diff --git a/mhs/common/mhs_common/messages/ebxml_request_envelope.py b/mhs/common/mhs_common/messages/ebxml_request_envelope.py
index 0971c086f..8a16b6f3b 100644
--- a/mhs/common/mhs_common/messages/ebxml_request_envelope.py
+++ b/mhs/common/mhs_common/messages/ebxml_request_envelope.py
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ def _parse_mime_message(headers: Dict[str, str], message: str) -> email.message.
         """
         content_type_header = f'{HttpHeaders.CONTENT_TYPE}: {headers[HttpHeaders.CONTENT_TYPE]}\r\n\r\n'
 
-        msg = email.message_from_string(content_type_header + message, policy=email.policy.HTTP)
+        msg = email.message_from_bytes(bytes(content_type_header + message, 'utf-8'), policy=email.policy.HTTP)
 
         if msg.defects:
             logger.warning('Found defects in MIME message during parsing. {Defects}',
diff --git a/mhs/common/mhs_common/messages/tests/test_ebxml_request_envelope.py b/mhs/common/mhs_common/messages/tests/test_ebxml_request_envelope.py
index ee5f4447e..afcd87ba6 100644
--- a/mhs/common/mhs_common/messages/tests/test_ebxml_request_envelope.py
+++ b/mhs/common/mhs_common/messages/tests/test_ebxml_request_envelope.py
@@ -331,6 +331,12 @@ def test_from_string_parses_valid_requests(self):
 
             self.assertEqual(expected_values_with_payload, parsed_message.message_dictionary)
 
+        with self.subTest("A valid request containing multibyte UTF8 characters within HL7 XML"):
+            # Regression test for NIAD-2822
+            message, _ = message_utilities.load_test_data(self.message_dir, 'ebxml_request_multibyte_character')
+            parsed_message = ebxml_request_envelope.EbxmlRequestEnvelope.from_string(MULTIPART_MIME_HEADERS, message)
+            self.assertEquals(parsed_message.message_dictionary['hl7_message'], "<xml>¬ ❤️ 🧸</xml>")
+
         with self.subTest("A valid request containing one textual attachment with no description provided"):
             message, ebxml = message_utilities.load_test_data(self.message_dir, 'ebxml_request_one_attachment_application_xml_content_type_no_description')
             attachments = [{
diff --git a/mhs/common/mhs_common/messages/tests/test_messages/ebxml_request_multibyte_character.ebxml b/mhs/common/mhs_common/messages/tests/test_messages/ebxml_request_multibyte_character.ebxml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ed54a42e0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mhs/common/mhs_common/messages/tests/test_messages/ebxml_request_multibyte_character.ebxml
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<soap:Envelope xmlns:eb="http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/ebxml-msg/schema/msg-header-2_0.xsd" xmlns:hl7ebxml="urn:hl7-org:transport/ebxml/DSTUv1.0" xmlns:soap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/"><soap:Header><eb:MessageHeader eb:version="2.0" soap:mustUnderstand="1"><eb:From><eb:PartyId eb:type="urn:nhs:names:partyType:ocs+serviceInstance">5EP-807264</eb:PartyId></eb:From><eb:To><eb:PartyId eb:type="urn:nhs:names:partyType:ocs+serviceInstance">YGMYW-822993</eb:PartyId></eb:To><eb:CPAId>5f0ba4c0967d2a9ca9b3</eb:CPAId><eb:ConversationId>018A2D28-A043-73C9-BAE9-5CB491815950</eb:ConversationId><eb:Service>urn:nhs:names:services:gp2gp</eb:Service><eb:Action>RCMR_IN030000UK06</eb:Action><eb:MessageData><eb:MessageId>483E788A-3464-46E3-ACE3-E15DB68D8D36</eb:MessageId><eb:Timestamp>2023-08-25T14:45:57.571Z</eb:Timestamp><eb:TimeToLive>2023-08-25T21:00:57.571Z</eb:TimeToLive></eb:MessageData><eb:DuplicateElimination /></eb:MessageHeader><eb:AckRequested eb:version="2.0" soap:mustUnderstand="1" soap:actor="urn:oasis:names:tc:ebxml-msg:actor:nextMSH" eb:signed="false" /></soap:Header><soap:Body><eb:Manifest eb:version="2.0" soap:mustUnderstand="1"><eb:Reference xlink:href="cid:Content1@e-mis.com/EMISWeb/GP2GP2.2A" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><eb:Description xml:lang="en">RCMR_IN030000UK06</eb:Description><hl7ebxml:Payload style="HL7" encoding="XML" version="3.0" /></eb:Reference><eb:Reference xlink:href="cid:Attachment1@e-mis.com/EMISWeb/GP2GP2.2A" eb:id="_8231C804-9E4B-451E-8323-5FC86FEE6C2F" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><eb:Description xml:lang="en">8231C804-9E4B-451E-8323-5FC86FEE6C2F_MARBLES.png</eb:Description></eb:Reference></eb:Manifest></soap:Body></soap:Envelope>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/mhs/common/mhs_common/messages/tests/test_messages/ebxml_request_multibyte_character.msg b/mhs/common/mhs_common/messages/tests/test_messages/ebxml_request_multibyte_character.msg
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7fd640a82
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mhs/common/mhs_common/messages/tests/test_messages/ebxml_request_multibyte_character.msg
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+----=_MIME-Boundary
+Content-Id: <ContentRoot>
+Content-Type: text/xml; charset=UTF-8
+
+{{ebxml}}
+----=_MIME-Boundary
+Content-Id: <Content1@e-mis.com/EMISWeb/GP2GP2.2A>
+Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
+Content-Type: application/xml; charset=UTF-8
+
+<xml>¬ ❤️ 🧸</xml>
+----=_MIME-Boundary--