diff --git a/packages/react-navigation/flow/react-navigation.js b/packages/react-navigation/flow/react-navigation.js
index 9fd23f88..df4e7166 100644
--- a/packages/react-navigation/flow/react-navigation.js
+++ b/packages/react-navigation/flow/react-navigation.js
@@ -48,6 +48,15 @@ declare module 'react-navigation' {
   // react-native/Libraries/Animated/src/nodes/AnimatedValue.js
   declare type AnimatedValue = Object;
 
+  declare type HeaderForceInset = {
+    horizontal?: string,
+    vertical?: string,
+    left?: string,
+    right?: string,
+    top?: string,
+    bottom?: string,
+  };
+
   /**
    * Next, all the type declarations
    */
@@ -341,6 +350,7 @@ declare module 'react-navigation' {
     headerPressColorAndroid?: string,
     headerRight?: React$Node,
     headerStyle?: ViewStyleProp,
+    headerForceInset?: HeaderForceInset,
     headerBackground?: React$Node | React$ElementType,
     gesturesEnabled?: boolean,
     gestureResponseDistance?: { vertical?: number, horizontal?: number },
diff --git a/packages/react-navigation/src/views/Header/Header.js b/packages/react-navigation/src/views/Header/Header.js
index 8c8d5488..789bba67 100644
--- a/packages/react-navigation/src/views/Header/Header.js
+++ b/packages/react-navigation/src/views/Header/Header.js
@@ -473,11 +473,11 @@ class Header extends React.PureComponent {
       safeHeaderStyle,
     ];
 
+    const { headerForceInset } = options;
+    const forceInset = headerForceInset || { top: 'always', bottom: 'never' };
+
     return (
-      <SafeAreaView
-        forceInset={{ top: 'always', bottom: 'never' }}
-        style={containerStyles}
-      >
+      <SafeAreaView forceInset={forceInset} style={containerStyles}>
         <View style={StyleSheet.absoluteFill}>{options.headerBackground}</View>
         <View style={{ flex: 1 }}>{appBar}</View>
       </SafeAreaView>