diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 6cbb9c36d..ad5111f00 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ else
 doc =
 endif
 
-SUBDIRS = m4 common kbx \
+SUBDIRS = m4 common regexp kbx \
           ${gpg} ${sm} ${agent} ${scd} ${g13} ${dirmngr} \
           tools po ${doc} tests
 
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 12a8feaf2..4b4aa7ab8 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1480,59 +1480,9 @@ AC_CHECK_FUNCS([getpeerucred])
 GNUPG_FUNC_MKDIR_TAKES_ONE_ARG
 
 #
-# Sanity check regex.  Tests adapted from mutt.
+# Define for regexp support
 #
-AC_MSG_CHECKING([whether regular expression support is requested])
-AC_ARG_ENABLE(regex,
-  AC_HELP_STRING([--disable-regex],
-    [do not handle regular expressions in trust signatures]),
-  use_regex=$enableval, use_regex=yes)
-AC_MSG_RESULT($use_regex)
-
-if test "$use_regex" = yes ; then
-  _cppflags="${CPPFLAGS}"
-  _ldflags="${LDFLAGS}"
-  AC_ARG_WITH(regex,
-     AC_HELP_STRING([--with-regex=DIR],[look for regex in DIR]),
-      [
-      if test -d "$withval" ; then
-        CPPFLAGS="${CPPFLAGS} -I$withval/include"
-        LDFLAGS="${LDFLAGS} -L$withval/lib"
-      fi
-      ],withval="")
-
-  # Does the system have regex functions at all?
-  AC_SEARCH_LIBS([regcomp], [regex])
-  AC_CHECK_FUNC(regcomp, gnupg_cv_have_regex=yes, gnupg_cv_have_regex=no)
-
-  if test $gnupg_cv_have_regex = no; then
-    use_regex=no
-  else
-    if test x"$cross_compiling" = xyes; then
-      AC_MSG_WARN([cross compiling; assuming regexp library is not broken])
-    else
-      AC_CACHE_CHECK([whether your system's regexp library is broken],
-       [gnupg_cv_regex_broken],
-       AC_TRY_RUN([
-#include <unistd.h>
-#include <regex.h>
-main() { regex_t blah ; regmatch_t p; p.rm_eo = p.rm_eo; return regcomp(&blah, "foo.*bar", REG_NOSUB) || regexec (&blah, "foobar", 0, NULL, 0); }],
-       gnupg_cv_regex_broken=no, gnupg_cv_regex_broken=yes, gnupg_cv_regex_broken=yes))
-
-      if test $gnupg_cv_regex_broken = yes; then
-        AC_MSG_WARN([your regex is broken - disabling regex use])
-        use_regex=no
-      fi
-    fi
-  fi
-  CPPFLAGS="${_cppflags}"
-  LDFLAGS="${_ldflags}"
-fi
-
-if test "$use_regex" != yes ; then
-  AC_DEFINE(DISABLE_REGEX,1, [Define to disable regular expression support])
-fi
-AM_CONDITIONAL(DISABLE_REGEX, test x"$use_regex" != xyes)
+AC_DEFINE(DISABLE_REGEX,0, [Define to disable regular expression support])
 
 
 
@@ -2070,6 +2020,7 @@ Makefile
 po/Makefile.in
 common/Makefile
 common/w32info-rc.h
+regexp/Makefile
 kbx/Makefile
 g10/Makefile
 sm/Makefile
@@ -2123,13 +2074,6 @@ echo "
         TOFU support:        $use_tofu
         Tor support:         $show_tor_support
 "
-if test x"$use_regex" != xyes ; then
-echo "
-        Warning: No regular expression support available.
-                 OpenPGP trust signatures won't work.
-                 gpg-check-pattern will not be built.
-"
-fi
 if test "x${gpg_config_script_warn}" != x; then
 cat <<G10EOF
         Warning: Mismatches between the target platform and the
diff --git a/g10/Makefile.am b/g10/Makefile.am
index 2b92daf33..c3f9d6f1e 100644
--- a/g10/Makefile.am
+++ b/g10/Makefile.am
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ include $(top_srcdir)/am/cmacros.am
 AM_CFLAGS = $(SQLITE3_CFLAGS) $(LIBGCRYPT_CFLAGS) \
             $(LIBASSUAN_CFLAGS) $(NPTH_CFLAGS) $(GPG_ERROR_CFLAGS)
 
-needed_libs = ../kbx/libkeybox.a $(libcommonpth)
+needed_libs = ../kbx/libkeybox.a $(libcommonpth) ../regexp/libregexp.a
 
 # Because there are no program specific transform macros we need to
 # work around that to allow installing gpg as gpg2.
diff --git a/tests/openpgp/Makefile.am b/tests/openpgp/Makefile.am
index e5be42b41..8faf747fd 100644
--- a/tests/openpgp/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/openpgp/Makefile.am
@@ -276,11 +276,7 @@ CLEANFILES = prepared.stamp x y yy z out err  $(data_files) \
 	     gnupg-test.stop random_seed gpg-agent.log tofu.db \
 	     passphrases sshcontrol S.gpg-agent.ssh report.xml
 
-if DISABLE_REGEX
-EXTRA_DIST += trust-pgp-4.scm
-else
 XTESTS += trust-pgp-4.scm
-endif
 
 clean-local:
 	-rm -rf private-keys-v1.d openpgp-revocs.d tofu.d gpgtar.d
diff --git a/tools/Makefile.am b/tools/Makefile.am
index 9df9d4c46..878c249bc 100644
--- a/tools/Makefile.am
+++ b/tools/Makefile.am
@@ -56,9 +56,7 @@ if !HAVE_W32_SYSTEM
 bin_PROGRAMS += watchgnupg gpgparsemail ${gpg_wks_server}
 endif
 
-if !DISABLE_REGEX
 libexec_PROGRAMS += gpg-check-pattern
-endif
 
 if !HAVE_W32CE_SYSTEM
 noinst_PROGRAMS = clean-sat make-dns-cert gpgsplit
@@ -92,6 +90,9 @@ if HAVE_W32CE_SYSTEM
 opt_libassuan_libs = $(LIBASSUAN_LIBS)
 endif
 
+regexp_libs = ../regexp/libregexp.a
+
+
 gpgsplit_LDADD = $(common_libs) \
 	         $(LIBGCRYPT_LIBS) $(GPG_ERROR_LIBS) \
 		 $(ZLIBS) $(LIBINTL) $(NETLIBS) $(LIBICONV)
@@ -140,13 +141,12 @@ gpg_card_LDADD = \
         $(gpg_card_tool_rc_objs)
 
 
-if !DISABLE_REGEX
 gpg_check_pattern_SOURCES = gpg-check-pattern.c
 gpg_check_pattern_CFLAGS = $(LIBGCRYPT_CFLAGS) $(GPG_ERROR_CFLAGS) $(INCICONV)
-gpg_check_pattern_LDADD = $(common_libs) $(LIBGCRYPT_LIBS) $(GPG_ERROR_LIBS) \
+gpg_check_pattern_LDADD = $(common_libs) $(regexp_libs) $(LIBGCRYPT_LIBS) \
+			  $(GPG_ERROR_LIBS) \
 			  $(LIBINTL) $(NETLIBS) $(LIBICONV) $(W32SOCKLIBS) \
 			  $(LIBICONV)
-endif
 
 gpgtar_SOURCES = \
 	gpgtar.c gpgtar.h \