diff --git a/newsfragments/727.bugfix.rst b/newsfragments/727.bugfix.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..454260c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/newsfragments/727.bugfix.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+``CA.from_pem`` now preserves the imported certificate's CA path-length
+constraint when creating child CAs, including an unlimited path length.
diff --git a/src/trustme/__init__.py b/src/trustme/__init__.py
index 1040892..fa85c58 100644
--- a/src/trustme/__init__.py
+++ b/src/trustme/__init__.py
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ class CA:
     def __init__(
         self,
         parent_cert: Optional[CA] = None,
-        path_length: int = 9,
+        path_length: Optional[int] = 9,
         organization_name: Optional[str] = None,
         organization_unit_name: Optional[str] = None,
         key_type: KeyType = KeyType.ECDSA,
@@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ def create_child_ca(self, key_type: KeyType = KeyType.ECDSA) -> "CA":
         if self._path_length == 0:
             raise ValueError("Can't create child CA: path length is 0")
 
-        path_length = self._path_length - 1
+        path_length = self._path_length - 1 if self._path_length is not None else None
         return CA(parent_cert=self, path_length=path_length, key_type=key_type)
 
     def issue_cert(
@@ -499,6 +499,15 @@ def from_pem(cls, cert_bytes: bytes, private_key_bytes: bytes) -> "CA":
         ca.parent_cert = None
         ca._certificate = x509.load_pem_x509_certificate(cert_bytes)
         ca._private_key = load_pem_private_key(private_key_bytes, password=None)  # type: ignore[assignment]
+        try:
+            constraints = ca._certificate.extensions.get_extension_for_class(
+                x509.BasicConstraints
+            )
+        except x509.ExtensionNotFound:
+            # Preserve the default for older certificates without constraints.
+            pass
+        else:
+            ca._path_length = constraints.value.path_length
 
         return ca
 
diff --git a/tests/test_trustme.py b/tests/test_trustme.py
index 93275bc..a9d15ff 100644
--- a/tests/test_trustme.py
+++ b/tests/test_trustme.py
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 import pytest
 import service_identity.pyopenssl  # type: ignore[import-not-found]
 from cryptography import x509
+from cryptography.hazmat.primitives import hashes
 from cryptography.hazmat.primitives.serialization import (
     Encoding,
     PublicFormat,
@@ -284,6 +285,46 @@ def test_ca_from_pem(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     assert ca1.private_key_pem.bytes() == ca2.private_key_pem.bytes()
 
 
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("path_length", [0, 1, 2, 9, None])
+def test_ca_from_pem_path_length(path_length: Optional[int]) -> None:
+    ca = CA(path_length=path_length)
+    restored = CA.from_pem(ca.cert_pem.bytes(), ca.private_key_pem.bytes())
+
+    # An unconstrained CA must also remain unconstrained after import,
+    # including beyond the default depth of nine intermediates.
+    for depth in range(path_length if path_length is not None else 11):
+        restored = restored.create_child_ca()
+        cert = x509.load_pem_x509_certificate(restored.cert_pem.bytes())
+        expected = path_length - depth - 1 if path_length is not None else None
+        assert _path_length(cert) == expected
+
+    if path_length is not None:
+        with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="path length is 0"):
+            restored.create_child_ca()
+
+
+def test_ca_from_pem_without_basic_constraints() -> None:
+    ca = CA()
+    original = ca._certificate
+    cert = (
+        x509.CertificateBuilder()
+        .subject_name(original.subject)
+        .issuer_name(original.issuer)
+        .public_key(ca._private_key.public_key())
+        .serial_number(original.serial_number)
+        .not_valid_before(original.not_valid_before_utc)
+        .not_valid_after(original.not_valid_after_utc)
+        .add_extension(
+            x509.SubjectKeyIdentifier.from_public_key(ca._private_key.public_key()),
+            critical=False,
+        )
+        .sign(ca._private_key, hashes.SHA256())
+    )
+    restored = CA.from_pem(cert.public_bytes(Encoding.PEM), ca.private_key_pem.bytes())
+    child = restored.create_child_ca()
+    assert _path_length(x509.load_pem_x509_certificate(child.cert_pem.bytes())) == 8
+
+
 def check_connection_end_to_end(
     wrap_client: Callable[[CA, socket.socket, str], SslSocket],
     wrap_server: Callable[[LeafCert, socket.socket], SslSocket],