diff --git a/go/test/endtoend/vtgate/schema/schema_test.go b/go/test/endtoend/vtgate/schema/schema_test.go
index d5ae8df0a90..04d91d8d978 100644
--- a/go/test/endtoend/vtgate/schema/schema_test.go
+++ b/go/test/endtoend/vtgate/schema/schema_test.go
@@ -238,6 +238,18 @@ func testApplySchemaBatch(t *testing.T) {
 		require.NoError(t, err)
 		checkTables(t, totalTableCount)
 	}
+	{
+		sqls := "create table batch1(id int primary key);create table batch2(id int primary key);create table batch3(id int primary key);create table batch4(id int primary key);create table batch5(id int primary key);"
+		_, err := clusterInstance.VtctlclientProcess.ExecuteCommandWithOutput("ApplySchema", "--", "--ddl_strategy", "direct --allow-zero-in-date", "--sql", sqls, "--batch_size", "2", keyspaceName)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		checkTables(t, totalTableCount+5)
+	}
+	{
+		sqls := "drop table batch1; drop table batch2; drop table batch3; drop table batch4; drop table batch5"
+		_, err := clusterInstance.VtctlclientProcess.ExecuteCommandWithOutput("ApplySchema", "--", "--sql", sqls, keyspaceName)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		checkTables(t, totalTableCount)
+	}
 }
 
 // checkTables checks the number of tables in the first two shards.
diff --git a/go/vt/schemamanager/tablet_executor.go b/go/vt/schemamanager/tablet_executor.go
index e9e9a66c6fb..a56a95d5034 100644
--- a/go/vt/schemamanager/tablet_executor.go
+++ b/go/vt/schemamanager/tablet_executor.go
@@ -441,6 +441,33 @@ func (exec *TabletExecutor) executeOnAllTablets(ctx context.Context, execResult
 	}
 }
 
+// applyAllowZeroInDate takes a SQL string which may contain one or more statements,
+// and, assuming those are DDLs, adds a /*vt+ allowZeroInDate=true */ directive to all of them,
+// returning the result again as one long SQL.
+func applyAllowZeroInDate(sql string) (string, error) {
+	// sql may be a batch of multiple statements
+	sqls, err := sqlparser.SplitStatementToPieces(sql)
+	if err != nil {
+		return sql, err
+	}
+	var modifiedSqls []string
+	for _, singleSQL := range sqls {
+		// --allow-zero-in-date Applies to DDLs
+		stmt, err := sqlparser.Parse(singleSQL)
+		if err != nil {
+			return sql, err
+		}
+		if ddlStmt, ok := stmt.(sqlparser.DDLStatement); ok {
+			// Add comments directive to allow zero in date
+			const directive = `/*vt+ allowZeroInDate=true */`
+			ddlStmt.SetComments(ddlStmt.GetParsedComments().Prepend(directive))
+			singleSQL = sqlparser.String(ddlStmt)
+		}
+		modifiedSqls = append(modifiedSqls, singleSQL)
+	}
+	return strings.Join(modifiedSqls, ";"), err
+}
+
 func (exec *TabletExecutor) executeOneTablet(
 	ctx context.Context,
 	tablet *topodatapb.Tablet,
@@ -459,22 +486,17 @@ func (exec *TabletExecutor) executeOneTablet(
 	} else {
 		if exec.ddlStrategySetting != nil && exec.ddlStrategySetting.IsAllowZeroInDateFlag() {
 			// --allow-zero-in-date Applies to DDLs
-			stmt, err := sqlparser.Parse(string(sql))
+			sql, err = applyAllowZeroInDate(sql)
 			if err != nil {
 				errChan <- ShardWithError{Shard: tablet.Shard, Err: err.Error()}
 				return
 			}
-			if ddlStmt, ok := stmt.(sqlparser.DDLStatement); ok {
-				// Add comments directive to allow zero in date
-				const directive = `/*vt+ allowZeroInDate=true */`
-				ddlStmt.SetComments(ddlStmt.GetParsedComments().Prepend(directive))
-				sql = sqlparser.String(ddlStmt)
-			}
 		}
 		result, err = exec.tmc.ExecuteFetchAsDba(ctx, tablet, false, &tabletmanagerdatapb.ExecuteFetchAsDbaRequest{
 			Query:   []byte(sql),
 			MaxRows: 10,
 		})
+
 	}
 	if err != nil {
 		errChan <- ShardWithError{Shard: tablet.Shard, Err: err.Error()}
diff --git a/go/vt/schemamanager/tablet_executor_test.go b/go/vt/schemamanager/tablet_executor_test.go
index 15022ecc527..175e10dfb66 100644
--- a/go/vt/schemamanager/tablet_executor_test.go
+++ b/go/vt/schemamanager/tablet_executor_test.go
@@ -408,3 +408,38 @@ func TestAllSQLsAreCreateQueries(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestApplyAllowZeroInDate(t *testing.T) {
+	tcases := []struct {
+		sql    string
+		expect string
+	}{
+		{
+			"create table t1(id int primary key); ",
+			"create /*vt+ allowZeroInDate=true */ table t1 (\n\tid int primary key\n)",
+		},
+		{
+			"create table t1(id int primary key)",
+			"create /*vt+ allowZeroInDate=true */ table t1 (\n\tid int primary key\n)",
+		},
+		{
+			"create table t1(id int primary key);select 1 from dual",
+			"create /*vt+ allowZeroInDate=true */ table t1 (\n\tid int primary key\n);select 1 from dual",
+		},
+		{
+			"create table t1(id int primary key); alter table t2 add column id2 int",
+			"create /*vt+ allowZeroInDate=true */ table t1 (\n\tid int primary key\n);alter /*vt+ allowZeroInDate=true */ table t2 add column id2 int",
+		},
+		{
+			"  ; ; ;;; create table t1(id int primary key); ;; alter table t2 add column id2 int ;;",
+			"create /*vt+ allowZeroInDate=true */ table t1 (\n\tid int primary key\n);alter /*vt+ allowZeroInDate=true */ table t2 add column id2 int",
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tcase := range tcases {
+		t.Run(tcase.sql, func(t *testing.T) {
+			result, err := applyAllowZeroInDate(tcase.sql)
+			assert.NoError(t, err)
+			assert.Equal(t, tcase.expect, result)
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/go/vt/sqlparser/ast_test.go b/go/vt/sqlparser/ast_test.go
index ff48430899e..af3fc5f41cb 100644
--- a/go/vt/sqlparser/ast_test.go
+++ b/go/vt/sqlparser/ast_test.go
@@ -737,7 +737,22 @@ func TestSplitStatementToPieces(t *testing.T) {
 			"`createtime` datetime NOT NULL DEFAULT NOW() COMMENT 'create time;'," +
 			"`comment` varchar(100) NOT NULL DEFAULT '' COMMENT 'comment'," +
 			"PRIMARY KEY (`id`))",
-	}}
+	}, {
+		input:  "create table t1 (id int primary key); create table t2 (id int primary key);",
+		output: "create table t1 (id int primary key); create table t2 (id int primary key)",
+	}, {
+		input:  ";;; create table t1 (id int primary key);;; ;create table t2 (id int primary key);",
+		output: " create table t1 (id int primary key);create table t2 (id int primary key)",
+	}, {
+		// The input doesn't have to be valid SQL statements!
+		input:  ";create table t1 ;create table t2 (id;",
+		output: "create table t1 ;create table t2 (id",
+	}, {
+		// Ignore quoted semicolon
+		input:  ";create table t1 ';';;;create table t2 (id;",
+		output: "create table t1 ';';create table t2 (id",
+	},
+	}
 
 	for _, tcase := range testcases {
 		t.Run(tcase.input, func(t *testing.T) {