diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index d9ddd211ec8..b99ff10b794 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ if (NOT BUILD_PYTHON AND PYTHON_VERSIONS)
   message(WARNING "The BUILD_PYTHON option is set to off and the PYTHON_VERSIONS variable is
           provided. The latter will be ignored.")
 elseif (BUILD_PYTHON AND "${PYTHON_VERSIONS}" STREQUAL "")
-  set(PYTHON_VERSIONS "3.9;3.10;3.11;3.12;3.13")
+  set(PYTHON_VERSIONS "3.9;3.10;3.11;3.12;3.13;3.13t")
 endif ()
 
 if (BUILD_PYTHON)
diff --git a/conda/build_conda_packages.sh b/conda/build_conda_packages.sh
index 31cd5de0b78..13d5a9ce6fc 100644
--- a/conda/build_conda_packages.sh
+++ b/conda/build_conda_packages.sh
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ export GIT_CLONE_PROTECTION_ACTIVE=true
 conda mambabuild ${CONDA_BUILD_OPTIONS} dali_native_libs/recipe
 
 # Building DALI python bindings package
-conda mambabuild ${CONDA_BUILD_OPTIONS} --variants="{python: [3.10, 3.11, 3.12]}" dali_python_bindings/recipe
+conda mambabuild ${CONDA_BUILD_OPTIONS} --variants="{python: [3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13, 3.13t]}" dali_python_bindings/recipe
 
 # Copying the artifacts from conda prefix
 mkdir -p artifacts
diff --git a/dali/python/nvidia/dali/backend.py b/dali/python/nvidia/dali/backend.py
index eb24cce2b95..ce2af17d6e2 100644
--- a/dali/python/nvidia/dali/backend.py
+++ b/dali/python/nvidia/dali/backend.py
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ def deprecation_warning(what):
             "Please update your environment to use Python 3.9, "
             "or newer."
         )
-    # py3.13 warning
+    # py3.13 warning. Handles both 3.13 and 3.13t.
     if sys.version_info[0] == 3 and sys.version_info[1] == 13:
         deprecation_warning("Python 3.13 support is experimental and not officially tested.")
 
diff --git a/dali/test/python/free-threading/test_multithreading.py b/dali/test/python/free-threading/test_multithreading.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..83e62ce7e09
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dali/test/python/free-threading/test_multithreading.py
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+import os
+import numpy as np
+import threading
+from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
+from nvidia.dali.pipeline import pipeline_def
+import nvidia.dali.types as types
+import nvidia.dali.fn as fn
+
+test_data_root = os.environ["DALI_EXTRA_PATH"]
+image_file = os.path.join(test_data_root, "db", "single", "jpeg", "100", "swan-3584559_640.jpg")
+
+batch_size = 12
+prefetch_queue_depth = 3
+num_dali_threads = 8
+num_workers = 100
+test_input = [np.fromfile(image_file, dtype=np.uint8)] * batch_size
+
+
+@pipeline_def(
+    batch_size=batch_size,
+    num_threads=num_dali_threads,
+    device_id=0,
+    prefetch_queue_depth=prefetch_queue_depth,
+)
+def dali_pipeline():
+    enc = fn.external_source(name="INPUT")
+    img = fn.decoders.image(enc, device="mixed")
+    img = fn.resize(img, size=(224, 224))
+    img = fn.crop_mirror_normalize(
+        img,
+        crop=(224, 224),
+        dtype=types.FLOAT,
+        mean=[0.485 * 255, 0.456 * 255, 0.406 * 255],
+        std=[0.229 * 255, 0.224 * 255, 0.225 * 255],
+    )
+    return img
+
+
+def run_thread(dali_pipeline, barrier, thread_id, results):
+    results[thread_id] = []
+    barrier.wait()
+    dali_pipeline.build()
+    for _ in range(prefetch_queue_depth * 2):  # Feed twice as many as the queue depth
+        dali_pipeline.feed_input("INPUT", test_input)
+    barrier.wait()
+    for _ in range(prefetch_queue_depth):
+        outputs = dali_pipeline.run()
+        results[thread_id].append(outputs[0].as_cpu().as_array())
+
+
+def test_parallel_pipelines(num_workers=num_workers):
+    """Test running two separate DALI pipelines in different threads."""
+    results = {}
+    barrier = threading.Barrier(num_workers)
+
+    with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=num_workers) as executor:
+        futures = [
+            executor.submit(run_thread, dali_pipeline(), barrier, i, results)
+            for i in range(num_workers)
+        ]
+        for future in futures:
+            future.result()
+
+    assert len(results) == num_workers
+    ref = results[0][0]
+    for worker_id in range(num_workers):
+        assert len(results[worker_id]) == prefetch_queue_depth
+        for i in range(prefetch_queue_depth):
+            assert np.allclose(results[worker_id][i], ref)
diff --git a/docker/Dockerfile b/docker/Dockerfile
index 8ed9a5d3f7f..57dc7904e8e 100644
--- a/docker/Dockerfile
+++ b/docker/Dockerfile
@@ -13,9 +13,9 @@ ENV PYVER=${PYVER} \
     PYTHONPATH=/opt/python/v \
     PYBIN=${PYTHONPATH}/bin \
     PYLIB=${PYTHONPATH}/lib \
-    PATH=/opt/python/cp${PYV}-cp${PYV}/bin:/opt/python/cp39-cp39/bin:${PYBIN}:/opt/python/cp310-cp310/bin:/opt/python/cp311-cp311/bin:${PYBIN}:/opt/python/cp312-cp312/bin:/opt/python/cp313-cp313/bin:${PYBIN}:${PATH} \
-    LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/python/cp${PYV}-cp${PYV}/lib:/usr/local/lib:/opt/dali/${DALI_BUILD_DIR}:/opt/python/cp39-cp39/lib:/opt/python/cp310-cp310/lib:/opt/python/cp311-cp311/lib:/opt/python/cp312-cp312/lib:/opt/python/cp313-cp313/lib:${PYLIB}:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH} \
-    LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/python/cp${PYV}-cp${PYV}/lib:/usr/local/lib:/opt/dali/${DALI_BUILD_DIR}:/opt/python/cp39-cp39/lib:/opt/python/cp310-cp310/lib:/opt/python/cp311-cp311/lib:/opt/python/cp312-cp312/lib:/opt/python/cp313-cp313/lib:${PYLIB}:${LIBRARY_PATH}
+    PATH=/opt/python/cp${PYV}-cp${PYV}/bin:/opt/python/cp39-cp39/bin:${PYBIN}:/opt/python/cp310-cp310/bin:/opt/python/cp311-cp311/bin:${PYBIN}:/opt/python/cp312-cp312/bin:/opt/python/cp313-cp313/bin:${PYBIN}:/opt/python/cp313-cp313t/bin:${PYBIN}:${PATH} \
+    LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/python/cp${PYV}-cp${PYV}/lib:/usr/local/lib:/opt/dali/${DALI_BUILD_DIR}:/opt/python/cp39-cp39/lib:/opt/python/cp310-cp310/lib:/opt/python/cp311-cp311/lib:/opt/python/cp312-cp312/lib:/opt/python/cp313-cp313/lib:/opt/python/cp313-cp313t/lib:${PYLIB}:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH} \
+    LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/python/cp${PYV}-cp${PYV}/lib:/usr/local/lib:/opt/dali/${DALI_BUILD_DIR}:/opt/python/cp39-cp39/lib:/opt/python/cp310-cp310/lib:/opt/python/cp311-cp311/lib:/opt/python/cp312-cp312/lib:/opt/python/cp313-cp313/lib:${PYLIB}:/opt/python/cp313-cp313t/lib:${PYLIB}:${LIBRARY_PATH}
 
 RUN ln -s /opt/python/cp${PYV}* /opt/python/v
 
diff --git a/docker/Dockerfile.build.aarch64-linux b/docker/Dockerfile.build.aarch64-linux
index 1ecf787a1e8..1c8c322ce11 100644
--- a/docker/Dockerfile.build.aarch64-linux
+++ b/docker/Dockerfile.build.aarch64-linux
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ RUN apt-key adv --fetch-keys https://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/
     python3.10 python3.10-dev \
     python3.11 python3.11-dev \
     python3.12 python3.12-dev \
-    python3.13 python3.13-dev && \
+    python3.13 python3.13-dev python3.13-nogil && \
     apt-key adv --fetch-key http://repo.download.nvidia.com/jetson/jetson-ota-public.asc && \
     add-apt-repository 'deb https://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/repos/ubuntu2204/cross-linux-aarch64/ /' && \
     apt-get update && \
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ RUN /bin/bash -c 'DALI_DEPS_VERSION_SHA=${DALI_DEPS_VERSION_SHA:-$(cat /tmp/DALI
     /tmp/dali_deps/build_scripts/build_deps.sh && rm -rf /tmp/dali_deps && rm -rf /tmp/DALI_DEPS_VERSION'
 
 # hack - install cross headers in the default python paths, so host python3-config would point to them
+#        free-threaded sources are included in 3.13.0
 RUN export PYVERS="3.9.0 3.10.0 3.11.0 3.12.0 3.13.0" && \
     for PYVER in ${PYVERS}; do \
         cd /tmp && (curl -L https://www.python.org/ftp/python/${PYVER}/Python-${PYVER}.tgz | tar -xzf - || exit 1) && \
diff --git a/docker/build_helper.sh b/docker/build_helper.sh
index b50a2dd35ec..5695eab3195 100755
--- a/docker/build_helper.sh
+++ b/docker/build_helper.sh
@@ -77,6 +77,16 @@ export TEST_BUNDLED_LIBS=${TEST_BUNDLED_LIBS:-YES}
 export PYTHON_VERSIONS=${PYTHON_VERSIONS}
 # use all available pythons
 
+# PYTHON_GIL can be set to 0 only if Python is compiled with --disable-gil.
+# Check if Python is compiled with --disable-gil.
+set +e
+python -c 'import sysconfig ; exit(sysconfig.get_config_var("Py_GIL_DISABLED"))'
+# Set PYTHON_GIL accordingly.
+if [ $? -ne 0  ]; then
+        export PYTHON_GIL=0
+fi
+set -e
+
 cmake ../ -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=.                 \
       -DARCH=${ARCH}                               \
       -DCUDA_TARGET_ARCHS=${CUDA_TARGET_ARCHS}     \
diff --git a/plugins/setup.py.in b/plugins/setup.py.in
index da55ba01d1f..0fbb032bca6 100644
--- a/plugins/setup.py.in
+++ b/plugins/setup.py.in
@@ -70,13 +70,14 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
         author='NVIDIA Corporation',
         license='Apache License 2.0',
         license_files = ('LICENSE', 'COPYRIGHT', 'Acknowledgements.txt'),
-        python_requires='>=3.8, <3.13',
+        python_requires='>=3.8, <3.14',
         classifiers=[
             'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8',
             'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9',
             'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10',
             'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11',
             'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12',
+            'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13',
             ],
         include_package_data=True,
         extras_require={},
diff --git a/qa/TL0_free-threading/test.sh b/qa/TL0_free-threading/test.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c04ab78d576
--- /dev/null
+++ b/qa/TL0_free-threading/test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+#!/bin/bash -e
+bash -e ./test_nofw.sh
diff --git a/qa/TL0_free-threading/test_body.sh b/qa/TL0_free-threading/test_body.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..99513b0503d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/qa/TL0_free-threading/test_body.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+#!/bin/bash -e
+
+# PYTHON_GIL can be set to 0 only if Python is compiled with --disable-gil.
+# Check if Python is compiled with --disable-gil.
+set +e
+python3 -c 'import sysconfig ; exit(sysconfig.get_config_var("Py_GIL_DISABLED"))'
+# Set PYTHON_GIL accordingly.
+if [ $? -ne 0  ]; then
+        export PYTHON_GIL=0
+fi
+set -e
+
+test_py_with_framework() {
+    ${python_new_invoke_test} -A '!slow' -s free-threading
+}
+
+test_no_fw() {
+    test_py_with_framework
+}
+
+run_all() {
+  test_no_fw
+}
diff --git a/qa/TL0_free-threading/test_nofw.sh b/qa/TL0_free-threading/test_nofw.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000..c3b02df9e98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/qa/TL0_free-threading/test_nofw.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+#!/bin/bash -e
+# used pip packages
+pip_packages='${python_test_runner_package} numpy'
+
+target_dir=./dali/test/python
+
+# test_body definition is in separate file so it can be used without setup
+source test_body.sh
+
+test_body() {
+  test_no_fw
+}
+
+pushd ../..
+source ./qa/test_template.sh
+popd