diff --git a/docs/api/saved-objects/import.asciidoc b/docs/api/saved-objects/import.asciidoc
index 4df2f07bfcf41..3198c72325ff3 100644
--- a/docs/api/saved-objects/import.asciidoc
+++ b/docs/api/saved-objects/import.asciidoc
@@ -6,6 +6,18 @@
 
 experimental[] Create sets of {kib} saved objects from a file created by the export API.
 
+==== Compatibility across versions
+Saved objects can only be imported into the same version, a newer minor on the same major, or the next major. Exported saved objects are not backwards compatible and cannot be imported into an older version of {kib}. See the table below for compatibility examples:
+
+|=======
+| Exporting version | Importing version | Compatible?
+| 6.7.0 | 6.8.1 | Yes
+| 6.8.1 | 7.3.0 | Yes
+| 7.3.0 | 7.11.1 | Yes
+| 7.11.1 | 7.6.0 | No
+| 6.8.1 | 8.0.0 | No
+|=======
+
 [[saved-objects-api-import-request]]
 ==== Request
 
diff --git a/docs/management/managing-saved-objects.asciidoc b/docs/management/managing-saved-objects.asciidoc
index 9e26abca115fc..ca41fd3841192 100644
--- a/docs/management/managing-saved-objects.asciidoc
+++ b/docs/management/managing-saved-objects.asciidoc
@@ -43,6 +43,21 @@ have multiple environments for development and production.
 Import and export also work well when you have a large number
 of objects to update and want to batch the process.
 
+[float]
+==== Compatibility across versions
+
+With each release, {kib} introduces changes to the way saved objects are stored. When importing a saved object, {kib} will run the necessary migrations to ensure that the imported saved objects are compatible with the current version.
+
+However, saved objects can only be imported into the same version, a newer minor on the same major, or the next major. Exported saved objects are not backwards compatible and cannot be imported into an older version of {kib}. See the table below for compatibility examples:
+
+|=======
+| Exporting version | Importing version | Compatible?
+| 6.7.0 | 6.8.1 | Yes
+| 6.8.1 | 7.3.0 | Yes
+| 7.3.0 | 7.11.1 | Yes
+| 7.11.1 | 7.6.0 | No
+| 6.8.1 | 8.0.0 | No
+|=======
 
 [float]
 ==== Import