diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 38b8868c..f14189d4 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ endif
 
 DIST_SUBDIRS = libfprint doc examples
 
-DISTCHECK_CONFIGURE_FLAGS = --with-drivers=upekts,upeke2,upeksonly,uru4000,vcom5s,aes2501,aes1610,aes4000,vfs101 --enable-examples-build --enable-x11-examples-build
+DISTCHECK_CONFIGURE_FLAGS = --with-drivers=upekts,upeke2,upeksonly,uru4000,vcom5s,aes2501,aes1610,aes4000,vfs101 --enable-examples-build --enable-x11-examples-build --with-udev-rules-dir='$${libdir}/udev/rules.d-distcheck'
 
 pkgconfigdir=$(libdir)/pkgconfig
 pkgconfig_DATA=libfprint.pc
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 1d57e4e9..6a2886cd 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -129,7 +129,16 @@ AC_SUBST(GLIB_LIBS)
 imagemagick_found=no
 gdkpixbuf_found=no
 
-AC_SUBST([udev_rulesdir], [$($PKG_CONFIG --variable=udevdir udev)/rules.d])
+AC_ARG_WITH(udev-rules-dir,
+	    AS_HELP_STRING([--with-udev-rules-dir=DIR],[Installation path for udev rules @<:@auto@:>@]),
+	    [ac_with_udev_rules_dir=$withval],
+	    [ac_with_udev_rules_dir=""])
+
+if test "${ac_with_udev_rules_dir}" = ""; then
+	ac_with_udev_rules_dir=`$PKG_CONFIG --variable=udevdir udev`/rules.d
+fi
+AC_MSG_NOTICE([installing udev rules in ${ac_with_udev_rules_dir}])
+AC_SUBST([udev_rulesdir],[${ac_with_udev_rules_dir}])
 
 if test "$require_imaging" = "yes"; then
 	PKG_CHECK_MODULES(IMAGING, gthread-2.0 gdk-pixbuf-2.0, [gdkpixbuf_found=yes], [gdkpixbuf_found=no])