diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-sqs/lib/perms.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-sqs/lib/perms.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..a9062475e14cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-sqs/lib/perms.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+export const QUEUE_GET_ACTIONS = [
+    "sqs:ReceiveMessage",
+];
+
+export const QUEUE_CONSUME_ACTIONS = [
+    "sqs:ChangeMessageVisibility",
+    "sqs:DeleteMessage",
+];
+
+export const QUEUE_PUT_ACTIONS = [
+    "sqs:SendMessage",
+];
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-sqs/lib/queue.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-sqs/lib/queue.ts
index ea6133ecbf754..9cea41ee1fc0b 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-sqs/lib/queue.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-sqs/lib/queue.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
+import iam = require('@aws-cdk/aws-iam');
 import kms = require('@aws-cdk/aws-kms');
 import cdk = require('@aws-cdk/cdk');
+import perms = require('./perms');
 import { QueueRef } from './queue-ref';
 import { cloudformation } from './sqs.generated';
 import { validateProps } from './validate-props';
@@ -275,6 +277,64 @@ export class Queue extends QueueRef {
     }
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Grant permissions to consume messages from a queue
+   *
+   * This will grant the following permissions:
+   *
+   *   - sqs:ChangeMessageVisibility
+   *   - sqs:DeleteMessage
+   *   - sqs:ReceiveMessage
+   *
+   * @param identity Principal to grant consume rights to
+   */
+  public grantConsumeMessages(identity?: iam.IPrincipal) {
+    this.grant(identity, perms.QUEUE_GET_ACTIONS.concat(perms.QUEUE_CONSUME_ACTIONS));
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Grant access to receive messages from a queue to
+   * the given identity.
+   *
+   * This will grant sqs:ReceiveMessage
+   *
+   * @param identity Principal to grant receive rights to
+   */
+  public grantReceiveMessages(identity?: iam.IPrincipal) {
+    this.grant(identity, perms.QUEUE_GET_ACTIONS);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Grant access to send messages to a queue to the
+   * given identity.
+   *
+   * This will grant sqs:SendMessage
+   *
+   * @param identity Principal to grant send rights to
+   */
+  public grantSendMessages(identity?: iam.IPrincipal) {
+    this.grant(identity, perms.QUEUE_PUT_ACTIONS);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Grant the actions defined in queueActions
+   * to the identity Principal given.
+   *
+   * @param identity Principal to grant right to
+   * @param queueActions The actions to grant
+   */
+  private grant(identity: iam.IPrincipal | undefined,
+                queueActions: string[]) {
+
+      if (!identity) {
+        return;
+      }
+
+      identity.addToPolicy(new iam.PolicyStatement()
+        .addResource(this.queueArn)
+        .addActions(...queueActions));
+  }
+
   /**
    * Look at the props, see if the FIFO props agree, and return the correct subset of props
    */
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-sqs/test/test.sqs.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-sqs/test/test.sqs.ts
index d6a0b3cdca289..21f9529d14333 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-sqs/test/test.sqs.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-sqs/test/test.sqs.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { expect, haveResource } from '@aws-cdk/assert';
-import { ArnPrincipal, PolicyStatement } from '@aws-cdk/aws-iam';
+import { ArnPrincipal, PolicyStatement, Role, ServicePrincipal } from '@aws-cdk/aws-iam';
 import kms = require('@aws-cdk/aws-kms');
 import s3 = require('@aws-cdk/aws-s3');
 import { resolve, Stack } from '@aws-cdk/cdk';
@@ -113,6 +113,94 @@ export = {
     test.done();
   },
 
+  'iam': {
+    'grants permission to consume messages'(test: Test) {
+      const stack = new Stack();
+      const role = new Role(stack, 'Role', { assumedBy: new ServicePrincipal('lambda.amazonaws.com') });
+      const queue = new sqs.Queue(stack, 'Queue');
+      queue.grantConsumeMessages(role);
+
+      expect(stack).to(haveResource('AWS::IAM::Policy', {
+        "PolicyDocument": {
+          "Statement": [
+            {
+              "Action": [
+                "sqs:ReceiveMessage",
+                "sqs:ChangeMessageVisibility",
+                "sqs:DeleteMessage"
+              ],
+              "Effect": "Allow",
+              "Resource": {
+                "Fn::GetAtt":
+                  [
+                    "Queue4A7E3555",
+                    "Arn"
+                  ]
+              }
+            }
+          ]
+        }
+      }));
+
+      test.done();
+    },
+
+    'grants permission to receive messages'(test: Test) {
+      const stack = new Stack();
+      const role = new Role(stack, 'Role', { assumedBy: new ServicePrincipal('lambda.amazonaws.com') });
+      const queue = new sqs.Queue(stack, 'Queue');
+      queue.grantReceiveMessages(role);
+
+      expect(stack).to(haveResource('AWS::IAM::Policy', {
+        "PolicyDocument": {
+          "Statement": [
+            {
+              "Action": "sqs:ReceiveMessage",
+              "Effect": "Allow",
+              "Resource": {
+                "Fn::GetAtt":
+                  [
+                    "Queue4A7E3555",
+                    "Arn"
+                  ]
+              }
+            }
+          ]
+        }
+      }));
+
+      test.done();
+    },
+
+    'grants permission to send messages'(test: Test) {
+      const stack = new Stack();
+      const role = new Role(stack, 'Role', { assumedBy: new ServicePrincipal('lambda.amazonaws.com') });
+      const queue = new sqs.Queue(stack, 'Queue');
+      queue.grantSendMessages(role);
+
+      expect(stack).to(haveResource('AWS::IAM::Policy', {
+        "PolicyDocument": {
+          "Statement": [
+            {
+              "Action": "sqs:SendMessage",
+              "Effect": "Allow",
+              "Resource": {
+                "Fn::GetAtt":
+                  [
+                    "Queue4A7E3555",
+                    "Arn"
+                  ]
+              }
+            }
+          ]
+        }
+      }));
+
+      test.done();
+    }
+
+  },
+
   'queue encryption': {
     'encryptionMasterKey can be set to a custom KMS key'(test: Test) {
       const stack = new Stack();