diff --git a/bugzilla/_backendrest.py b/bugzilla/_backendrest.py
index 00b5563a..45bc4999 100644
--- a/bugzilla/_backendrest.py
+++ b/bugzilla/_backendrest.py
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@ def bug_fields(self, paramdict):
     def bug_get(self, bug_ids, aliases, paramdict):
         bug_list = listify(bug_ids)
         alias_list = listify(aliases)
+        permissive = paramdict.pop("permissive", False)
         data = paramdict.copy()
 
         # FYI: The high-level API expects the backends to raise an exception
@@ -116,7 +117,7 @@ def bug_get(self, bug_ids, aliases, paramdict):
         # API), but the REST API simply returns an empty search result set.
         # To ensure compliant behavior, the REST backend needs to use the
         # explicit URL to get a single bug.
-        if len(bug_list or []) + len(alias_list or []) == 1:
+        if not permissive and len(bug_list or []) + len(alias_list or []) == 1:
             for id_list in (bug_list, alias_list):
                 if id_list:
                     return self._get("/bug/%s" % id_list[0], data)
diff --git a/tests/test_backend_rest.py b/tests/test_backend_rest.py
index fdfbd05b..14836975 100644
--- a/tests/test_backend_rest.py
+++ b/tests/test_backend_rest.py
@@ -4,32 +4,64 @@
 from bugzilla._session import _BugzillaSession
 
 
-def test_getbug():
-    session = _BugzillaSession(url="http://example.com",
+class TestGetBug:
+    @property
+    def session(self):
+        return _BugzillaSession(url="http://example.com",
                                user_agent="py-bugzilla-test",
                                sslverify=False,
                                cert=None,
                                tokencache={},
                                api_key="",
                                is_redhat_bugzilla=False)
-    backend = _BackendREST(url="http://example.com",
-                           bugzillasession=session)
 
-    def _assertion(self, *args):
-        self.assertion_called = True
-        assert args and args[0] == url
+    @property
+    def backend(self):
+        return _BackendREST(url="http://example.com",
+                           bugzillasession=self.session)
 
-    setattr(backend, "_get", MethodType(_assertion, backend))
+    def test_getbug__not_permissive(self):
+        backend = self.backend
 
-    for _ids, aliases, url in (
-            (1, None, "/bug/1"),
-            ([1], [], "/bug/1"),
-            (None, "CVE-1999-0001", "/bug/CVE-1999-0001"),
-            ([], ["CVE-1999-0001"], "/bug/CVE-1999-0001"),
-            (1, "CVE-1999-0001", "/bug"),
-    ):
-        backend.assertion_called = False
+        def _assertion(self, *args):
+            self.assertion_called = True
+            assert args and args[0] == url
 
-        backend.bug_get(_ids, aliases, {})
+        setattr(backend, "_get", MethodType(_assertion, backend))
 
-        assert backend.assertion_called is True
+        for _ids, aliases, url in (
+                (1, None, "/bug/1"),
+                ([1], [], "/bug/1"),
+                (None, "CVE-1999-0001", "/bug/CVE-1999-0001"),
+                ([], ["CVE-1999-0001"], "/bug/CVE-1999-0001"),
+                (1, "CVE-1999-0001", "/bug"),
+                ([1, 2], None, "/bug")
+        ):
+            backend.assertion_called = False
+
+            backend.bug_get(_ids, aliases, {})
+
+            assert backend.assertion_called is True
+
+    def test_getbug__permissive(self):
+        backend = self.backend
+
+        def _assertion(self, *args):
+            self.assertion_called = True
+            assert args and args[0] == url and args[1] == params
+
+        setattr(backend, "_get", MethodType(_assertion, backend))
+
+        for _ids, aliases, url, params in (
+                (1, None, "/bug", {"id": [1], "alias": None}),
+                ([1], [], "/bug", {"id": [1], "alias": []}),
+                (None, "CVE-1999-0001", "/bug", {"alias": ["CVE-1999-0001"], "id": None}),
+                ([], ["CVE-1999-0001"], "/bug", {"alias": ["CVE-1999-0001"], "id": []}),
+                (1, "CVE-1999-0001", "/bug", {"id": [1], "alias": ["CVE-1999-0001"]}),
+                ([1, 2], None, "/bug", {"id": [1, 2], "alias": None})
+        ):
+            backend.assertion_called = False
+
+            backend.bug_get(_ids, aliases, {"permissive": True})
+
+            assert backend.assertion_called is True