diff --git a/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/management/commands/import.py b/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/management/commands/import.py
index 2e16bf1258..bb41010580 100644
--- a/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/management/commands/import.py
+++ b/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/management/commands/import.py
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ Script for importing courseware from XML format
 """
 
 from django.core.management.base import BaseCommand, CommandError, make_option
+from django_comment_common.utils import (seed_permissions_roles,
+                                         are_permissions_roles_seeded)
 from xmodule.modulestore.xml_importer import import_from_xml
 from xmodule.modulestore.django import modulestore
 from xmodule.contentstore.django import contentstore
@@ -42,5 +44,14 @@ class Command(BaseCommand):
                               'default\n')
             mstore = modulestore('default')
 
-        import_from_xml(mstore, data_dir, course_dirs, load_error_modules=False,
-                        static_content_store=contentstore(), verbose=True, do_import_static=do_import_static)
+        _, course_items = import_from_xml(
+            mstore, data_dir, course_dirs, load_error_modules=False,
+            static_content_store=contentstore(), verbose=True,
+            do_import_static=do_import_static
+        )
+
+        for module in course_items:
+            course_id = module.location.course_id
+            if not are_permissions_roles_seeded(course_id):
+                self.stdout.write('Seeding forum roles for course {0}'.format(course_id))
+                seed_permissions_roles(course_id)
diff --git a/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/management/commands/tests/test_import.py b/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/management/commands/tests/test_import.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3a3cac70d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/management/commands/tests/test_import.py
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+"""
+Unittests for importing a course via management command
+"""
+
+import os
+from path import path
+import shutil
+import tempfile
+
+from django.core.management import call_command
+from django.test.utils import override_settings
+
+from contentstore.tests.modulestore_config import TEST_MODULESTORE
+from django_comment_common.utils import are_permissions_roles_seeded
+from xmodule.modulestore.tests.django_utils import ModuleStoreTestCase
+
+
+@override_settings(MODULESTORE=TEST_MODULESTORE)
+class TestImport(ModuleStoreTestCase):
+    """
+    Unit tests for importing a course from command line
+    """
+
+    COURSE_ID = ['EDx', '0.00x', '2013_Spring', ]
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        """
+        Build course XML for importing
+        """
+        super(TestImport, self).setUp()
+        self.content_dir = path(tempfile.mkdtemp())
+        self.addCleanup(shutil.rmtree, self.content_dir)
+
+        # Create good course xml
+        self.good_dir = tempfile.mkdtemp(dir=self.content_dir)
+        os.makedirs(os.path.join(self.good_dir, "course"))
+        with open(os.path.join(self.good_dir, "course.xml"), "w+") as f:
+            f.write('<course url_name="{0[2]}" org="{0[0]}" '
+                    'course="{0[1]}"/>'.format(self.COURSE_ID))
+
+        with open(os.path.join(self.good_dir, "course", "{0[2]}.xml".format(self.COURSE_ID)), "w+") as f:
+            f.write('<course></course>')
+
+    def test_forum_seed(self):
+        """
+        Tests that forum roles were created with import.
+        """
+        self.assertFalse(are_permissions_roles_seeded('/'.join(self.COURSE_ID)))
+        call_command('import', self.content_dir, self.good_dir)
+        self.assertTrue(are_permissions_roles_seeded('/'.join(self.COURSE_ID)))