diff --git a/sqlcipher.go b/sqlcipher.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..03c632c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sqlcipher.go
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+package sqlite3
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"errors"
+	"os"
+)
+
+// sqlite3Header defines the header string used by SQLite 3.
+var sqlite3Header = []byte("SQLite format 3\000")
+
+// IsEncrypted returns true, if the file with filename is encrypted, false
+// otherwise. If the file cannot be read properly an error is returned.
+func IsEncrypted(filename string) (bool, error) {
+	// open file
+	db, err := os.Open(filename)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+	defer db.Close()
+	// read header
+	var header [16]byte
+	n, err := db.Read(header[:])
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+	if n != len(header) {
+		return false, errors.New("go-sqlcipher: could not read full header")
+	}
+	// SQLCipher encrypts also the header, the file is encrypted if the read
+	// header does not equal the header string used by SQLite 3.
+	encrypted := !bytes.Equal(header[:], sqlite3Header)
+	return encrypted, nil
+}
diff --git a/sqlcipher_test.go b/sqlcipher_test.go
index a0f3add..05996c7 100644
--- a/sqlcipher_test.go
+++ b/sqlcipher_test.go
@@ -1,41 +1,60 @@
 package sqlite3_test
 
 import (
+	"crypto/rand"
 	"database/sql"
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"io/ioutil"
+	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"testing"
 
-	_ "github.com/mutecomm/go-sqlcipher"
+	"github.com/mutecomm/go-sqlcipher"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
-var db *sql.DB
+var (
+	db      *sql.DB
+	testDir = "go-sqlcipher_test"
+	tables  = `
+CREATE TABLE KeyValueStore (
+  KeyEntry   TEXT NOT NULL UNIQUE,
+  ValueEntry TEXT NOT NULL
+);`
+)
 
 func init() {
 	// create DB
 	key := "passphrase"
-	tmpdir, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "sqlcipher_test")
+	tmpdir, err := ioutil.TempDir("", testDir)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
 	dbname := filepath.Join(tmpdir, "sqlcipher_test")
-	dbname += fmt.Sprintf("?_pragma_key=%s&_pragma_cipher_page_size=4096", key)
-	db, err = sql.Open("sqlite3", dbname)
+	dbnameWithDSN := dbname + fmt.Sprintf("?_pragma_key=%s&_pragma_cipher_page_size=4096", key)
+	db, err = sql.Open("sqlite3", dbnameWithDSN)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
-	_, err = db.Exec(`
-CREATE TABLE KeyValueStore (
-  KeyEntry   TEXT NOT NULL UNIQUE,
-  ValueEntry TEXT NOT NULL
-);`)
+	_, err = db.Exec(tables)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
 	db.Close()
+	// make sure DB is encrypted
+	encrypted, err := sqlite3.IsEncrypted(dbname)
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+	if !encrypted {
+		panic(errors.New("go-sqlcipher: DB not encrypted"))
+	}
 	// open DB for testing
-	db, err = sql.Open("sqlite3", dbname)
+	db, err = sql.Open("sqlite3", dbnameWithDSN)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
@@ -54,14 +73,10 @@ var mapping = map[string]string{
 func TestSQLCipherParallelInsert(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 	insertValueQuery, err := db.Prepare("INSERT INTO KeyValueStore (KeyEntry, ValueEntry) VALUES (?, ?);")
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
-	}
+	require.NoError(t, err)
 	for key, value := range mapping {
 		_, err := insertValueQuery.Exec(key, value)
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Error(err)
-		}
+		assert.NoError(t, err)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -75,11 +90,46 @@ func TestSQLCipherParallelSelect(t *testing.T) {
 		var val string
 		err := getValueQuery.QueryRow(key).Scan(&val)
 		if err != sql.ErrNoRows {
-			if err != nil {
-				t.Error(err)
-			} else if val != value {
-				t.Errorf("%s != %s", val, value)
+			if assert.NoError(t, err) {
+				assert.Equal(t, value, val)
 			}
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func TestSQLCipherIsEncryptedFalse(t *testing.T) {
+	tmpdir, err := ioutil.TempDir("", testDir)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	defer os.RemoveAll(tmpdir)
+	dbname := filepath.Join(tmpdir, "unencrypted.sqlite")
+	db, err := sql.Open("sqlite3", dbname)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	defer db.Close()
+	_, err = db.Exec(tables)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	encrypted, err := sqlite3.IsEncrypted(dbname)
+	if assert.NoError(t, err) {
+		assert.False(t, encrypted)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSQLCipherIsEncryptedTrue(t *testing.T) {
+	tmpdir, err := ioutil.TempDir("", testDir)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	defer os.RemoveAll(tmpdir)
+	dbname := filepath.Join(tmpdir, "encrypted.sqlite")
+	var key [32]byte
+	_, err = io.ReadFull(rand.Reader, key[:])
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	dbnameWithDSN := dbname + fmt.Sprintf("?_pragma_key=x'%s'",
+		hex.EncodeToString(key[:]))
+	db, err := sql.Open("sqlite3", dbnameWithDSN)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	defer db.Close()
+	_, err = db.Exec(tables)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	encrypted, err := sqlite3.IsEncrypted(dbname)
+	if assert.NoError(t, err) {
+		assert.True(t, encrypted)
+	}
+}