diff --git a/builder/amazon/common/access_config.go b/builder/amazon/common/access_config.go
index dccde08d4..a4aed9bd5 100644
--- a/builder/amazon/common/access_config.go
+++ b/builder/amazon/common/access_config.go
@@ -10,41 +10,73 @@ import (
 	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/aws"
 	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/aws/credentials"
 	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/aws/credentials/ec2rolecreds"
+	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/aws/credentials/stscreds"
+	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/aws/session"
 	"github.com/mitchellh/packer/template/interpolate"
 )
 
 // AccessConfig is for common configuration related to AWS access
 type AccessConfig struct {
-	AccessKey string `mapstructure:"access_key"`
-	SecretKey string `mapstructure:"secret_key"`
-	RawRegion string `mapstructure:"region"`
-	Token     string `mapstructure:"token"`
+	AccessKey   string `mapstructure:"access_key"`
+	SecretKey   string `mapstructure:"secret_key"`
+	RawRegion   string `mapstructure:"region"`
+	Token       string `mapstructure:"token"`
+	ProfileName string `mapstructure:"profile"`
 }
 
 // Config returns a valid aws.Config object for access to AWS services, or
 // an error if the authentication and region couldn't be resolved
 func (c *AccessConfig) Config() (*aws.Config, error) {
-	creds := credentials.NewChainCredentials([]credentials.Provider{
-		&credentials.StaticProvider{Value: credentials.Value{
-			AccessKeyID:     c.AccessKey,
-			SecretAccessKey: c.SecretKey,
-			SessionToken:    c.Token,
-		}},
-		&credentials.EnvProvider{},
-		&credentials.SharedCredentialsProvider{Filename: "", Profile: ""},
-		&ec2rolecreds.EC2RoleProvider{},
-	})
+	var creds *credentials.Credentials
+
+	profile := &CLIConfig{}
+	err := profile.Prepare(c.ProfileName)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
 
 	region, err := c.Region()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	return &aws.Config{
-		Region:      aws.String(region),
-		Credentials: creds,
-		MaxRetries:  aws.Int(11),
-	}, nil
+	config := &aws.Config{
+		Region: aws.String(region),
+		MaxRetries: aws.Int(11),
+	}
+
+	if c.ProfileName != "" {
+		creds = c.assumeRoleCreds(config, profile)
+    } else {
+		creds = credentials.NewChainCredentials([]credentials.Provider{
+			&credentials.StaticProvider{Value: credentials.Value{
+				AccessKeyID:     c.AccessKey,
+				SecretAccessKey: c.SecretKey,
+				SessionToken:    c.Token,
+			}},
+			&credentials.EnvProvider{},
+			&credentials.SharedCredentialsProvider{Filename: "", Profile: ""},
+			&ec2rolecreds.EC2RoleProvider{},
+		})
+	}
+	return config.WithCredentials(creds), nil
+}
+
+func (c *AccessConfig) assumeRoleCreds(conf *aws.Config, profile *CLIConfig) (*credentials.Credentials) {
+	src_creds := credentials.NewStaticCredentials(
+		profile.Source.AccessKeyID,
+		profile.Source.SecretAccessKey,
+		profile.Source.SessionToken,
+	)
+	role_cfg := aws.NewConfig().WithCredentials(src_creds)
+	role_cfg.MergeIn(conf)
+	sess := session.New(role_cfg)
+	return stscreds.NewCredentials(sess, *profile.AssumeRoleInput.RoleArn, func(p *stscreds.AssumeRoleProvider) {
+		p.RoleSessionName = *profile.AssumeRoleInput.RoleSessionName
+		if extId := *profile.AssumeRoleInput.ExternalId; extId != "" {
+			p.ExternalID = &extId
+		}
+	})
 }
 
 // Region returns the aws.Region object for access to AWS services, requesting
diff --git a/builder/amazon/common/cli_config.go b/builder/amazon/common/cli_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2b1b2c014
--- /dev/null
+++ b/builder/amazon/common/cli_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+package common
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+    "os"
+    "path"
+
+	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/aws"
+    "github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/aws/credentials"
+    "github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/service/sts"
+    "github.com/go-ini/ini"
+)
+
+type CLIConfig struct {
+    SourceProfile   string
+
+    Source          credentials.Value
+    AssumeRoleInput sts.AssumeRoleInput
+}
+
+// Sets params in the struct based on the file section
+func (c *CLIConfig) Prepare(name string) (error) {
+    cfg, err := c.config()
+
+    cfg_profile_name := fmt.Sprintf("profile %s", name)
+    profile_cfg, err := cfg.GetSection(cfg_profile_name)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	c.SourceProfile = profile_cfg.Key("source_profile").Value();
+	if c.SourceProfile == "" {
+		c.SourceProfile = name
+	}
+
+    c.AssumeRoleInput.RoleArn = aws.String(profile_cfg.Key("role_arn").Value())
+
+	host, err := os.Hostname()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	sessName := fmt.Sprintf("packer-%s", host)
+    c.AssumeRoleInput.RoleSessionName = &sessName
+	c.AssumeRoleInput.SerialNumber = aws.String(profile_cfg.Key("mfa_serial").Value())
+	if extId := aws.String(profile_cfg.Key("external_id").Value()); extId != nil {
+		c.AssumeRoleInput.ExternalId = extId
+	}
+
+    creds, err := c.credentials()
+    cred_cfg, err := creds.GetSection(c.SourceProfile)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+    if len(c.SourceProfile) != 0 {
+        c.Source.AccessKeyID = cred_cfg.Key("aws_access_key_id").Value()
+        c.Source.SecretAccessKey = cred_cfg.Key("aws_secret_access_key").Value()
+        c.Source.SessionToken = cred_cfg.Key("aws_session_token").Value()
+    }
+    return nil
+}
+
+func (c *CLIConfig) config() (*ini.File, error) {
+	config_path := os.Getenv("AWS_CONFIG_FILE")
+    if config_path == "" {
+        config_path = path.Join(os.Getenv("HOME"), ".aws", "config")
+    }
+    ini, err := c.readFile(config_path)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+    return ini, nil
+}
+
+func (c *CLIConfig) credentials() (*ini.File, error) {
+	cred_path := os.Getenv("AWS_SHARED_CREDENTIALS_FILE")
+    if cred_path == "" {
+        cred_path = path.Join(os.Getenv("HOME"), ".aws", "credentials")
+    }
+    ini, err := c.readFile(cred_path)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+    return ini, nil
+}
+
+func (c *CLIConfig) readFile(path string) (*ini.File, error) {
+    cfg, err := ini.Load(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+    return cfg, nil
+}
\ No newline at end of file