diff --git a/Changes b/Changes
index b37d15c..ccfafaf 100644
--- a/Changes
+++ b/Changes
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+  - add strict mode (disabled by default) to validate the consent string version
+
 0.084
   - fix a bug while parsing valid consent strings range-based, see https://github.com/peczenyj/GDPR-IAB-TCFv2/issues/20
 
diff --git a/README.pod b/README.pod
index 0b64e1a..40f425b 100644
--- a/README.pod
+++ b/README.pod
@@ -113,9 +113,10 @@ or
             boolean_values => [ 0, 1 ],
             date_format    => '%Y%m%d',    # yyymmdd
         },
+        strict => 1,
     );
 
-Parse may receive an optional hash parameter C<json> with the following properties:
+Parse may receive an optional hash of parameters: C<strict> (boolean) and C<json> (hashref with the following properties):
 
 =over
 
@@ -149,6 +150,10 @@ except if the option C<use_epoch> is true.
 
 =back
 
+On C<strict> mode we will validate if the version of the consent string is the version 2 (or die with an exception).
+
+The C<strict> mode is disabled by default.
+
 =head1 METHODS
 
 =head2 tc_string
diff --git a/lib/GDPR/IAB/TCFv2.pm b/lib/GDPR/IAB/TCFv2.pm
index 4b6b464..836e9f6 100644
--- a/lib/GDPR/IAB/TCFv2.pm
+++ b/lib/GDPR/IAB/TCFv2.pm
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ our $VERSION = "0.084";
 use constant {
     CONSENT_STRING_TCF2_SEPARATOR => '.',
     CONSENT_STRING_TCF2_PREFIX    => 'C',
-    MIN_BYTE_SIZE                 => 29,
+    TCF_V2_MIN_BYTE_SIZE          => 29,
     TCF_VERSION                   => 2,
     ASSUMED_MAX_VENDOR_ID         => 0x7FFF,    # 32767 or (1 << 15) -1
     MAX_SPECIAL_FEATURE_ID        => 12,
@@ -90,14 +90,13 @@ sub Parse {
 
     my $core_tc_string = _get_core_tc_string($tc_string);
 
-    my $data      = unpack 'B*', _validate_and_decode_base64($core_tc_string);
-    my $data_size = length($data);
+    my ( $data, $data_size ) = _validate_and_decode_base64($core_tc_string);
 
-    croak "vendor consent strings are at least @{[ MIN_BYTE_SIZE ]} bytes long"
-      if $data_size < 8 * MIN_BYTE_SIZE;
+    my $strict = !!$opts{strict};
 
     my %options = (
-        json => $opts{json} || {},
+        json   => $opts{json} || {},
+        strict => $strict,
     );
 
     $options{json}->{date_format}    ||= DATE_FORMAT_ISO_8601;
@@ -116,7 +115,7 @@ sub Parse {
     bless $self, $klass;
 
     croak "consent string is not tcf version @{[ TCF_VERSION ]}"
-      unless $self->version == TCF_VERSION;
+      if $strict && $self->version != TCF_VERSION;
 
     croak 'invalid vendor list version' if $self->vendor_list_version == 0;
 
@@ -534,7 +533,14 @@ sub _validate_and_decode_base64 {
         \z
     }x;
 
-    return _decode_base64url($s);
+    my $data      = unpack 'B*', _decode_base64url($s);
+    my $data_size = length($data);
+
+    croak
+      "vendor consent strings are at least @{[ TCF_V2_MIN_BYTE_SIZE ]} bytes long"
+      if $data_size < 8 * TCF_V2_MIN_BYTE_SIZE;
+
+    return ( $data, $data_size );
 }
 
 sub _decode_base64url {
@@ -714,9 +720,10 @@ or
             boolean_values => [ 0, 1 ],
             date_format    => '%Y%m%d',    # yyymmdd
         },
+        strict => 1,
     );
 
-Parse may receive an optional hash parameter C<json> with the following properties:
+Parse may receive an optional hash of parameters: C<strict> (boolean) and C<json> (hashref with the following properties):
 
 =over
 
@@ -750,6 +757,10 @@ except if the option C<use_epoch> is true.
 
 =back
 
+On C<strict> mode we will validate if the version of the consent string is the version 2 (or die with an exception).
+
+The C<strict> mode is disabled by default.
+
 =head1 METHODS
 
 =head2 tc_string
diff --git a/t/01-parse.t b/t/01-parse.t
index 8f392b1..f4bd902 100644
--- a/t/01-parse.t
+++ b/t/01-parse.t
@@ -389,12 +389,21 @@ subtest "invalid tcf consent string candidates" => sub {
     }
     qr/missing gdpr consent string/, 'empty consent string should throw error';
 
+    lives_ok {
+        my $consent = GDPR::IAB::TCFv2->Parse(
+            "BOEFEAyOEFEAyAHABDENAI4AAAB9vABAASAAAAAAAAAA");
+
+        is $consent->version, 1, "tcf v1";
+
+    }
+    'valid tcf v1 consent string should now throw error without strict flag';
+
     throws_ok {
         GDPR::IAB::TCFv2->Parse(
-            "BOEFEAyOEFEAyAHABDENAI4AAAB9vABAASAAAAAAAAAA");
+            "BOEFEAyOEFEAyAHABDENAI4AAAB9vABAASAAAAAAAAAA", strict => 1 );
     }
     qr/consent string is not tcf version 2/,
-      'valid tcf v1 consent string should throw error (deprecated)';
+      'valid tcf v1 consent string should throw error with strict flag';
 
     throws_ok {
         GDPR::IAB::TCFv2->Parse("Clc");
@@ -402,12 +411,19 @@ subtest "invalid tcf consent string candidates" => sub {
     qr/vendor consent strings are at least 29 bytes long/,
       'short (less than 29 bytes) tcf v2 consent string should throw error';
 
+    lives_ok {
+        my $consent = GDPR::IAB::TCFv2->Parse(
+            "DOEFEAyOEFEAyAHABDENAI4AAAB9vABAASAAAAAAAAAA", strict => 0 );
+        is $consent->version, 3, "tcf v3";
+    }
+    'possible tcf v3 consent string should not throw error without strict flag';
+
     throws_ok {
         GDPR::IAB::TCFv2->Parse(
-            "DOEFEAyOEFEAyAHABDENAI4AAAB9vABAASAAAAAAAAAA");
+            "DOEFEAyOEFEAyAHABDENAI4AAAB9vABAASAAAAAAAAAA", strict => 1 );
     }
     qr/consent string is not tcf version 2/,
-      'possible tcf v3 consent string should throw error';
+      'possible tcf v3 consent string should throw error with strict flag';
 
     throws_ok {
         GDPR::IAB::TCFv2->Parse(