diff --git a/doc/source/contributor/vitrage-template-format.rst b/doc/source/contributor/vitrage-template-format.rst
index a924ee604..ac133b9b3 100644
--- a/doc/source/contributor/vitrage-template-format.rst
+++ b/doc/source/contributor/vitrage-template-format.rst
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ The template is written in YAML language, with the following structure:
  ::
 
   metadata:
+    version: <template version>
     name: <unique template identifier>
     description: <what this template does>
   definitions:
@@ -38,17 +39,21 @@ The template is written in YAML language, with the following structure:
 
 The template is divided into four main sections:
 
-- *metadata:* Contains the template name, and brief description of what the template does (optional)
+- *metadata:* Contains general information about the template.
+
+  - *version -* the version of the template format. The default is 1.
+  - *name -* the name of the template
+  - *description -* a brief description of what the template does (optional)
 - *definitions:* This section is **mandatory** unless an include section is specified in the template (see below).
   This section contains the atomic definitions referenced later on, for entities and relationships.
 
-   - *entities –* describes the resources and alarms which are relevant to the template scenario (conceptually, corresponds to a vertex in the entity graph)
-   - *relationships –* the relationships between the entities (conceptually, corresponds to an edge in the entity graph)
+  - *entities –* describes the resources and alarms which are relevant to the template scenario (conceptually, corresponds to a vertex in the entity graph)
+  - *relationships –* the relationships between the entities (conceptually, corresponds to an edge in the entity graph)
 - *includes:* This section is optional. If included, it must contain a list of names of definition templates as they appear in the metadata section of said templates.
   If only definitions from included definition templates are used to create scenarios within the template, then the *definitions* section is **optional**.
 - *scenarios:* A list of if-then scenarios to consider. Each scenario is comprised of:
-   - *condition –* the condition to be met. This condition will be phrased referencing the entities and relationships previously defined.
-   - *action(s) –* a list of actions to execute when the condition is met.
+  - *condition –* the condition to be met. This condition will be phrased referencing the entities and relationships previously defined.
+  - *action(s) –* a list of actions to execute when the condition is met.
 
 
 Definition Template Structure
diff --git a/releasenotes/notes/introduce-template-version-55bca9fc4e7d138f.yaml b/releasenotes/notes/introduce-template-version-55bca9fc4e7d138f.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8bc6dd40a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/releasenotes/notes/introduce-template-version-55bca9fc4e7d138f.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+features:
+  - A ``version`` field was added to the metadata section of Vitrage templates,
+    to allow future changes that are not backward-compatible. The default
+    version is 1.
diff --git a/vitrage/common/constants.py b/vitrage/common/constants.py
index 38188ede0..c5af7eb6d 100644
--- a/vitrage/common/constants.py
+++ b/vitrage/common/constants.py
@@ -123,6 +123,7 @@ class TemplateTopologyFields(object):
     METADATA = 'metadata'
     DESCRIPTION = 'description'
     NAME = 'name'
+    VERSION = 'version'
 
     DEFINITIONS = 'definitions'
 
diff --git a/vitrage/evaluator/template_fields.py b/vitrage/evaluator/template_fields.py
index f6ebd0aae..56bd8c415 100644
--- a/vitrage/evaluator/template_fields.py
+++ b/vitrage/evaluator/template_fields.py
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@
 from vitrage.common.constants import TemplateTopologyFields
 
 
+DEFAULT_VERSION = '1'
+SUPPORTED_VERSIONS = ['1']
+
+
 class TemplateFields(TemplateTopologyFields):
 
     SCENARIOS = 'scenarios'
diff --git a/vitrage/evaluator/template_validation/content/template_content_validator.py b/vitrage/evaluator/template_validation/content/template_content_validator.py
index fe8425b71..954710028 100644
--- a/vitrage/evaluator/template_validation/content/template_content_validator.py
+++ b/vitrage/evaluator/template_validation/content/template_content_validator.py
@@ -14,13 +14,18 @@
 
 from oslo_log import log
 
+from vitrage.evaluator.template_fields import DEFAULT_VERSION
+from vitrage.evaluator.template_fields import SUPPORTED_VERSIONS
 from vitrage.evaluator.template_fields import TemplateFields
 from vitrage.evaluator.template_validation.content.base import \
     get_content_correct_result
+from vitrage.evaluator.template_validation.content.base import \
+    get_content_fault_result
 from vitrage.evaluator.template_validation.content.definitions_validator \
     import DefinitionsValidator as DefValidator
 from vitrage.evaluator.template_validation.content.scenario_validator import \
     ScenarioValidator
+from vitrage.evaluator.template_validation.status_messages import status_msgs
 
 LOG = log.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -30,11 +35,12 @@ def content_validation(template, def_templates=None):
     if def_templates is None:
         def_templates = {}
 
-    result = get_content_correct_result()
+    result = _validate_version(template)
+
     entities_index = {}
     template_definitions = {}
 
-    if TemplateFields.DEFINITIONS in template:
+    if result.is_valid_config and TemplateFields.DEFINITIONS in template:
         template_definitions = template[TemplateFields.DEFINITIONS]
 
         if TemplateFields.ENTITIES in template_definitions:
@@ -76,3 +82,18 @@ def content_validation(template, def_templates=None):
         result = ScenarioValidator(definitions_index).validate(scenarios)
 
     return result
+
+
+def _validate_version(template):
+    metadata = template.get(TemplateFields.METADATA)
+
+    if metadata is None:
+        LOG.error('%s status code: %s' % (status_msgs[62], 62))
+        return get_content_fault_result(62)
+
+    version = metadata.get(TemplateFields.VERSION, DEFAULT_VERSION)
+    if version in SUPPORTED_VERSIONS:
+        return get_content_correct_result()
+    else:
+        LOG.error('%s status code: %s' % (status_msgs[63], 63))
+        return get_content_fault_result(63)
diff --git a/vitrage/evaluator/template_validation/status_messages.py b/vitrage/evaluator/template_validation/status_messages.py
index 80cf4104e..ff88f8b26 100644
--- a/vitrage/evaluator/template_validation/status_messages.py
+++ b/vitrage/evaluator/template_validation/status_messages.py
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 from vitrage.common.constants import EdgeLabel
 from vitrage.common.constants import EntityCategory
 from vitrage.evaluator.actions.base import action_types
+from vitrage.evaluator.template_fields import SUPPORTED_VERSIONS
 
 status_msgs = {
 
@@ -41,6 +42,8 @@ status_msgs = {
     # metadata section status messages 60-79
     60: 'metadata section must contain id field.',
     62: 'metadata is a mandatory section.',
+    63: 'Unsupported version. Version must be one of: {versions}'
+        .format(versions=SUPPORTED_VERSIONS),
 
     # scenarios section status messages 80-99
     80: 'scenarios is a mandatory section.',
diff --git a/vitrage/evaluator/template_validation/template_syntax_validator.py b/vitrage/evaluator/template_validation/template_syntax_validator.py
index 7214033f0..fabdcea9b 100644
--- a/vitrage/evaluator/template_validation/template_syntax_validator.py
+++ b/vitrage/evaluator/template_validation/template_syntax_validator.py
@@ -115,6 +115,7 @@ def _validate_metadata_section(metadata):
     any_str = Any(str, six.text_type)
 
     schema = Schema({
+        TemplateFields.VERSION: any_str,
         Required(TemplateFields.NAME, msg=60): any_str,
         TemplateFields.DESCRIPTION: any_str
     })
diff --git a/vitrage/tests/resources/templates/version/invalid_version.yaml b/vitrage/tests/resources/templates/version/invalid_version.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f38e80bc3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vitrage/tests/resources/templates/version/invalid_version.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+metadata:
+ version: 999
+ name: invalid_version
+ description: template with an invalid version
+definitions:
+ entities:
+  - entity:
+     category: ALARM
+     name: compute.host.down
+     template_id: host_down_alarm
+  - entity:
+     category: RESOURCE
+     type: nova.host
+     template_id: host
+ relationships:
+  - relationship:
+     source: host_down_alarm
+     relationship_type: on
+     target: host
+     template_id : host_down_alarm_on_host
+scenarios:
+ - scenario:
+    condition: host_down_alarm_on_host
+    actions:
+     - action:
+        action_type: set_state
+        properties:
+         state: ERROR
+        action_target:
+         target: host
diff --git a/vitrage/tests/resources/templates/version/no_version.yaml b/vitrage/tests/resources/templates/version/no_version.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4f621eef2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vitrage/tests/resources/templates/version/no_version.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+metadata:
+ name: no_version
+ description: template without version
+definitions:
+ entities:
+  - entity:
+     category: ALARM
+     name: compute.host.down
+     template_id: host_down_alarm
+  - entity:
+     category: RESOURCE
+     type: nova.host
+     template_id: host
+ relationships:
+  - relationship:
+     source: host_down_alarm
+     relationship_type: on
+     target: host
+     template_id : host_down_alarm_on_host
+scenarios:
+ - scenario:
+    condition: host_down_alarm_on_host
+    actions:
+     - action:
+        action_type: set_state
+        properties:
+         state: ERROR
+        action_target:
+         target: host
diff --git a/vitrage/tests/resources/templates/version/version1.yaml b/vitrage/tests/resources/templates/version/version1.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8a0b3fff7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vitrage/tests/resources/templates/version/version1.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+metadata:
+ version: 1
+ name: version_1
+ description: template with version 1
+definitions:
+ entities:
+  - entity:
+     category: ALARM
+     name: compute.host.down
+     template_id: host_down_alarm
+  - entity:
+     category: RESOURCE
+     type: nova.host
+     template_id: host
+ relationships:
+  - relationship:
+     source: host_down_alarm
+     relationship_type: on
+     target: host
+     template_id : host_down_alarm_on_host
+scenarios:
+ - scenario:
+    condition: host_down_alarm_on_host
+    actions:
+     - action:
+        action_type: set_state
+        properties:
+         state: ERROR
+        action_target:
+         target: host
diff --git a/vitrage/tests/unit/evaluator/template_validation/content/test_template_content_validator.py b/vitrage/tests/unit/evaluator/template_validation/content/test_template_content_validator.py
index f07443f6c..f682a92ed 100644
--- a/vitrage/tests/unit/evaluator/template_validation/content/test_template_content_validator.py
+++ b/vitrage/tests/unit/evaluator/template_validation/content/test_template_content_validator.py
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ from vitrage.utils import file as file_utils
 
 CONDITION_TEMPLATES_DIR = '%s/templates/evaluator/conditions/%s'
 REGEX_TEMPLATE_DIR = '%s/templates/regex/%s'
+VERSION_TEMPLATE_DIR = '%s/templates/version/%s'
 
 
 class TemplateContentValidatorTest(ValidatorTest):
@@ -277,6 +278,27 @@ class TemplateContentValidatorTest(ValidatorTest):
         self._execute_and_assert_with_correct_result(
             basic_regex_template)
 
+    def test_validate_template_with_no_version(self):
+        invalid_version_path = \
+            VERSION_TEMPLATE_DIR % (utils.get_resources_dir(),
+                                    "no_version.yaml")
+        template = file_utils.load_yaml_file(invalid_version_path)
+        self._execute_and_assert_with_correct_result(template)
+
+    def test_validate_template_with_version_1(self):
+        invalid_version_path = \
+            VERSION_TEMPLATE_DIR % (utils.get_resources_dir(),
+                                    "version1.yaml")
+        template = file_utils.load_yaml_file(invalid_version_path)
+        self._execute_and_assert_with_correct_result(template)
+
+    def test_validate_template_with_invalid_version(self):
+        invalid_version_path = \
+            VERSION_TEMPLATE_DIR % (utils.get_resources_dir(),
+                                    "invalid_version.yaml")
+        template = file_utils.load_yaml_file(invalid_version_path)
+        self._execute_and_assert_with_fault_result(template, 63)
+
     def _execute_condition_template_with_correct_result(self, template_name):
         template_path = CONDITION_TEMPLATES_DIR % (utils.get_resources_dir(),
                                                    template_name)
diff --git a/vitrage/tests/unit/evaluator/template_validation/test_template_syntax_validator.py b/vitrage/tests/unit/evaluator/template_validation/test_template_syntax_validator.py
index 865098baa..ba6fed80e 100644
--- a/vitrage/tests/unit/evaluator/template_validation/test_template_syntax_validator.py
+++ b/vitrage/tests/unit/evaluator/template_validation/test_template_syntax_validator.py
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ class TemplateSyntaxValidatorTest(base.BaseTest):
         cls.def_template_dir_path = utils.get_resources_dir() + \
             '/templates/def_template_tests'
         template_dir_path = '%s/templates/general' % utils.get_resources_dir()
+        cls.version_dir_path = '%s/templates/version/' \
+                               % utils.get_resources_dir()
         cls.template_yamls = file_utils.load_yaml_files(template_dir_path)
         cls.bad_template = \
             ScenarioRepository._load_template_file(template_dir_path
@@ -219,6 +221,23 @@ class TemplateSyntaxValidatorTest(base.BaseTest):
         template = file_utils.load_yaml_file(template_path)
         self._test_execution_with_correct_result(template)
 
+    def test_template_with_no_version(self):
+        template_path = self.version_dir_path + 'no_version.yaml'
+        template = file_utils.load_yaml_file(template_path)
+        self._test_execution_with_correct_result(template)
+
+    def test_template_with_valid_version(self):
+        template_path = self.version_dir_path + 'version1.yaml'
+        template = file_utils.load_yaml_file(template_path)
+        self._test_execution_with_correct_result(template)
+
+    def test_template_with_invalid_version(self):
+        # Invalid version number is checked by the content validator, not by
+        # the syntax validator
+        template_path = self.version_dir_path + 'invalid_version.yaml'
+        template = file_utils.load_yaml_file(template_path)
+        self._test_execution_with_correct_result(template)
+
     def _test_validate_action_without_required_fields(self):
 
         self._test_validate_action_without_required_field(