diff --git a/.github/workflows/unittests.yml b/.github/workflows/unittests.yml
index 0aa340e..040bd1c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/unittests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/unittests.yml
@@ -58,6 +58,8 @@ jobs:
             tabix gff_file.gff.gz
             bgzip -c bed_file.bed > bed_file.bed.gz
             tabix bed_file.bed.gz
+            bgzip -c vcf_file.vcf > vcf_file.vcf.gz
+            tabix vcf_file.vcf.gz
 
       - name: Run tests
         run: dub -q test -b=unittest-cov
diff --git a/source/dhtslib/vcf/reader.d b/source/dhtslib/vcf/reader.d
index 3ce9ac1..a4570fc 100644
--- a/source/dhtslib/vcf/reader.d
+++ b/source/dhtslib/vcf/reader.d
@@ -1,23 +1,37 @@
 module dhtslib.vcf.reader;
 
 import std.string: fromStringz, toStringz;
+import std.utf: toUTFz;
+import std.traits : ReturnType;
 
 import dhtslib.vcf.header;
 import dhtslib.vcf.record;
+import dhtslib.tabix;
+import dhtslib.coordinates;
 import htslib.vcf;
 import htslib.hts_log;
+import htslib.kstring;
 
 alias BCFReader = VCFReader;
 
+auto VCFReader(string fn, int MAX_UNPACK = BCF_UN_ALL)
+{
+    return VCFReaderImpl!(CoordSystem.zbc, false)(fn, MAX_UNPACK);
+}
+
+auto VCFReader(CoordSystem cs)(TabixIndexedFile tbxFile, ChromCoordinates!cs region, int MAX_UNPACK = BCF_UN_ALL)
+{
+    return VCFReaderImpl!(cs,true)(tbxFile, region, MAX_UNPACK);
+}
+
 /** Basic support for reading VCF, BCF files */
-struct VCFReader
+struct VCFReaderImpl(CoordSystem cs, bool isTabixFile)
 {
     // htslib data structures
     vcfFile     *fp;    /// htsFile
     //bcf_hdr_t   *hdr;   /// header
     VCFHeader   *vcfhdr;    /// header wrapper -- no copies
     bcf1_t* b;          /// record for use in iterator, will be recycled
-
     int MAX_UNPACK;     /// see htslib.vcf
 
     private static int refct;
@@ -27,24 +41,54 @@ struct VCFReader
         this.refct++;
     }
     @disable this();
-    /// read existing VCF file
-    /// MAX_UNPACK: setting alternate value could speed reading
-    this(string fn, int MAX_UNPACK = BCF_UN_ALL)
-    {
-        import htslib.hts : hts_set_threads;
+    static if(isTabixFile){
+
+        TabixIndexedFile tbx; /// For tabix use
+        ReturnType!(this.initializeTabixRange) tbxRange; /// For tabix use
 
-        if (fn == "") throw new Exception("Empty filename passed to VCFReader constructor");
-        this.fp = vcf_open(toStringz(fn), "r"c.ptr);
-        if (!this.fp) throw new Exception("Could not hts_open file");
-        
-        hts_set_threads(this.fp, 1);    // extra decoding thread
+        /// TabixIndexedFile and coordinates ctor
+        this(TabixIndexedFile tbxFile, ChromCoordinates!cs region, int MAX_UNPACK = BCF_UN_ALL)
+        {
+            this.tbx = tbxFile;
+            this.tbxRange = initializeTabixRange(region);
+            this.tbxRange.empty;
+            /// read the header from TabixIndexedFile
+            bcf_hdr_t * hdrPtr = bcf_hdr_init(toUTFz!(char *)("r"));
+            auto err = bcf_hdr_parse(hdrPtr, toUTFz!(char *)(this.tbx.header));
+            this.vcfhdr = new VCFHeader(hdrPtr);
+            
+            this.b = bcf_init1();
+            this.b.max_unpack = MAX_UNPACK;
+            this.MAX_UNPACK = MAX_UNPACK;
+        }
+
+        /// copy the TabixIndexedFile.region range
+        auto initializeTabixRange(ChromCoordinates!cs region)
+        {
+            return this.tbx.region(region);
+        }
+    }else{
+        /// read existing VCF file
+        /// MAX_UNPACK: setting alternate value could speed reading
+        this(string fn, int MAX_UNPACK = BCF_UN_ALL)
+        {
+            import htslib.hts : hts_set_threads;
 
-        this.vcfhdr = new VCFHeader( bcf_hdr_read(this.fp));
+            assert(!isTabixFile);
+            if (fn == "") throw new Exception("Empty filename passed to VCFReader constructor");
+            this.fp = vcf_open(toStringz(fn), "r"c.ptr);
+            if (!this.fp) throw new Exception("Could not hts_open file");
+            
+            hts_set_threads(this.fp, 1);    // extra decoding thread
 
-        this.b = bcf_init1();
-        this.b.max_unpack = MAX_UNPACK;
-        this.MAX_UNPACK = MAX_UNPACK;
+            this.vcfhdr = new VCFHeader( bcf_hdr_read(this.fp));
+
+            this.b = bcf_init1();
+            this.b.max_unpack = MAX_UNPACK;
+            this.MAX_UNPACK = MAX_UNPACK;
+        }
     }
+
     /// dtor
     ~this()
     {
@@ -53,8 +97,10 @@ struct VCFReader
         // block file close and bcf1_t free() with reference counting
         // to allow VCFReader to implement Range interface
         if(!this.refct) {
-            const ret = vcf_close(this.fp);
-            if (ret != 0) hts_log_error(__FUNCTION__, "couldn't close VCF after reading");
+            static if(!isTabixFile){
+                const ret = vcf_close(this.fp);
+                if (ret != 0) hts_log_error(__FUNCTION__, "couldn't close VCF after reading");
+            }
 
             // Deallocate header
             //bcf_hdr_destroy(this.hdr);
@@ -72,7 +118,7 @@ struct VCFReader
     {
         return this.vcfhdr;
     }
-    
+
     /** VCF version, e.g. VCFv4.2 */
     @property string vcfVersion() { return cast(string) fromStringz( bcf_hdr_get_version(this.vcfhdr.hdr) ).idup; }
 
@@ -117,7 +163,15 @@ struct VCFReader
         //     int bcf_read(htsFile *fp, const(bcf_hdr_t) *h, bcf1_t *v);
         // documentation claims returns -1 on critical errors, 0 otherwise
         // however it looks like -1 is EOF and -2 is critical errors?
-        immutable success = bcf_read(this.fp, this.vcfhdr.hdr, this.b);
+        static if(isTabixFile){
+            if(this.tbxRange.empty) return true;
+            auto str = this.tbxRange.front;
+            kstring_t kstr;
+            kputs(toUTFz!(char *)(str), &kstr);
+            immutable success = vcf_parse(&kstr, this.vcfhdr.hdr, this.b);
+            this.tbxRange.popFront;
+        }else
+            immutable success = bcf_read(this.fp, this.vcfhdr.hdr, this.b);
         if (success >= 0) return false;
         else if (success == -1) {
             // EOF
@@ -149,4 +203,59 @@ struct VCFReader
         // its copy
         return VCFRecord(this.vcfhdr, bcf_dup(this.b), this.MAX_UNPACK);
     }
+}
+
+debug(dhtslib_unittest) unittest
+{
+    import std.stdio;
+    import htslib.hts_log;
+    import std.algorithm : map, count;
+    import std.array : array;
+    import std.path : buildPath, dirName;
+    import std.math : approxEqual;
+    hts_set_log_level(htsLogLevel.HTS_LOG_INFO);
+    hts_log_info(__FUNCTION__, "Testing VCFReader (Tabix)");
+    hts_log_info(__FUNCTION__, "Loading test file");
+
+    auto vcf = VCFReader(buildPath(dirName(dirName(dirName(dirName(__FILE__)))),"htslib","test","tabix","vcf_file.vcf"));
+    assert(vcf.count == 14);
+    vcf = VCFReader(buildPath(dirName(dirName(dirName(dirName(__FILE__)))),"htslib","test","tabix","vcf_file.vcf"));
+    vcf.empty;
+    VCFRecord rec = vcf.front;
+    assert(rec.chrom == "1");
+    assert(rec.pos == 3000149);
+    assert(rec.refAllele == "C");
+    assert(rec.altAllelesAsArray == ["T"]);
+    assert(rec.allelesAsArray == ["C","T"]);
+    assert(approxEqual(rec.qual,59.2));
+    assert(rec.filter == "PASS");
+    // assert(rec. == ["C","T"]);
+}
+
+debug(dhtslib_unittest) unittest
+{
+    import std.stdio;
+    import htslib.hts_log;
+    import std.algorithm : map, count;
+    import std.array : array;
+    import std.path : buildPath, dirName;
+    import std.math : approxEqual;
+    hts_set_log_level(htsLogLevel.HTS_LOG_INFO);
+    hts_log_info(__FUNCTION__, "Testing VCFReader");
+    hts_log_info(__FUNCTION__, "Loading test file");
+    auto fn = buildPath(dirName(dirName(dirName(dirName(__FILE__)))),"htslib","test","tabix","vcf_file.vcf.gz");
+    auto tbx = TabixIndexedFile(fn);
+    auto vcf = VCFReader(tbx, OBHO("1:3000151-3062916"));
+    assert(vcf.count == 3);
+    vcf = VCFReader(tbx, OBHO("1:3000151-3062916"));
+    vcf.empty;
+    VCFRecord rec = vcf.front;
+    assert(rec.chrom == "1");
+    assert(rec.pos == 3000150);
+    assert(rec.refAllele == "C");
+    assert(rec.altAllelesAsArray == ["T"]);
+    assert(rec.allelesAsArray == ["C","T"]);
+    assert(approxEqual(rec.qual, 59.2));
+    assert(rec.filter == "PASS");
+    // assert(rec. == ["C","T"]);
 }
\ No newline at end of file