diff --git a/src/bench_internal.c b/src/bench_internal.c
index 3e9fa2cda11..d24ddc2a19e 100644
--- a/src/bench_internal.c
+++ b/src/bench_internal.c
@@ -227,6 +227,15 @@ void bench_group_add_affine_var(void* arg) {
     }
 }
 
+void bench_group_jacobi_var(void* arg) {
+    int i;
+    bench_inv_t *data = (bench_inv_t*)arg;
+
+    for (i = 0; i < 20000; i++) {
+        secp256k1_gej_has_quad_y_var(&data->gej_x);
+    }
+}
+
 void bench_ecmult_wnaf(void* arg) {
     int i;
     bench_inv_t *data = (bench_inv_t*)arg;
@@ -354,6 +363,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
     if (have_flag(argc, argv, "group") || have_flag(argc, argv, "add")) run_benchmark("group_add_var", bench_group_add_var, bench_setup, NULL, &data, 10, 200000);
     if (have_flag(argc, argv, "group") || have_flag(argc, argv, "add")) run_benchmark("group_add_affine", bench_group_add_affine, bench_setup, NULL, &data, 10, 200000);
     if (have_flag(argc, argv, "group") || have_flag(argc, argv, "add")) run_benchmark("group_add_affine_var", bench_group_add_affine_var, bench_setup, NULL, &data, 10, 200000);
+    if (have_flag(argc, argv, "group") || have_flag(argc, argv, "jacobi")) run_benchmark("group_jacobi_var", bench_group_jacobi_var, bench_setup, NULL, &data, 10, 20000);
 
     if (have_flag(argc, argv, "ecmult") || have_flag(argc, argv, "wnaf")) run_benchmark("wnaf_const", bench_wnaf_const, bench_setup, NULL, &data, 10, 20000);
     if (have_flag(argc, argv, "ecmult") || have_flag(argc, argv, "wnaf")) run_benchmark("ecmult_wnaf", bench_ecmult_wnaf, bench_setup, NULL, &data, 10, 20000);
diff --git a/src/field.h b/src/field.h
index 2d52af5e366..47d4685aa68 100644
--- a/src/field.h
+++ b/src/field.h
@@ -94,6 +94,9 @@ static void secp256k1_fe_sqr(secp256k1_fe *r, const secp256k1_fe *a);
  *  itself. */
 static int secp256k1_fe_sqrt_var(secp256k1_fe *r, const secp256k1_fe *a);
 
+/** Checks whether a field element is a quadratic residue. */
+static int secp256k1_fe_is_quad_var(const secp256k1_fe *a);
+
 /** Sets a field element to be the (modular) inverse of another. Requires the input's magnitude to be
  *  at most 8. The output magnitude is 1 (but not guaranteed to be normalized). */
 static void secp256k1_fe_inv(secp256k1_fe *r, const secp256k1_fe *a);
diff --git a/src/field_impl.h b/src/field_impl.h
index 77f4aae2f97..00ba6c8ff6a 100644
--- a/src/field_impl.h
+++ b/src/field_impl.h
@@ -280,4 +280,29 @@ static void secp256k1_fe_inv_all_var(size_t len, secp256k1_fe *r, const secp256k
     r[0] = u;
 }
 
+static int secp256k1_fe_is_quad_var(const secp256k1_fe *a) {
+#ifndef USE_NUM_NONE
+    unsigned char b[32];
+    secp256k1_num n;
+    secp256k1_num m;
+    /* secp256k1 field prime, value p defined in "Standards for Efficient Cryptography" (SEC2) 2.7.1. */
+    static const unsigned char prime[32] = {
+        0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,
+        0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,
+        0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,
+        0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFE,0xFF,0xFF,0xFC,0x2F
+    };
+
+    secp256k1_fe c = *a;
+    secp256k1_fe_normalize_var(&c);
+    secp256k1_fe_get_b32(b, &c);
+    secp256k1_num_set_bin(&n, b, 32);
+    secp256k1_num_set_bin(&m, prime, 32);
+    return secp256k1_num_jacobi(&n, &m) >= 0;
+#else
+    secp256k1_fe r;
+    return secp256k1_fe_sqrt_var(&r, a) == 1;
+#endif
+}
+
 #endif
diff --git a/src/group.h b/src/group.h
index ebfe1ca70cc..852bb64ec42 100644
--- a/src/group.h
+++ b/src/group.h
@@ -94,6 +94,9 @@ static void secp256k1_gej_neg(secp256k1_gej *r, const secp256k1_gej *a);
 /** Check whether a group element is the point at infinity. */
 static int secp256k1_gej_is_infinity(const secp256k1_gej *a);
 
+/** Check whether a group element's y coordinate is a quadratic residue. */
+static int secp256k1_gej_has_quad_y_var(const secp256k1_gej *a);
+
 /** Set r equal to the double of a. If rzr is not-NULL, r->z = a->z * *rzr (where infinity means an implicit z = 0).
  * a may not be zero. Constant time. */
 static void secp256k1_gej_double_nonzero(secp256k1_gej *r, const secp256k1_gej *a, secp256k1_fe *rzr);
diff --git a/src/group_impl.h b/src/group_impl.h
index afb1470a04a..f9036854306 100644
--- a/src/group_impl.h
+++ b/src/group_impl.h
@@ -629,4 +629,18 @@ static void secp256k1_ge_mul_lambda(secp256k1_ge *r, const secp256k1_ge *a) {
 }
 #endif
 
+static int secp256k1_gej_has_quad_y_var(const secp256k1_gej *a) {
+    secp256k1_fe yz;
+
+    if (a->infinity) {
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    /* We rely on the fact that the Jacobi symbol of 1 / a->z^3 is the same as
+     * that of a->z. Thus a->y / a->z^3 is a quadratic residue iff a->y * a->z
+       is */
+    secp256k1_fe_mul(&yz, &a->y, &a->z);
+    return secp256k1_fe_is_quad_var(&yz);
+}
+
 #endif
diff --git a/src/tests.c b/src/tests.c
index 6292785e2f5..424c67d5d99 100644
--- a/src/tests.c
+++ b/src/tests.c
@@ -2179,9 +2179,10 @@ void run_ec_combine(void) {
 void test_group_decompress(const secp256k1_fe* x) {
     /* The input itself, normalized. */
     secp256k1_fe fex = *x;
-    secp256k1_fe tmp;
+    secp256k1_fe fez;
     /* Results of set_xquad_var, set_xo_var(..., 0), set_xo_var(..., 1). */
     secp256k1_ge ge_quad, ge_even, ge_odd;
+    secp256k1_gej gej_quad;
     /* Return values of the above calls. */
     int res_quad, res_even, res_odd;
 
@@ -2213,13 +2214,29 @@ void test_group_decompress(const secp256k1_fe* x) {
         CHECK(secp256k1_fe_equal_var(&ge_odd.x, x));
 
         /* Check that the Y coordinate result in ge_quad is a square. */
-        CHECK(secp256k1_fe_sqrt_var(&tmp, &ge_quad.y));
-        secp256k1_fe_sqr(&tmp, &tmp);
-        CHECK(secp256k1_fe_equal_var(&tmp, &ge_quad.y));
+        CHECK(secp256k1_fe_is_quad_var(&ge_quad.y));
 
         /* Check odd/even Y in ge_odd, ge_even. */
         CHECK(secp256k1_fe_is_odd(&ge_odd.y));
         CHECK(!secp256k1_fe_is_odd(&ge_even.y));
+
+        /* Check secp256k1_gej_has_quad_y_var. */
+        secp256k1_gej_set_ge(&gej_quad, &ge_quad);
+        CHECK(secp256k1_gej_has_quad_y_var(&gej_quad));
+        do {
+            random_fe_test(&fez);
+        } while (secp256k1_fe_is_zero(&fez));
+        secp256k1_gej_rescale(&gej_quad, &fez);
+        CHECK(secp256k1_gej_has_quad_y_var(&gej_quad));
+        secp256k1_gej_neg(&gej_quad, &gej_quad);
+        CHECK(!secp256k1_gej_has_quad_y_var(&gej_quad));
+        do {
+            random_fe_test(&fez);
+        } while (secp256k1_fe_is_zero(&fez));
+        secp256k1_gej_rescale(&gej_quad, &fez);
+        CHECK(!secp256k1_gej_has_quad_y_var(&gej_quad));
+        secp256k1_gej_neg(&gej_quad, &gej_quad);
+        CHECK(secp256k1_gej_has_quad_y_var(&gej_quad));
     }
 }