diff --git a/generator/nanopb_generator.py b/generator/nanopb_generator.py
index 57d082e..a700a02 100755
--- a/generator/nanopb_generator.py
+++ b/generator/nanopb_generator.py
@@ -615,6 +615,9 @@
             self.default = desc.default_value
 
         # Check field rules, i.e. required/optional/repeated.
+        if field_options.HasField("label_override"):
+            desc.label = field_options.label_override
+
         can_be_static = True
         if desc.label == FieldD.LABEL_REPEATED:
             self.rules = 'REPEATED'
@@ -625,6 +628,9 @@
                 if field_options.fixed_count:
                   self.rules = 'FIXARRAY'
 
+        elif desc.label == FieldD.LABEL_REQUIRED:
+            # We allow LABEL_REQUIRED using label_override even for proto3 (see #962)
+            self.rules = 'REQUIRED'
         elif field_options.proto3:
             if desc.type == FieldD.TYPE_MESSAGE and not field_options.proto3_singular_msgs:
                 # In most other protobuf libraries proto3 submessages have
@@ -636,8 +642,6 @@
             else:
                 # Proto3 singular fields (without has_field)
                 self.rules = 'SINGULAR'
-        elif desc.label == FieldD.LABEL_REQUIRED:
-            self.rules = 'REQUIRED'
         elif desc.label == FieldD.LABEL_OPTIONAL:
             self.rules = 'OPTIONAL'
         else:
diff --git a/generator/proto/nanopb.proto b/generator/proto/nanopb.proto
index 660685a..cf86270 100644
--- a/generator/proto/nanopb.proto
+++ b/generator/proto/nanopb.proto
@@ -143,6 +143,11 @@
   // Override type of the field in generated C code. Only to be used with related field types
   optional google.protobuf.FieldDescriptorProto.Type type_override = 27;
 
+  // Override of the label of the field (see FieldDescriptorProto.Label). Can be used to create
+  // fields which nanopb considers required in proto3, or whether nanopb treats the field as
+  // optional/required/repeated.
+  optional google.protobuf.FieldDescriptorProto.Label label_override = 31;
+
   // Due to historical reasons, nanopb orders fields in structs by their tag number
   // instead of the order in .proto. Set this to false to keep the .proto order.
   // The default value will probably change to false in nanopb-0.5.0.
diff --git a/tests/options/proto3_options.expected b/tests/options/proto3_options.expected
index 26985b1..1dbcbb0 100644
--- a/tests/options/proto3_options.expected
+++ b/tests/options/proto3_options.expected
@@ -3,3 +3,5 @@
 ! bool has_proto3_on
 bool has_normal_submsg
 ! bool has_sng_submsg
+! bool has_required_submsg
+X\(a,\s*STATIC,\s*REQUIRED,\s*MESSAGE,\s*required_submsg,
diff --git a/tests/options/proto3_options.proto b/tests/options/proto3_options.proto
index b73d03c..12ec9ca 100644
--- a/tests/options/proto3_options.proto
+++ b/tests/options/proto3_options.proto
@@ -14,5 +14,6 @@
     int32 proto3_on = 3 [(nanopb).proto3 = true];
     SubMsg normal_submsg = 4;
     SubMsg sng_submsg = 5 [(nanopb).proto3_singular_msgs = true];
+    SubMsg required_submsg = 6 [(nanopb).label_override = LABEL_REQUIRED];
 }