diff --git a/docs/json-type-definition.md b/docs/json-type-definition.md
index 507fe6ddb..9a05ed18c 100644
--- a/docs/json-type-definition.md
+++ b/docs/json-type-definition.md
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ It has a required member `type` and an optional members `nullable` and `metadata
 
 - `"string"` - defines a string
 - `"boolean"` - defines boolean value `true` or `false`
-- `"timestamp"` - defines timestamp (JSON string, Ajv would also allow Date object with this type) according to [RFC3339](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/rfc3339/)
+- `"timestamp"` - defines timestamp ( accepting either an [RFC3339](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/rfc3339/) JSON string or a Date object, configurable via the `timestamp` Ajv option)
 - `type` values that define integer numbers:
   - `"int8"` - signed byte value (-128 .. 127)
   - `"uint8"` - unsigned byte value (0 .. 255)
diff --git a/docs/options.md b/docs/options.md
index ef70ac7c1..ab288688f 100644
--- a/docs/options.md
+++ b/docs/options.md
@@ -212,6 +212,10 @@ Option values:
 
 Asynchronous function that will be used to load remote schemas when `compileAsync` [method](#api-compileAsync) is used and some reference is missing (option `missingRefs` should NOT be 'fail' or 'ignore'). This function should accept remote schema uri as a parameter and return a Promise that resolves to a schema. See example in [Asynchronous compilation](./guide/managing-schemas.md#asynchronous-schema-compilation).
 
+### timestamp
+
+(JTD only) This governs what Javascript types will be accepted for the [JTD timestamp type](./json-type-definition#type-form). By default Ajv will accept either Date objects or [RFC3339](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/rfc3339/) strings. You can adjust this behavior by specifying `timestamp: "date"` or `timestamp: "string"`.
+
 ## Options to modify validated data
 
 ### removeAdditional
diff --git a/lib/core.ts b/lib/core.ts
index 25683a1c2..20892166e 100644
--- a/lib/core.ts
+++ b/lib/core.ts
@@ -115,6 +115,8 @@ export interface CurrentOptions {
   unevaluated?: boolean // NEW
   dynamicRef?: boolean // NEW
   jtd?: boolean // NEW
+  /** (JTD only) Accepted Javascript types for `timestamp` type */
+  timestamp?: "string" | "date"
   meta?: SchemaObject | boolean
   defaultMeta?: string | AnySchemaObject
   validateSchema?: boolean | "log"
diff --git a/lib/vocabularies/jtd/type.ts b/lib/vocabularies/jtd/type.ts
index d28428199..87451476f 100644
--- a/lib/vocabularies/jtd/type.ts
+++ b/lib/vocabularies/jtd/type.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import validTimestamp from "../../runtime/timestamp"
 import {useFunc} from "../../compile/util"
 import {checkMetadata} from "./metadata"
 import {typeErrorMessage, typeErrorParams, _JTDTypeError} from "./error"
+import {_Code} from "../../compile/codegen/code"
 
 export type JTDTypeError = _JTDTypeError<"type", JTDType, JTDType>
 
@@ -26,13 +27,29 @@ const error: KeywordErrorDefinition = {
   params: (cxt) => typeErrorParams(cxt, cxt.schema),
 }
 
+function timestampCode(cxt: KeywordCxt): _Code {
+  const {gen, data} = cxt
+  switch (cxt.it.opts.timestamp) {
+    case "date":
+      return _`${data} instanceof Date `
+    case "string": {
+      const vts = useFunc(gen, validTimestamp)
+      return _`typeof ${data} == "string" && ${vts}(${data})`
+    }
+    default: {
+      const vts = useFunc(gen, validTimestamp)
+      return _`${data} instanceof Date || (typeof ${data} == "string" && ${vts}(${data}))`
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 const def: CodeKeywordDefinition = {
   keyword: "type",
   schemaType: "string",
   error,
   code(cxt: KeywordCxt) {
     checkMetadata(cxt)
-    const {gen, data, schema, parentSchema} = cxt
+    const {data, schema, parentSchema} = cxt
     let cond: Code
     switch (schema) {
       case "boolean":
@@ -40,8 +57,7 @@ const def: CodeKeywordDefinition = {
         cond = _`typeof ${data} == ${schema}`
         break
       case "timestamp": {
-        const vts = useFunc(gen, validTimestamp)
-        cond = _`${data} instanceof Date || (typeof ${data} == "string" && ${vts}(${data}))`
+        cond = timestampCode(cxt)
         break
       }
       case "float32":
diff --git a/spec/jtd-timestamps.spec.ts b/spec/jtd-timestamps.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..889fb74b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/jtd-timestamps.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+import _AjvJTD from "./ajv_jtd"
+import assert = require("assert")
+
+describe("JTD Timestamps", () => {
+  it("Should accept dates or strings by default", () => {
+    const ajv = new _AjvJTD()
+    const schema = {
+      type: "timestamp",
+    }
+    assert.strictEqual(ajv.validate(schema, new Date()), true)
+    assert.strictEqual(ajv.validate(schema, "2021-05-03T05:24:43.906Z"), true)
+    assert.strictEqual(ajv.validate(schema, "foo"), false)
+  })
+
+  it("Should enforce timestamp=string", () => {
+    const ajv = new _AjvJTD({timestamp: "string"})
+    const schema = {
+      type: "timestamp",
+    }
+    assert.strictEqual(ajv.validate(schema, new Date()), false)
+    assert.strictEqual(ajv.validate(schema, "2021-05-03T05:24:43.906Z"), true)
+    assert.strictEqual(ajv.validate(schema, "foo"), false)
+  })
+
+  it("Should enforce timestamp=date", () => {
+    const ajv = new _AjvJTD({timestamp: "date"})
+    const schema = {
+      type: "timestamp",
+    }
+    assert.strictEqual(ajv.validate(schema, new Date()), true)
+    assert.strictEqual(ajv.validate(schema, "2021-05-03T05:24:43.906Z"), false)
+    assert.strictEqual(ajv.validate(schema, "foo"), false)
+  })
+})