diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 2e5d6d8..4e18c43 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -48,6 +48,19 @@ protocol://[username:password@]host:port
 
 The `username` and `password` components are optional, with these you can set the authentication credentials to the message queue server.
 
+> Note: if you would like to use special characters in username or password, then you have to `encodeURIComponent()` these values, because
+> the library will decode the values right before connection creation. If you don't encode these values, then you will get a URL parse 
+> error.
+> 
+> If you use environment variables to connection username or password, then use the env values with `encodeURIComponent()` as well.
+>
+> Example: 
+> ```
+> const username = encodeURIComponent('Jörg');
+> const password = encodeURIComponent('Gt|N#R=6$5(TE@rH"Pvc$7a');
+> const connectionUri = `amqps://${username}:${password}@localhost:5672`;
+> ```
+
 You can set custom protocol what will set the connection transport automatically, so you don't have to add the `transport` to the connection
 options object. The protocol can be:
 * **amqp**: in this case the `transport` will be `tcp`
diff --git a/src/service/amqp/amqp.service.spec.ts b/src/service/amqp/amqp.service.spec.ts
index f535526..726cb2a 100644
--- a/src/service/amqp/amqp.service.spec.ts
+++ b/src/service/amqp/amqp.service.spec.ts
@@ -96,6 +96,16 @@ describe('AMQPService', () => {
     expect((connection as any).open).toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  it('should create connection with special chars in username and password', async () => {
+    const username = 'Jörg';
+    const password = 'Gt|N#R=6$5(TE@rH"Pvc$7a';
+    const connectionUri = `amqps://${encodeURIComponent(username)}:${encodeURIComponent(password)}@localhost:5672`;
+
+    await AMQPService.createConnection({ connectionUri });
+
+    expect(getLastMockCall(Connection as any)[0]).toEqual(expect.objectContaining({ username, password }));
+  });
+
   it('should create throw error if connection options is not a valid object', async () => {
     await expect(AMQPService.createConnection(null)).rejects.toThrow(/connection options must an object/);
   });
diff --git a/src/service/amqp/amqp.service.ts b/src/service/amqp/amqp.service.ts
index 6f4c8f9..58e216b 100644
--- a/src/service/amqp/amqp.service.ts
+++ b/src/service/amqp/amqp.service.ts
@@ -54,7 +54,10 @@ export class AMQPService {
     logger.log('creating AMQP client');
 
     const { throwExceptionOnConnectionError, connectionUri, ...rheaConnectionOptions } = options;
-    const { protocol, username, password, hostname, port } = new URL(connectionUri);
+    const parsedConnectionUri = new URL(connectionUri);
+    const { protocol, hostname, port } = parsedConnectionUri;
+    const username = decodeURIComponent(parsedConnectionUri.username);
+    const password = decodeURIComponent(parsedConnectionUri.password);
 
     logger.log(
       `initializing client connection to ${JSON.stringify({