diff --git a/class/defaults.yml b/class/defaults.yml
index 0356235..341e7ab 100644
--- a/class/defaults.yml
+++ b/class/defaults.yml
@@ -13,4 +13,5 @@ parameters:
 
     args: []
 
+    api_timeout_seconds: null
     api_token: ?{vaultkv:${cluster:tenant}/${cluster:name}/cloudscale/token}
diff --git a/component/main.jsonnet b/component/main.jsonnet
index 6b76694..da4c0c0 100644
--- a/component/main.jsonnet
+++ b/component/main.jsonnet
@@ -36,6 +36,13 @@ local patchDaemonset(obj) =
                     '%(registry)s/%(repository)s:%(tag)s' %
                     params.images.cloudscale_cloud_controller_manager,
                   command+: params.args,
+                  env+:
+                    if params.api_timeout_seconds != null then [
+                      {
+                        name: 'CLOUDSCALE_API_TIMEOUT',
+                        value: std.toString(params.api_timeout_seconds),
+                      },
+                    ] else [],
                 }
               else
                 c
diff --git a/docs/modules/ROOT/pages/references/parameters.adoc b/docs/modules/ROOT/pages/references/parameters.adoc
index 091c0e3..8084078 100644
--- a/docs/modules/ROOT/pages/references/parameters.adoc
+++ b/docs/modules/ROOT/pages/references/parameters.adoc
@@ -43,6 +43,18 @@ defaults:: `[]`
 Additional arguments to provide to the cloudscale CCM.
 The contents of this parameter are appended to the upstream manifest verbatim.
 
+== `api_timeout_seconds`
+
+[horizontal]
+type:: number
+default:: `null`
+
+The API timeout to be used by the CCM driver when communicating with the cloudscale.ch API.
+Unit is seconds.
+If not set the CCM driver will use its upstream default.
+
+The current upstream timeout default is 20 seconds (https://github.com/cloudscale-ch/cloudscale-cloud-controller-manager/blob/74832bae401dc0fc79dcfba923ae154eac684779/pkg/cloudscale_ccm/cloud.go#L28[upstream code]).
+
 == `api_token`
 
 [horizontal]
diff --git a/tests/golden/openshift4/cloudscale-cloud-controller-manager/cloudscale-cloud-controller-manager/10_ccm_daemonset_kube_system_cloudscale_cloud_controller_manager.yaml b/tests/golden/openshift4/cloudscale-cloud-controller-manager/cloudscale-cloud-controller-manager/10_ccm_daemonset_kube_system_cloudscale_cloud_controller_manager.yaml
index 346bdb5..6739308 100644
--- a/tests/golden/openshift4/cloudscale-cloud-controller-manager/cloudscale-cloud-controller-manager/10_ccm_daemonset_kube_system_cloudscale_cloud_controller_manager.yaml
+++ b/tests/golden/openshift4/cloudscale-cloud-controller-manager/cloudscale-cloud-controller-manager/10_ccm_daemonset_kube_system_cloudscale_cloud_controller_manager.yaml
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ spec:
                 secretKeyRef:
                   key: access-token
                   name: cloudscale
+            - name: CLOUDSCALE_API_TIMEOUT
+              value: '50'
           image: quay.io/cloudscalech/cloudscale-cloud-controller-manager:1.2.0
           imagePullPolicy: IfNotPresent
           name: cloudscale-cloud-controller-manager
diff --git a/tests/openshift4.yml b/tests/openshift4.yml
index 97d8e9b..3ee41f3 100644
--- a/tests/openshift4.yml
+++ b/tests/openshift4.yml
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
 parameters:
   facts:
     distribution: openshift4
+
+  cloudscale_cloud_controller_manager:
+    api_timeout_seconds: 50