diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index 9cd579b65658a395d20dea95ef810c0f1596d853..97cdda96ea0d3655293cef51319156c6e4574265 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -21,6 +21,12 @@ app_queue
 --- Functionality changes from Asterisk 14.5.0 to Asterisk 14.6.0 ------------
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+app_voicemail
+------------------
+ * A new global option "imap_poll_logout" was added to specify whether need to
+   disconnect from the IMAP server after polling of mailboxes.
+   Default: no
+
 res_pjsip
 ------------------
  * A new endpoint option "refer_blind_progress" was added to turn off notifying
diff --git a/apps/app_voicemail.c b/apps/app_voicemail.c
index a9516801332d14c470e8b842d9d175738eaec69a..783cab69ecf664fdee3f70909a9fd9f166fbb356 100644
--- a/apps/app_voicemail.c
+++ b/apps/app_voicemail.c
@@ -505,6 +505,7 @@ static int imapversion = 1;
 
 static int expungeonhangup = 1;
 static int imapgreetings = 0;
+static int imap_poll_logout = 0;
 static char delimiter = '\0';
 
 /* mail_open cannot be protected on a stream basis */
@@ -542,6 +543,8 @@ static int imap_retrieve_file (const char *dir, const int msgnum, const char *ma
 static int imap_delete_old_greeting (char *dir, struct vm_state *vms);
 static void check_quota(struct vm_state *vms, char *mailbox);
 static int open_mailbox(struct vm_state *vms, struct ast_vm_user *vmu, int box);
+static void imap_logout(const char *mailbox_id);
+
 struct vmstate {
 	struct vm_state *vms;
 	AST_LIST_ENTRY(vmstate) list;
@@ -12303,6 +12306,9 @@ static int append_mailbox(const char *context, const char *box, const char *data
 	strcat(mailbox_full, context);
 
 	inboxcount2(mailbox_full, &urgent, &new, &old);
+#ifdef IMAP_STORAGE
+	imap_logout(mailbox_full);
+#endif
 	queue_mwi_event(NULL, mailbox_full, urgent, new, old);
 
 	return 0;
@@ -13055,6 +13061,12 @@ static void poll_subscribed_mailbox(struct mwi_sub *mwi_sub)
 
 	inboxcount2(mwi_sub->mailbox, &urgent, &new, &old);
 
+#ifdef IMAP_STORAGE
+	if (imap_poll_logout) {
+		imap_logout(mwi_sub->mailbox);
+	}
+#endif
+
 	if (urgent != mwi_sub->old_urgent || new != mwi_sub->old_new || old != mwi_sub->old_old) {
 		mwi_sub->old_urgent = urgent;
 		mwi_sub->old_new = new;
@@ -13775,6 +13787,11 @@ static int actual_load_config(int reload, struct ast_config *cfg, struct ast_con
 		} else {
 			ast_copy_string(greetingfolder, imapfolder, sizeof(greetingfolder));
 		}
+		if ((val = ast_variable_retrieve(cfg, "general", "imap_poll_logout"))) {
+			imap_poll_logout = ast_true(val);
+		} else {
+			imap_poll_logout = 0;
+		}
 
 		/* There is some very unorthodox casting done here. This is due
 		 * to the way c-client handles the argument passed in. It expects a 
diff --git a/configs/samples/voicemail.conf.sample b/configs/samples/voicemail.conf.sample
index f8221eebe05ed738411166f0be87a081b9c92829..84e83a3447d6fdd18c9abbb12896304a45e83927 100644
--- a/configs/samples/voicemail.conf.sample
+++ b/configs/samples/voicemail.conf.sample
@@ -227,6 +227,9 @@ pagerdateformat=%A, %B %d, %Y at %r
 ;imapclosetimeout=60     ; The TCP close timeout (in seconds)
 ;imapreadtimeout=60      ; The TCP read timeout (in seconds)
 ;imapwritetimeout=60     ; The TCP write timeout (in seconds)
+;imap_poll_logout=no     ; If pollmailboxes=yes, then specify whether need to
+                         ; disconnect from the IMAP server after polling.
+                         ; Default: no
 
 ; -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ;