diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/cpp11_std_unique_ptr.i b/Examples/test-suite/cpp11_std_unique_ptr.i
index 5ef49456c..804a4a27d 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/cpp11_std_unique_ptr.i
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/cpp11_std_unique_ptr.i
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ struct KlassInheritance : virtual Klass {
   }
 };
 
-#if defined(SWIGJAVA) || defined (SWIGCSHARP)
+#if defined(SWIGJAVA) || defined (SWIGCSHARP) || defined(SWIGPYTHON)
 std::string takeKlassUniquePtr(std::unique_ptr<Klass> k) {
   return std::string(k->getLabel());
 }
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/python/cpp11_std_unique_ptr_runme.py b/Examples/test-suite/python/cpp11_std_unique_ptr_runme.py
index a84efcd5f..d102ebcd8 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/python/cpp11_std_unique_ptr_runme.py
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/python/cpp11_std_unique_ptr_runme.py
@@ -1,5 +1,70 @@
 from cpp11_std_unique_ptr import *
 
+def checkCount(expected_count):
+    actual_count = Klass.getTotal_count()
+    if (actual_count != expected_count):
+        raise RuntimeError("Counts incorrect, expected:" + expected_count + " actual:" + actual_count)
+
+# unique_ptr as input
+kin = Klass("KlassInput")
+checkCount(1)
+s = takeKlassUniquePtr(kin)
+checkCount(0)
+if kin.thisown:
+    raise RuntimeError("thisown should be false")
+if s != "KlassInput":
+    raise RuntimeError("Incorrect string: " + s)
+if not is_nullptr(kin):
+    raise RuntimeError("is_nullptr failed")
+del kin # Should not fail, even though already deleted
+checkCount(0)
+
+kin = Klass("KlassInput")
+checkCount(1)
+s = takeKlassUniquePtr(kin)
+checkCount(0)
+if kin.thisown:
+    raise RuntimeError("thisown should be false")
+if s != "KlassInput":
+    raise RuntimeError("Incorrect string: " + s)
+if not is_nullptr(kin):
+    raise RuntimeError("is_nullptr failed")
+exception_thrown = False
+try:
+    s = takeKlassUniquePtr(kin)
+except RuntimeError as e:
+    exception_thrown = True
+if not exception_thrown:
+    raise RuntimeError("double usage of takeKlassUniquePtr should have been an error")
+del kin # Should not fail, even though already deleted
+checkCount(0)
+
+kin = Klass("KlassInput")
+exception_thrown = False
+try:
+    notowned = get_not_owned_ptr(kin)
+    takeKlassUniquePtr(notowned)
+except RuntimeError as e:
+    exception_thrown = True
+if not exception_thrown:
+  raise RuntimeError("Should have thrown 'Cannot release ownership as memory is not owned' error")
+del kin
+checkCount(0)
+
+kini = KlassInheritance("KlassInheritanceInput")
+checkCount(1)
+s = takeKlassUniquePtr(kini)
+checkCount(0)
+if kini.thisown:
+    raise RuntimeError("thisown should be false")
+if s != "KlassInheritanceInput":
+    raise RuntimeError("Incorrect string: " + s)
+if not is_nullptr(kini):
+    raise RuntimeError("is_nullptr failed")
+del kini # Should not fail, even though already deleted
+checkCount(0)
+
+# unique_ptr as output
 k1 = makeKlassUniquePtr("first")
 k2 = makeKlassUniquePtr("second")
 if Klass.getTotal_count() != 2:
diff --git a/Lib/python/pyrun.swg b/Lib/python/pyrun.swg
index 935885934..ec6e3d5a8 100644
--- a/Lib/python/pyrun.swg
+++ b/Lib/python/pyrun.swg
@@ -1357,12 +1357,19 @@ SWIG_Python_ConvertPtrAndOwn(PyObject *obj, void **ptr, swig_type_info *ty, int
     }
   }
   if (sobj) {
-    if (own)
-      *own = *own | sobj->own;
-    if (flags & SWIG_POINTER_DISOWN) {
-      sobj->own = 0;
+    if (((flags & SWIG_POINTER_RELEASE) == SWIG_POINTER_RELEASE) && !sobj->own) {
+      res = SWIG_ERROR_RELEASE_NOT_OWNED;
+    } else {
+      if (own)
+        *own = *own | sobj->own;
+      if (flags & SWIG_POINTER_DISOWN) {
+        sobj->own = 0;
+      }
+      if (flags & SWIG_POINTER_CLEAR) {
+        sobj->ptr = 0;
+      }
+      res = SWIG_OK;
     }
-    res = SWIG_OK;
   } else {
     if (implicit_conv) {
       SwigPyClientData *data = ty ? (SwigPyClientData *) ty->clientdata : 0;
diff --git a/Lib/python/std_unique_ptr.i b/Lib/python/std_unique_ptr.i
index 331817f76..bec8bf968 100644
--- a/Lib/python/std_unique_ptr.i
+++ b/Lib/python/std_unique_ptr.i
@@ -8,9 +8,22 @@
  * ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 
 %define %unique_ptr(TYPE)
+%typemap(in, noblock=1) std::unique_ptr< TYPE > (void *argp = 0, int res = 0) {
+  res = SWIG_ConvertPtr($input, &argp, $descriptor(TYPE *), SWIG_POINTER_RELEASE | %convertptr_flags);
+  if (!SWIG_IsOK(res)) {
+    if (res == SWIG_ERROR_RELEASE_NOT_OWNED) {
+      %releasenotowned_fail(res, "TYPE *", $symname, $argnum);
+    } else {
+      %argument_fail(res, "TYPE *", $symname, $argnum);
+    }
+  }
+  $1.reset((TYPE *)argp);
+}
+
 %typemap (out) std::unique_ptr< TYPE > %{
    %set_output(SWIG_NewPointerObj($1.release(), $descriptor(TYPE *), SWIG_POINTER_OWN | %newpointer_flags));
 %}
+
 %template() std::unique_ptr< TYPE >;
 %enddef
 
diff --git a/Lib/swigerrors.swg b/Lib/swigerrors.swg
index 1a6d20366..4d5a8e473 100644
--- a/Lib/swigerrors.swg
+++ b/Lib/swigerrors.swg
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/*  Errors in SWIG */
+/* SWIG Errors applicable to all language modules, values are reserved from -1 to -99 */
 #define  SWIG_UnknownError    	   -1
 #define  SWIG_IOError        	   -2
 #define  SWIG_RuntimeError   	   -3
@@ -13,4 +13,3 @@
 #define  SWIG_MemoryError    	   -12
 #define  SWIG_NullReferenceError   -13
 
-
diff --git a/Lib/swigrun.swg b/Lib/swigrun.swg
index de0db2dc3..9ec98ccf2 100644
--- a/Lib/swigrun.swg
+++ b/Lib/swigrun.swg
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@
 #define SWIG_POINTER_DISOWN        0x1
 #define SWIG_CAST_NEW_MEMORY       0x2
 #define SWIG_POINTER_NO_NULL       0x4
+#define SWIG_POINTER_CLEAR         0x8
+#define SWIG_POINTER_RELEASE       (SWIG_POINTER_CLEAR | SWIG_POINTER_DISOWN)
 
 /* Flags for new pointer objects */
 #define SWIG_POINTER_OWN           0x1
@@ -129,7 +131,13 @@
 */
 
 #define SWIG_OK                    (0)
+/* Runtime errors are < 0 */
 #define SWIG_ERROR                 (-1)
+/* Errors in range -1 to -99 are in swigerrors.swg (errors for all languages including those not using the runtime) */
+/* Errors in range -100 to -199 are language specific errors defined in *errors.swg */
+/* Errors < -200 are generic runtime specific errors */
+#define SWIG_ERROR_RELEASE_NOT_OWNED (-200)
+
 #define SWIG_IsOK(r)               (r >= 0)
 #define SWIG_ArgError(r)           ((r != SWIG_ERROR) ? r : SWIG_TypeError)
 
@@ -144,7 +152,7 @@
 #define SWIG_OLDOBJ                (SWIG_OK)
 #define SWIG_NEWOBJ                (SWIG_OK | SWIG_NEWOBJMASK)
 #define SWIG_TMPOBJ                (SWIG_OK | SWIG_TMPOBJMASK)
-/* Check, add and del mask methods */
+/* Check, add and del object mask methods */
 #define SWIG_AddNewMask(r)         (SWIG_IsOK(r) ? (r | SWIG_NEWOBJMASK) : r)
 #define SWIG_DelNewMask(r)         (SWIG_IsOK(r) ? (r & ~SWIG_NEWOBJMASK) : r)
 #define SWIG_IsNewObj(r)           (SWIG_IsOK(r) && (r & SWIG_NEWOBJMASK))
diff --git a/Lib/typemaps/exception.swg b/Lib/typemaps/exception.swg
index e48294c3f..aece8326f 100644
--- a/Lib/typemaps/exception.swg
+++ b/Lib/typemaps/exception.swg
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 #endif  
 #define %varnullref_fmt(_type,_name)       %nullref_fmt() %varfail_fmt(_type, _name)  		   
 #define %outnullref_fmt(_type)             %nullref_fmt() %outfail_fmt(_type)         
+#define %releasenotownedfail_fmt(_type,_name,_argn)    "in method '" `_name` "', cannot release ownership as memory is not owned for argument " `_argn`" of type '" `_type`"'"
 
 /* setting an error */
 #define %error(code,msg...)               SWIG_Error(code, msg)
diff --git a/Lib/typemaps/swigtypemaps.swg b/Lib/typemaps/swigtypemaps.swg
index 4e5bb2b04..733e5acd0 100644
--- a/Lib/typemaps/swigtypemaps.swg
+++ b/Lib/typemaps/swigtypemaps.swg
@@ -140,6 +140,7 @@
 #define %argument_nullref(type, name, argn)    SWIG_exception_fail(SWIG_ValueError, %argnullref_fmt(type, name, argn))
 #define %variable_fail(code, type, name)       SWIG_exception_fail(%default_code(code), %varfail_fmt(type, name))
 #define %variable_nullref(type, name)          SWIG_exception_fail(SWIG_ValueError, %varnullref_fmt(type, name))
+#define %releasenotowned_fail(code, type, name, argn) SWIG_exception_fail(%default_code(code), %releasenotownedfail_fmt(type, name, argn))
 
 #if defined(SWIG_DIRECTOR_TYPEMAPS)
 #define %dirout_fail(code, type)          SWIG_DirOutFail(%default_code(code), %outfail_fmt(type))