cur,
@@ -61,10 +62,11 @@ namespace
                                        result = detail::get_entity_id(referenced);
                                    else if (kind == CXCursor_NamespaceAlias)
                                        // get target of namespace alias instead
-                                       result = ns_alias_target_id(referenced);
+                                       result = parse_ns_target_cursor(referenced);
                                    else
                                        DEBUG_UNREACHABLE(detail::parse_error_handler{}, cur,
-                                                         "unexpected child of namespace alias");
+                                                         "unexpected target for namespace "
+                                                         "alias/using directive");
                                },
                                true);
         return result;
@@ -89,7 +91,77 @@ std::unique_ptr<cpp_entity> detail::parse_cpp_namespace_alias(const detail::pars
     while (!detail::skip_if(stream, ";"))
         target_name += stream.get().c_str();
 
-    auto target = cpp_namespace_ref(ns_alias_target_id(cur), std::move(target_name));
+    auto target = cpp_namespace_ref(parse_ns_target_cursor(cur), std::move(target_name));
     return cpp_namespace_alias::build(*context.idx, get_entity_id(cur), std::move(name),
                                       std::move(target));
 }
+
+std::unique_ptr<cpp_entity> detail::parse_cpp_using_directive(const detail::parse_context& context,
+                                                              const CXCursor&              cur)
+{
+    DEBUG_ASSERT(cur.kind == CXCursor_UsingDirective, detail::assert_handler{});
+
+    detail::tokenizer    tokenizer(context.tu, context.file, cur);
+    detail::token_stream stream(tokenizer, cur);
+
+    // using namespace <nested identifier>;
+    detail::skip(stream, "using");
+    detail::skip(stream, "namespace");
+
+    // <nested identifier>;
+    std::string target_name;
+    while (!detail::skip_if(stream, ";"))
+        target_name += stream.get().c_str();
+
+    auto target = cpp_namespace_ref(parse_ns_target_cursor(cur), std::move(target_name));
+    return cpp_using_directive::build(target);
+}
+
+namespace
+{
+    cpp_entity_id parse_entity_target_cursor(const CXCursor& cur)
+    {
+        cpp_entity_id result("");
+        detail::visit_children(cur,
+                               [&](const CXCursor& child) {
+                                   switch (clang_getCursorKind(child))
+                                   {
+                                   case CXCursor_TypeRef:
+                                   case CXCursor_TemplateRef:
+                                   case CXCursor_MemberRef:
+                                   case CXCursor_OverloadedDeclRef:
+                                   case CXCursor_VariableRef:
+                                       break;
+
+                                   default:
+                                       DEBUG_UNREACHABLE(detail::parse_error_handler{}, cur,
+                                                         "unexpected target for using declaration");
+                                   }
+
+                                   auto referenced = clang_getCursorReferenced(child);
+                                   result          = detail::get_entity_id(referenced);
+                               },
+                               true);
+        return result;
+    }
+}
+
+std::unique_ptr<cpp_entity> detail::parse_cpp_using_declaration(
+    const detail::parse_context& context, const CXCursor& cur)
+{
+    DEBUG_ASSERT(cur.kind == CXCursor_UsingDeclaration, detail::assert_handler{});
+
+    detail::tokenizer    tokenizer(context.tu, context.file, cur);
+    detail::token_stream stream(tokenizer, cur);
+
+    // using <nested identifier>;
+    detail::skip(stream, "using");
+
+    // <nested identifier>;
+    std::string target_name;
+    while (!detail::skip_if(stream, ";"))
+        target_name += stream.get().c_str();
+
+    auto target = cpp_entity_ref(parse_entity_target_cursor(cur), std::move(target_name));
+    return cpp_using_declaration::build(std::move(target));
+}
diff --git a/src/libclang/parse_functions.cpp b/src/libclang/parse_functions.cpp
index 573c015..6be879b 100644
--- a/src/libclang/parse_functions.cpp
+++ b/src/libclang/parse_functions.cpp
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ std::unique_ptr<cpp_entity> detail::parse_entity(const detail::parse_context& co
         return parse_cpp_namespace(context, cur);
     case CXCursor_NamespaceAlias:
         return parse_cpp_namespace_alias(context, cur);
+    case CXCursor_UsingDirective:
+        return parse_cpp_using_directive(context, cur);
+    case CXCursor_UsingDeclaration:
+        return parse_cpp_using_declaration(context, cur);
 
     default:
         break;
diff --git a/src/libclang/parse_functions.hpp b/src/libclang/parse_functions.hpp
index 0860de8..38bb12f 100644
--- a/src/libclang/parse_functions.hpp
+++ b/src/libclang/parse_functions.hpp
@@ -28,9 +28,12 @@ namespace cppast
 
         std::unique_ptr<cpp_entity> parse_cpp_namespace(const parse_context& context,
                                                         const CXCursor&      cur);
-
         std::unique_ptr<cpp_entity> parse_cpp_namespace_alias(const parse_context& context,
                                                               const CXCursor&      cur);
+        std::unique_ptr<cpp_entity> parse_cpp_using_directive(const parse_context& context,
+                                                              const CXCursor&      cur);
+        std::unique_ptr<cpp_entity> parse_cpp_using_declaration(const parse_context& context,
+                                                                const CXCursor&      cur);
 
         std::unique_ptr<cpp_entity> parse_entity(const parse_context& context, const CXCursor& cur);
     }
diff --git a/test/cpp_namespace.cpp b/test/cpp_namespace.cpp
index be58169..23a030d 100644
--- a/test/cpp_namespace.cpp
+++ b/test/cpp_namespace.cpp
@@ -108,3 +108,61 @@ namespace f = outer::c;
     });
     REQUIRE(count == 6u);
 }
+
+TEST_CASE("cpp_using_directive")
+{
+    auto code = R"(
+namespace ns1 {}
+namespace ns2 {}
+
+using namespace ns1;
+using namespace ns2;
+
+namespace outer
+{
+    namespace ns {}
+
+    using namespace ns;
+    using namespace ::ns1;
+}
+
+using namespace outer::ns;
+)";
+
+    cpp_entity_index idx;
+    auto check_directive = [&](const cpp_using_directive& directive, const char* target_full_name) {
+        auto target = directive.target();
+
+        auto entity = target.get(idx);
+        REQUIRE(entity);
+        REQUIRE(full_name(entity.value()) == target_full_name);
+    };
+
+    auto file  = parse(idx, "cpp_using_directive.cpp", code);
+    auto count = test_visit<cpp_using_directive>(*file, [&](const cpp_using_directive& directive) {
+        if (directive.target().name() == "ns1")
+            check_directive(directive, "ns1");
+        else if (directive.target().name() == "ns2")
+            check_directive(directive, "ns2");
+        else if (directive.target().name() == "ns")
+        {
+            check_parent(directive, "outer", "");
+            check_directive(directive, "outer::ns");
+        }
+        else if (directive.target().name() == "::ns1")
+        {
+            check_parent(directive, "outer", "");
+            check_directive(directive, "ns1");
+        }
+        else if (directive.target().name() == "outer::ns")
+            check_directive(directive, "outer::ns");
+        else
+            REQUIRE(false);
+    });
+    REQUIRE(count == 5u);
+}
+
+TEST_CASE("cpp_using_declaration")
+{
+    // TODO: write test when actual entities can be parsed
+}