diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-sqs/lib/validate-props.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-sqs/lib/validate-props.ts
index 3d7781fabd957..8a1204e21f858 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-sqs/lib/validate-props.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-sqs/lib/validate-props.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { Token } from '@aws-cdk/core';
 import { QueueProps } from './index';
 
 export function validateProps(props: QueueProps) {
@@ -10,7 +11,7 @@ export function validateProps(props: QueueProps) {
 }
 
 function validateRange(label: string, value: number | undefined, minValue: number, maxValue: number, unit?: string) {
-  if (value === undefined) { return; }
+  if (value === undefined || Token.isUnresolved(value)) { return; }
   const unitSuffix = unit ? ` ${unit}` : '';
   if (value < minValue) { throw new Error(`${label} must be ${minValue}${unitSuffix} or more, but ${value} was provided`); }
   if (value > maxValue) { throw new Error(`${label} must be ${maxValue}${unitSuffix} of less, but ${value} was provided`); }
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-sqs/test/test.sqs.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-sqs/test/test.sqs.ts
index baef7fa8bb2e4..15a67e269bf3a 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-sqs/test/test.sqs.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-sqs/test/test.sqs.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { expect, haveResource } from '@aws-cdk/assert';
 import * as iam from '@aws-cdk/aws-iam';
 import * as kms from '@aws-cdk/aws-kms';
-import { Duration, Stack } from '@aws-cdk/core';
+import { CfnParameter, Duration, Stack } from '@aws-cdk/core';
 import { Test } from 'nodeunit';
 import * as sqs from '../lib';
 
@@ -54,6 +54,58 @@ export = {
     test.done();
   },
 
+  'message retention period must be between 1 minute to 14 days'(test: Test) {
+    // GIVEN
+    const stack = new Stack();
+
+    // THEN
+    test.throws(() => new sqs.Queue(stack, 'MyQueue', {
+      retentionPeriod: Duration.seconds(30),
+    }), /message retention period must be 60 seconds or more/);
+
+    test.throws(() => new sqs.Queue(stack, 'AnotherQueue', {
+      retentionPeriod: Duration.days(15),
+    }), /message retention period must be 1209600 seconds of less/);
+
+    test.done();
+  },
+
+  'message retention period can be provided as a parameter'(test: Test) {
+    // GIVEN
+    const stack = new Stack();
+    const parameter = new CfnParameter(stack, 'my-retention-period', {
+      type: 'Number',
+      default: 30,
+    });
+
+    // WHEN
+    new sqs.Queue(stack, 'MyQueue', {
+      retentionPeriod: Duration.seconds(parameter.valueAsNumber),
+    });
+
+    // THEN
+    expect(stack).toMatch({
+      'Parameters': {
+        'myretentionperiod': {
+          'Type': 'Number',
+          'Default': 30,
+        },
+      },
+      'Resources': {
+        'MyQueueE6CA6235': {
+          'Type': 'AWS::SQS::Queue',
+          'Properties': {
+            'MessageRetentionPeriod': {
+              'Ref': 'myretentionperiod',
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      },
+    });
+
+    test.done();
+  },
+
   'addToPolicy will automatically create a policy for this queue'(test: Test) {
     const stack = new Stack();
     const queue = new sqs.Queue(stack, 'MyQueue');