diff --git a/test.py b/test.py
index 8ee83949..f1c489c5 100644
--- a/test.py
+++ b/test.py
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 from subprocess import PIPE, run, Popen
 from dataclasses import dataclass, asdict
 from typing import Any, Optional, TextIO
+import locale
 
 PROGNAME = "trurl"
 TESTFILE = "tests.json"
@@ -69,6 +70,12 @@ def check_valgrind():
     return False
 
 
+def getcharmap():
+    process = Popen("locale charmap", shell=True, stdout=PIPE, stderr=PIPE, encoding="utf-8");
+    output, error = process.communicate()
+    return output.strip()
+
+
 class TestCase:
     def __init__(self, testIndex, runnerCmd, baseCmd, **testCase):
         self.testIndex = testIndex
@@ -172,6 +179,7 @@ def printDetail(self, verbose: bool = False, failed: bool = False):
 def main(argc, argv):
     ret = EXIT_SUCCESS
     baseDir = path.dirname(path.realpath(argv[0]))
+    locale.setlocale(locale.LC_ALL, "")
     # python on windows does not always seem to find the
     # executable if it is in a different output directory than
     # the python script, even if it is in the current working
@@ -182,7 +190,7 @@ def main(argc, argv):
     if sys.platform == "win32" or sys.platform == "cygwin":
         baseCmd += ".exe"
 
-    with open(path.join(baseDir, TESTFILE), "r") as file:
+    with open(path.join(baseDir, TESTFILE), "r", encoding="utf-8") as file:
         allTests = json.load(file)
         testIndexesToRun = []
 
@@ -237,12 +245,16 @@ def main(argc, argv):
         numTestsSkipped = 0
         for testIndex in testIndexesToRun:
             # skip tests if required features are not met
-            if "required" in allTests[testIndex]:
-                required = allTests[testIndex]["required"]
-                if not set(required).issubset(set(features)):
-                    print(f"Missing feature, skipping test {testIndex + 1}.")
-                    numTestsSkipped += 1
-                    continue
+            required = allTests[testIndex].get("required", None)
+            if required and not set(required).issubset(set(features)):
+                print(f"Missing feature, skipping test {testIndex + 1}.")
+                numTestsSkipped += 1
+                continue
+            encoding = allTests[testIndex].get("encoding", None)
+            if encoding and encoding != getcharmap():
+                print(f"Invalid locale, skipping test {testIndex + 1}.")
+                numTestsSkipped += 1
+                continue;
 
             test = TestCase(testIndex + 1, runnerCmd, baseCmd, **allTests[testIndex])
 
diff --git a/tests.json b/tests.json
index 9986223c..4bfd266e 100644
--- a/tests.json
+++ b/tests.json
@@ -1641,6 +1641,7 @@
             ]
         },
         "required": ["punycode"],
+        "encoding": "UTF-8",
         "expected": {
             "stderr": "",
             "returncode": 0,
@@ -1656,6 +1657,7 @@
             ]
         },
         "required": ["punycode"],
+        "encoding": "UTF-8",
         "expected": {
             "stderr": "",
             "returncode": 0,
@@ -1671,6 +1673,7 @@
             ]
         },
         "required": ["punycode"],
+        "encoding": "UTF-8",
         "expected": {
             "stderr": "",
             "returncode": 0,
@@ -2149,6 +2152,7 @@
             ]
         },
         "required": ["punycode2idn"],
+        "encoding": "UTF-8",
         "expected": {
             "stdout": "http://räksmörgås/\n",
             "stderr": "",
@@ -2165,6 +2169,7 @@
             ]
         },
         "required": ["punycode2idn"],
+        "encoding": "UTF-8",
         "expected": {
             "stdout": "räksmörgås\n",
             "stderr": "",
@@ -2181,6 +2186,7 @@
             ]
         },
         "required": ["punycode2idn"],
+        "encoding": "UTF-8",
         "expected": {
             "stdout": "http://xn-----/\n",
             "stderr": "",
@@ -2196,6 +2202,7 @@
             ]
         },
         "required": ["punycode2idn"],
+        "encoding": "UTF-8",
         "expected": {
             "stdout": "http://xn-----/\n",
             "stderr": "trurl note: Error converting url to IDN [Bad hostname]\n",