diff --git a/controllers/gce/controller/controller.go b/controllers/gce/controller/controller.go
index cb125fbc0..69f6a2533 100644
--- a/controllers/gce/controller/controller.go
+++ b/controllers/gce/controller/controller.go
@@ -427,14 +427,23 @@ func (lbc *LoadBalancerController) ListRuntimeInfo() (lbs []*loadbalancers.L7Run
 			glog.Warningf("Cannot get key for Ingress %v/%v: %v", ing.Namespace, ing.Name, err)
 			continue
 		}
-		tls, err := lbc.tlsLoader.load(&ing)
-		if err != nil {
-			glog.Warningf("Cannot get certs for Ingress %v/%v: %v", ing.Namespace, ing.Name, err)
-		}
+
+		var tls *loadbalancers.TLSCerts
+
 		annotations := ingAnnotations(ing.ObjectMeta.Annotations)
+		// Load the TLS cert from the API Spec if it is not specified in the annotation.
+		// TODO: enforce this with validation.
+		if annotations.useNamedTLS() == "" {
+			tls, err = lbc.tlsLoader.load(&ing)
+			if err != nil {
+				glog.Warningf("Cannot get certs for Ingress %v/%v: %v", ing.Namespace, ing.Name, err)
+			}
+		}
+
 		lbs = append(lbs, &loadbalancers.L7RuntimeInfo{
 			Name:         k,
 			TLS:          tls,
+			TLSName:      annotations.useNamedTLS(),
 			AllowHTTP:    annotations.allowHTTP(),
 			StaticIPName: annotations.staticIPName(),
 		})
diff --git a/controllers/gce/controller/utils.go b/controllers/gce/controller/utils.go
index 617ce5fad..b57020cc3 100644
--- a/controllers/gce/controller/utils.go
+++ b/controllers/gce/controller/utils.go
@@ -52,6 +52,13 @@ const (
 	// responsibility to create/delete it.
 	staticIPNameKey = "kubernetes.io/ingress.global-static-ip-name"
 
+	// preSharedCertKey represents the specific pre-shared SSL
+	// certicate for the Ingress controller to use. The controller *does not*
+	// manage this certificate, it is the users responsibility to create/delete it.
+	// In GCP, the Ingress controller assigns the SSL certificate with this name
+	// to the target proxies of the Ingress.
+	preSharedCertKey = "ingress.gcp.kubernetes.io/pre-shared-cert"
+
 	// ingressClassKey picks a specific "class" for the Ingress. The controller
 	// only processes Ingresses with this annotation either unset, or set
 	// to either gceIngessClass or the empty string.
@@ -79,6 +86,16 @@ func (ing ingAnnotations) allowHTTP() bool {
 	return v
 }
 
+// useNamedTLS returns the name of the GCE SSL certificate. Empty by default.
+func (ing ingAnnotations) useNamedTLS() string {
+	val, ok := ing[preSharedCertKey]
+	if !ok {
+		return ""
+	}
+
+	return val
+}
+
 func (ing ingAnnotations) staticIPName() string {
 	val, ok := ing[staticIPNameKey]
 	if !ok {
diff --git a/controllers/gce/loadbalancers/loadbalancers.go b/controllers/gce/loadbalancers/loadbalancers.go
index 8e4ba99e4..3d3b2d529 100644
--- a/controllers/gce/loadbalancers/loadbalancers.go
+++ b/controllers/gce/loadbalancers/loadbalancers.go
@@ -246,6 +246,8 @@ type L7RuntimeInfo struct {
 	IP string
 	// TLS are the tls certs to use in termination.
 	TLS *TLSCerts
+	// TLSName is the name of/for the tls cert to use.
+	TLSName string
 	// AllowHTTP will not setup :80, if TLS is nil and AllowHTTP is set,
 	// no loadbalancer is created.
 	AllowHTTP bool
@@ -350,6 +352,29 @@ func (l *L7) deleteOldSSLCert() (err error) {
 }
 
 func (l *L7) checkSSLCert() (err error) {
+	certName := l.runtimeInfo.TLSName
+
+	// Use the named GCE cert when it is specified by the annotation.
+	if certName != "" {
+		// Use the targetHTTPSProxy's cert name if it already has one set.
+		if l.sslCert != nil {
+			certName = l.sslCert.Name
+		}
+
+		// Ask GCE for the cert, checking for problems and existence.
+		cert, err := l.cloud.GetSslCertificate(certName)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if cert == nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("Cannot find existing sslCertificate %v for %v", certName, l.Name)
+		}
+
+		glog.Infof("Using existing sslCertificate %v for %v", certName, l.Name)
+		l.sslCert = cert
+		return nil
+	}
+
 	// TODO: Currently, GCE only supports a single certificate per static IP
 	// so we don't need to bother with disambiguation. Naming the cert after
 	// the loadbalancer is a simplification.
@@ -363,7 +388,7 @@ func (l *L7) checkSSLCert() (err error) {
 	// TODO: Clean this code up into a ring buffer.
 	primaryCertName := l.namer.Truncate(fmt.Sprintf("%v-%v", sslCertPrefix, l.Name))
 	secondaryCertName := l.namer.Truncate(fmt.Sprintf("%v-%d-%v", sslCertPrefix, 1, l.Name))
-	certName := primaryCertName
+	certName = primaryCertName
 	if l.sslCert != nil {
 		certName = l.sslCert.Name
 	}
@@ -581,12 +606,12 @@ func (l *L7) edgeHop() error {
 		}
 	}
 	// Defer promoting an emphemral to a static IP till it's really needed.
-	if l.runtimeInfo.AllowHTTP && l.runtimeInfo.TLS != nil {
+	if l.runtimeInfo.AllowHTTP && (l.runtimeInfo.TLS != nil || l.runtimeInfo.TLSName != "") {
 		if err := l.checkStaticIP(); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
-	if l.runtimeInfo.TLS != nil {
+	if l.runtimeInfo.TLS != nil || l.runtimeInfo.TLSName != "" {
 		glog.V(3).Infof("validating https for %v", l.Name)
 		if err := l.edgeHopHttps(); err != nil {
 			return err
@@ -846,7 +871,8 @@ func (l *L7) Cleanup() error {
 		}
 		l.tps = nil
 	}
-	if l.sslCert != nil {
+	// Delete the SSL cert if it is not a pre-created GCE cert.
+	if l.sslCert != nil && l.sslCert.Name != l.runtimeInfo.TLSName {
 		glog.Infof("Deleting sslcert %v", l.sslCert.Name)
 		if err := l.cloud.DeleteSslCertificate(l.sslCert.Name); err != nil {
 			if !utils.IsHTTPErrorCode(err, http.StatusNotFound) {
@@ -936,6 +962,9 @@ func GetLBAnnotations(l7 *L7, existing map[string]string, backendPool backends.B
 	if l7.ip != nil {
 		existing[fmt.Sprintf("%v/static-ip", utils.K8sAnnotationPrefix)] = l7.ip.Name
 	}
+	if l7.sslCert != nil {
+		existing[fmt.Sprintf("%v/ssl-cert", utils.K8sAnnotationPrefix)] = l7.sslCert.Name
+	}
 	// TODO: We really want to know *when* a backend flipped states.
 	existing[fmt.Sprintf("%v/backends", utils.K8sAnnotationPrefix)] = jsonBackendState
 	return existing
diff --git a/controllers/gce/loadbalancers/loadbalancers_test.go b/controllers/gce/loadbalancers/loadbalancers_test.go
index 581f7010a..6ed940f14 100644
--- a/controllers/gce/loadbalancers/loadbalancers_test.go
+++ b/controllers/gce/loadbalancers/loadbalancers_test.go
@@ -103,6 +103,40 @@ func TestCreateHTTPSLoadBalancer(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestCreateHTTPSLoadBalancerAnnotationCert(t *testing.T) {
+	// This should NOT create the forwarding rule and target proxy
+	// associated with the HTTP branch of this loadbalancer.
+	tlsName := "external-cert-name"
+	lbInfo := &L7RuntimeInfo{
+		Name:      "test",
+		AllowHTTP: false,
+		TLSName:   tlsName,
+	}
+	f := NewFakeLoadBalancers(lbInfo.Name)
+	f.CreateSslCertificate(&compute.SslCertificate{
+		Name: tlsName,
+	})
+	pool := newFakeLoadBalancerPool(f, t)
+	pool.Sync([]*L7RuntimeInfo{lbInfo})
+	l7, err := pool.Get(lbInfo.Name)
+	if err != nil || l7 == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected l7 not created")
+	}
+	um, err := f.GetUrlMap(f.umName())
+	if err != nil ||
+		um.DefaultService != pool.(*L7s).glbcDefaultBackend.SelfLink {
+		t.Fatalf("%v", err)
+	}
+	tps, err := f.GetTargetHttpsProxy(f.tpName(true))
+	if err != nil || tps.UrlMap != um.SelfLink {
+		t.Fatalf("%v", err)
+	}
+	fws, err := f.GetGlobalForwardingRule(f.fwName(true))
+	if err != nil || fws.Target != tps.SelfLink {
+		t.Fatalf("%v", err)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestCreateBothLoadBalancers(t *testing.T) {
 	// This should create 2 forwarding rules and target proxies
 	// but they should use the same urlmap, and have the same