diff --git a/changelog.md b/changelog.md
index 8e8b0a908ccb7..63ba58f4ff233 100644
--- a/changelog.md
+++ b/changelog.md
@@ -402,6 +402,7 @@
   for an object type in the current scope.
 
 - `typeof(voidStmt)` now works and returns `void`.
+- `const` now works with types containing `ref`, see `tests/vm/tconstrefs.nim`
 
 - The `gc:orc` algorithm was refined so that custom container types can participate in the
   cycle collection process.
diff --git a/compiler/ccgexprs.nim b/compiler/ccgexprs.nim
index 79c73b602c138..162f64753cb21 100644
--- a/compiler/ccgexprs.nim
+++ b/compiler/ccgexprs.nim
@@ -2724,7 +2724,9 @@ proc expr(p: BProc, n: PNode, d: var TLoc) =
         internalError(p.config, n.info, "expr: proc not init " & sym.name.s)
       putLocIntoDest(p, d, sym.loc)
     of skConst:
-      if isSimpleConst(sym.typ):
+      if containsTyRef(sym.typ.skipTypes(abstractVar)):
+        expr(p, sym.ast, d)
+      elif isSimpleConst(sym.typ):
         putIntoDest(p, d, n, genLiteral(p, sym.ast, sym.typ), OnStatic)
       elif useAliveDataFromDce in p.module.flags:
         genConstHeader(p.module, p.module, p, sym)
diff --git a/compiler/isolation_check.nim b/compiler/isolation_check.nim
index 777e7f6ce80f9..63e47ddef3187 100644
--- a/compiler/isolation_check.nim
+++ b/compiler/isolation_check.nim
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ proc canAlias*(arg, ret: PType): bool =
     result = canAlias(arg, ret, marker)
 
 proc checkIsolate*(n: PNode): bool =
-  if types.containsTyRef(n.typ):
+  if types.containsTyRefOrClosure(n.typ):
     # XXX Maybe require that 'n.typ' is acyclic. This is not much
     # worse than the already exisiting inheritance and closure restrictions.
     case n.kind
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ proc checkIsolate*(n: PNode): bool =
           discard "fine, it is isolated already"
         else:
           let argType = n[i].typ
-          if argType != nil and not isCompileTimeOnly(argType) and containsTyRef(argType):
+          if argType != nil and not isCompileTimeOnly(argType) and containsTyRefOrClosure(argType):
             if argType.canAlias(n.typ):
               return false
       result = true
diff --git a/compiler/spawn.nim b/compiler/spawn.nim
index e57686cb4c8dd..ad16bfba51eaf 100644
--- a/compiler/spawn.nim
+++ b/compiler/spawn.nim
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ proc setupArgsForConcurrency(g: ModuleGraph; n: PNode; objType: PType;
 
       if formals[i].typ.kind in {tyTypeDesc, tyStatic}:
         continue
-    #elif containsTyRef(argType):
+    #elif containsTyRefOrClosure(argType):
     #  localError(n[i].info, "'spawn'ed function cannot refer to 'ref'/closure")
 
     let fieldname = if i < formals.len: formals[i].sym.name else: tmpName
@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ proc setupArgsForParallelism(g: ModuleGraph; n: PNode; objType: PType;
 
     let argType = skipTypes(if i < formals.len: formals[i].typ else: n.typ,
                             abstractInst)
-    #if containsTyRef(argType):
+    #if containsTyRefOrClosure(argType):
     #  localError(n.info, "'spawn'ed function cannot refer to 'ref'/closure")
 
     let fieldname = if i < formals.len: formals[i].sym.name else: tmpName
diff --git a/compiler/typeallowed.nim b/compiler/typeallowed.nim
index 2f0c039a4842f..b39d48a113087 100644
--- a/compiler/typeallowed.nim
+++ b/compiler/typeallowed.nim
@@ -161,8 +161,8 @@ proc typeAllowedAux(marker: var IntSet, typ: PType, kind: TSymKind,
     elif kind in {skVar, skLet}:
       result = t[1]
   of tyRef:
-    if kind == skConst: result = t
-    else: result = typeAllowedAux(marker, t.lastSon, kind, c, flags+{taHeap})
+    # skConst is now allowed
+    result = typeAllowedAux(marker, t.lastSon, kind, c, flags+{taHeap})
   of tyPtr:
     result = typeAllowedAux(marker, t.lastSon, kind, c, flags+{taHeap})
   of tySet:
@@ -170,8 +170,8 @@ proc typeAllowedAux(marker: var IntSet, typ: PType, kind: TSymKind,
       result = typeAllowedAux(marker, t[i], kind, c, flags)
       if result != nil: break
   of tyObject, tyTuple:
-    if kind in {skProc, skFunc, skConst} and
-        t.kind == tyObject and t[0] != nil:
+    # skConst is now allowed
+    if kind in {skProc, skFunc} and t.kind == tyObject and t[0] != nil:
       result = t
     else:
       let flags = flags+{taField}
diff --git a/compiler/types.nim b/compiler/types.nim
index f0bd99a17a14b..a413ed3c4b212 100644
--- a/compiler/types.nim
+++ b/compiler/types.nim
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ proc searchTypeForAux(t: PType, predicate: TTypePredicate,
     if not result: result = searchTypeNodeForAux(t.n, predicate, marker)
   of tyGenericInst, tyDistinct, tyAlias, tySink:
     result = searchTypeForAux(lastSon(t), predicate, marker)
-  of tyArray, tySet, tyTuple:
+  of tyArray, tySet, tyTuple, tySequence:
     for i in 0..<t.len:
       result = searchTypeForAux(t[i], predicate, marker)
       if result: return
@@ -353,12 +353,16 @@ proc isManagedMemory(t: PType): bool =
 proc containsManagedMemory*(typ: PType): bool =
   result = searchTypeFor(typ, isManagedMemory)
 
-proc isTyRef(t: PType): bool =
-  result = t.kind == tyRef or (t.kind == tyProc and t.callConv == ccClosure)
+proc containsTyRefOrClosure*(typ: PType): bool =
+  ## returns true if typ contains a ref or closure
+  proc fn(t: PType): bool =
+    result = t.kind == tyRef or (t.kind == tyProc and t.callConv == ccClosure)
+  result = searchTypeFor(typ, fn)
 
 proc containsTyRef*(typ: PType): bool =
-  # returns true if typ contains a 'ref'
-  result = searchTypeFor(typ, isTyRef)
+  proc fn(t: PType): bool =
+    result = t.kind == tyRef
+  result = searchTypeFor(typ, fn)
 
 proc isHiddenPointer(t: PType): bool =
   result = t.kind in {tyString, tySequence, tyOpenArray, tyVarargs}
diff --git a/tests/errmsgs/t5870.nim b/tests/errmsgs/t5870.nim
index 96966bcd7ed0d..6d990dbe82091 100644
--- a/tests/errmsgs/t5870.nim
+++ b/tests/errmsgs/t5870.nim
@@ -1,8 +1,3 @@
-discard """
-errormsg: "invalid type: 'SomeRefObj' in this context: 'seq[SomeRefObj]' for const"
-line: 14
-"""
-
 # bug #5870
 type SomeRefObj = ref object of RootObj
     someIntMember: int
@@ -13,5 +8,5 @@ proc createSomeRefObj(v: int): SomeRefObj=
 
 const compileTimeSeqOfRefObjs = @[createSomeRefObj(100500), createSomeRefObj(2)]
 
-for i in 0..1:
-  echo compileTimeSeqOfRefObjs[i].someIntMember
+doAssert compileTimeSeqOfRefObjs[0].someIntMember == 100500
+doAssert compileTimeSeqOfRefObjs[1].someIntMember == 2
diff --git a/tests/vm/tconstrefs.nim b/tests/vm/tconstrefs.nim
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..af7142186627f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/vm/tconstrefs.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+discard """
+  targets:  "c cpp js"
+"""
+
+import std/json
+
+block: # ref objects
+  type Foo = ref object
+    x1: int
+    x2: string
+    x3: seq[string]
+  const j1 = Foo(x1: 12, x2: "asdf", x3: @["foo", "bar"])
+  doAssert j1[] == Foo(x1: 12, x2: "asdf", x3: @["foo", "bar"])[]
+  doAssert $j1[] == """(x1: 12, x2: "asdf", x3: @["foo", "bar"])"""
+  doAssert j1.x2 == "asdf"
+
+block: # nested ref objects
+  type Bar = ref object
+    b0: int
+  type Foo2 = ref object
+    f0: Bar
+  const f = Foo2(f0: Bar(b0: 1))
+  doAssert f.f0.b0 == 1
+
+block: # ref object of
+  type Foo = ref object of RootObj
+    f0: int
+  const f = @[Foo(f0: 1), Foo(f0: 2)]
+  doAssert f[1].f0 == 2
+  let f2 = f
+  doAssert f2[1].f0 == 2
+
+  type Goo = ref object of Foo
+    g0: int
+  const g = @[Goo(g0: 3), Goo(g0: 4, f0: 5)]
+  doAssert g[0].g0 == 3
+  doAssert g[0].f0 == 0
+  doAssert g[1].g0 == 4
+  doAssert g[1].f0 == 5
+
+block: # complex example
+  type Bar = ref object
+    b0: int
+  type Foo3 = ref object
+    f0: Bar
+    f1: array[2, Bar]
+    f2: seq[Bar]
+    f3: seq[Foo3]
+    f4: string
+
+  proc initFoo3(s: string): Foo3 =
+    result = Foo3(f0: Bar(b0: 2))
+    result.f1 = [nil, Bar(b0: 3)]
+    result.f2 = @[Bar(b0: 4)]
+    result.f3 = @[Foo3(f4: s)]
+    result.f4 = s
+
+  const f = initFoo3("abc")
+  let f2 = f
+  var f3 = f
+  var f4 = f.unsafeAddr[]
+  var f5 = [f,f]
+
+  proc fn(a: Foo3) =
+    # shows we can pass a const ref to a proc
+    doAssert a.f4 == "abc"
+
+  fn(f)
+
+  template check(x: Foo3) =
+    fn(x)
+    doAssert x.f0.b0 == 2
+    doAssert x.f1[0] == nil
+    doAssert x.f1[1].b0 == 3
+    doAssert x.f2[0].b0 == 4
+    doAssert x.f3[0].f4 == "abc"
+    doAssert x.f4 == "abc"
+
+  check(f)
+  check(f2)
+  check(f3)
+  check(f4)
+  check(f5[0])
+
+  const f6 = f.f3
+  doAssert f6[0].f4 == "abc"
+  let f7 = f6
+  doAssert f7[0].f4 == "abc"
+  var f8: array[2,Bar]
+  f8 = f.f1
+  doAssert f8[1].b0 == 3
+  var f9: (Foo3,)
+  f9[0] = f
+  doAssert f9[0].f0.b0 == 2
+
+block: # case ref objects
+  const j = parseJson(""" {"x1":12,"x2":"asdf","x3":[1,2]} """)
+  const x1 = j["x1"].getInt
+  const x2 = j["x3"].to(seq[int])
+  doAssert x1 == 12
+  doAssert x2 == @[1, 2]
+  doAssert j["x1"].getInt.static == 12
+  when false:
+    # xxx still an issue, related to closed bugs: bug #13081, bug #8015
+    echo j["x1"].getInt
+
+block: # regression test with closures
+  type MyProc = proc (x: int): int
+  proc even(x: int): int = x*3
+  proc bar(): seq[MyProc] =
+    result.add even
+    result.setLen 2 # intentionally leaving 1 unassigned
+  const a = bar()
+  when not defined(js): # xxx
+    doAssert a == bar()
+  doAssert a[0](2) == 2*3