diff --git a/docs/markdown/Dependencies.md b/docs/markdown/Dependencies.md
index 9f0ab7f17..d09c688ae 100644
--- a/docs/markdown/Dependencies.md
+++ b/docs/markdown/Dependencies.md
@@ -453,6 +453,15 @@ language.
 *New in 0.56.0* the dependencies now return proper dependency types
  and `get_variable` and similar methods should work as expected.
 
+## iconv
+
+*(added 0.60.0)*
+
+Provides access to the `iconv` family of C functions. On systems where this is
+not built into libc, tries to find an external library providing them instead.
+
+`method` may be `auto`, `builtin` or `system`.
+
 ## intl
 
 *(added 0.59.0)*
diff --git a/docs/markdown/snippets/iconv-dependency.md b/docs/markdown/snippets/iconv-dependency.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..21a298541
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/markdown/snippets/iconv-dependency.md
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+## New custom dependency for iconv
+
+```
+dependency('iconv')
+```
+
+will now check for the functionality of libiconv.so, but first check if it is
+provided in the libc (for example in glibc or musl libc on Linux).
diff --git a/mesonbuild/dependencies/__init__.py b/mesonbuild/dependencies/__init__.py
index bd90c90e9..ff0bd30e3 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/dependencies/__init__.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/dependencies/__init__.py
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ from .scalapack import scalapack_factory
 from .misc import (
     BlocksDependency, OpenMPDependency, cups_factory, curses_factory, gpgme_factory,
     libgcrypt_factory, libwmf_factory, netcdf_factory, pcap_factory, python3_factory,
-    shaderc_factory, threads_factory, ThreadDependency, intl_factory,
+    shaderc_factory, threads_factory, ThreadDependency, iconv_factory, intl_factory,
 )
 from .platform import AppleFrameworks
 from .qt import qt4_factory, qt5_factory, qt6_factory
@@ -252,6 +252,7 @@ packages.update({
     'libgcrypt': libgcrypt_factory,
     'gpgme': gpgme_factory,
     'shaderc': shaderc_factory,
+    'iconv': iconv_factory,
     'intl': intl_factory,
 
     # From platform:
diff --git a/mesonbuild/dependencies/misc.py b/mesonbuild/dependencies/misc.py
index faf06a1a3..daa7dff6f 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/dependencies/misc.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/dependencies/misc.py
@@ -448,6 +448,25 @@ class CursesSystemDependency(SystemDependency):
                 break
 
 
+class IconvBuiltinDependency(BuiltinDependency):
+    def __init__(self, name: str, env: 'Environment', kwargs: T.Dict[str, T.Any]):
+        super().__init__(name, env, kwargs)
+
+        if self.clib_compiler.has_function('iconv_open', '', env)[0]:
+            self.is_found = True
+
+
+class IconvSystemDependency(SystemDependency):
+    def __init__(self, name: str, env: 'Environment', kwargs: T.Dict[str, T.Any]):
+        super().__init__(name, env, kwargs)
+
+        h = self.clib_compiler.has_header('iconv.h', '', env)
+        self.link_args = self.clib_compiler.find_library('iconv', env, [], self.libtype)
+
+        if h[0] and self.link_args:
+            self.is_found = True
+
+
 class IntlBuiltinDependency(BuiltinDependency):
     def __init__(self, name: str, env: 'Environment', kwargs: T.Dict[str, T.Any]):
         super().__init__(name, env, kwargs)
@@ -467,7 +486,9 @@ class IntlSystemDependency(SystemDependency):
             self.is_found = True
 
             if self.static:
-                self.link_args += self.clib_compiler.find_library('iconv', env, [], self.libtype)
+                if not self._add_sub_dependency(iconv_factory(env, self.for_machine, {})):
+                    self.is_found = False
+                    return
 
 
 @factory_methods({DependencyMethods.PKGCONFIG, DependencyMethods.CONFIG_TOOL, DependencyMethods.SYSTEM})
@@ -580,6 +601,13 @@ threads_factory = DependencyFactory(
     system_class=ThreadDependency,
 )
 
+iconv_factory = DependencyFactory(
+    'iconv',
+    [DependencyMethods.BUILTIN, DependencyMethods.SYSTEM],
+    builtin_class=IconvBuiltinDependency,
+    system_class=IconvSystemDependency,
+)
+
 intl_factory = DependencyFactory(
     'intl',
     [DependencyMethods.BUILTIN, DependencyMethods.SYSTEM],