diff --git a/django/forms/util.py b/django/forms/util.py
index 8cd1f10f43..b6722108c9 100644
--- a/django/forms/util.py
+++ b/django/forms/util.py
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@ from django.utils.html import conditional_escape
 from django.utils.encoding import StrAndUnicode, force_unicode
 from django.utils.safestring import mark_safe
 
+# import ValidationError so that it can be imported from this
+# module to maintain backwards compatibility
+from django.core.exceptions import ValidationError
+
 def flatatt(attrs):
     """
     Convert a dictionary of attributes to a single string.