diff --git a/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_engine.hpp b/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_engine.hpp
index fff85873..fa200ce4 100644
--- a/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_engine.hpp
+++ b/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_engine.hpp
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@
 
 
 #include "../dispatchkit/exception_specification.hpp"
+#include "chaiscript_parser.hpp"
 
 namespace chaiscript
 {
@@ -204,6 +205,23 @@ namespace chaiscript
       m_engine.add(fun([this](const std::string& t_namespace_name) { import(t_namespace_name); }), "import");
     }
 
+    /// Skip BOM at the beginning of file
+    static bool skip_bom(std::ifstream &infile) {
+        char buffer[4];
+
+        memset(buffer, '\0', 4);
+        infile.readsome(buffer, 3);
+        std::string buffer_string(buffer);
+
+        if (chaiscript::parser::detail::Char_Parser_Helper<std::string>::has_utf8_bom(buffer_string)) {
+            infile.seekg(3);
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        infile.seekg(0);
+
+        return false;
+    }
 
     /// Helper function for loading a file
     static std::string load_file(const std::string &t_filename) {
@@ -218,6 +236,8 @@ namespace chaiscript
 
       assert(size >= 0);
 
+      skip_bom(infile);
+
       if (size == std::streampos(0))
       {
         return std::string();
diff --git a/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_parser.hpp b/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_parser.hpp
index 777dfa7f..44edc0b6 100644
--- a/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_parser.hpp
+++ b/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_parser.hpp
@@ -114,11 +114,11 @@ namespace chaiscript
           // little SFINAE trick to avoid base class
           return Char_Parser_Helper<std::true_type>::u8str_from_ll(val);
         }
-        
+
         static bool has_utf8_bom(const std::string &t_input)
         {
           //skip UTF-8 BOM
-          return ((t_input.size() > 3) && (t_input[0] == '\xef') && (t_input[1] == '\xbb' && t_input[2] == '\xbf'));
+          return ((t_input.size() > 2) && (t_input[0] == '\xef') && (t_input[1] == '\xbb' && t_input[2] == '\xbf'));
         }
       };
     }
@@ -2568,7 +2568,7 @@ namespace chaiscript
       AST_NodePtr parse_internal(const std::string &t_input, std::string t_fname) {
         m_position = Position(t_input.begin(), t_input.end());
         m_filename = std::make_shared<std::string>(std::move(t_fname));
-        
+
         if (detail::Char_Parser_Helper<std::string>::has_utf8_bom(t_input)) {
            throw exception::eval_error("UTF-8 in user provided input!");
         }