diff --git a/contrib/unaccent/Makefile b/contrib/unaccent/Makefile
index d6c466e07ad..652a3e774c0 100644
--- a/contrib/unaccent/Makefile
+++ b/contrib/unaccent/Makefile
@@ -12,10 +12,6 @@ PGFILEDESC = "unaccent - text search dictionary that removes accents"
 
 REGRESS = unaccent
 
-# We need a UTF8 database
-ENCODING = UTF8
-NO_LOCALE = 1
-
 ifdef USE_PGXS
 PG_CONFIG = pg_config
 PGXS := $(shell $(PG_CONFIG) --pgxs)
diff --git a/contrib/unaccent/expected/unaccent.out b/contrib/unaccent/expected/unaccent.out
index ee0ac71a1cc..f080707c4ac 100644
--- a/contrib/unaccent/expected/unaccent.out
+++ b/contrib/unaccent/expected/unaccent.out
@@ -1,11 +1,13 @@
+/*
+ * This test must be run in a database with UTF-8 encoding,
+ * because other encodings don't support all the characters used.
+ */
+SELECT getdatabaseencoding() <> 'UTF8'
+       AS skip_test \gset
+\if :skip_test
+\quit
+\endif
 CREATE EXTENSION unaccent;
--- must have a UTF8 database
-SELECT getdatabaseencoding();
- getdatabaseencoding 
----------------------
- UTF8
-(1 row)
-
 SET client_encoding TO 'UTF8';
 SELECT unaccent('foobar');
  unaccent 
diff --git a/contrib/unaccent/expected/unaccent_1.out b/contrib/unaccent/expected/unaccent_1.out
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..37aead89c0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contrib/unaccent/expected/unaccent_1.out
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+/*
+ * This test must be run in a database with UTF-8 encoding,
+ * because other encodings don't support all the characters used.
+ */
+SELECT getdatabaseencoding() <> 'UTF8'
+       AS skip_test \gset
+\if :skip_test
+\quit
diff --git a/contrib/unaccent/meson.build b/contrib/unaccent/meson.build
index bd629ec090e..a93bf10468d 100644
--- a/contrib/unaccent/meson.build
+++ b/contrib/unaccent/meson.build
@@ -37,6 +37,5 @@ tests += {
     'sql': [
       'unaccent',
     ],
-    'regress_args': ['--no-locale', '--encoding=UTF8'],
   },
 }
diff --git a/contrib/unaccent/sql/unaccent.sql b/contrib/unaccent/sql/unaccent.sql
index 3fc0c706be3..663646c1ac4 100644
--- a/contrib/unaccent/sql/unaccent.sql
+++ b/contrib/unaccent/sql/unaccent.sql
@@ -1,7 +1,15 @@
-CREATE EXTENSION unaccent;
+/*
+ * This test must be run in a database with UTF-8 encoding,
+ * because other encodings don't support all the characters used.
+ */
 
--- must have a UTF8 database
-SELECT getdatabaseencoding();
+SELECT getdatabaseencoding() <> 'UTF8'
+       AS skip_test \gset
+\if :skip_test
+\quit
+\endif
+
+CREATE EXTENSION unaccent;
 
 SET client_encoding TO 'UTF8';