diff --git a/package/php/Config.ext b/package/php/Config.ext
index 43cc4b3289..bb6ada6a91 100644
--- a/package/php/Config.ext
+++ b/package/php/Config.ext
@@ -180,17 +180,22 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_PHP_EXT_ICONV
 
 config BR2_PACKAGE_PHP_EXT_INTL
 	bool "intl"
+	depends on BR2_HOST_GCC_AT_LEAST_4_8 # icu
 	depends on BR2_INSTALL_LIBSTDCPP
 	depends on BR2_USE_WCHAR
+	depends on BR2_TOOLCHAIN_GCC_AT_LEAST_4_8 # icu
 	depends on !BR2_BINFMT_FLAT # icu
 	depends on BR2_TOOLCHAIN_HAS_THREADS # icu
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_ICU
 	help
 	  Internationalization support
 
-comment "intl support needs a toolchain w/ C++, wchar, threads"
+comment "intl support needs a toolchain w/ C++, wchar, threads, gcc >= 4.8, host gcc >= 4.8"
 	depends on !BR2_BINFMT_FLAT
-	depends on !BR2_INSTALL_LIBSTDCPP || !BR2_USE_WCHAR || !BR2_TOOLCHAIN_HAS_THREADS
+	depends on !BR2_INSTALL_LIBSTDCPP || !BR2_USE_WCHAR || \
+		!BR2_TOOLCHAIN_HAS_THREADS || \
+		!BR2_TOOLCHAIN_GCC_AT_LEAST_4_8 || \
+		!BR2_HOST_GCC_AT_LEAST_4_8
 
 config BR2_PACKAGE_PHP_EXT_MBSTRING
 	bool "mbstring"
diff --git a/package/php/php.mk b/package/php/php.mk
index ed12dd354a..fe531a4ae9 100644
--- a/package/php/php.mk
+++ b/package/php/php.mk
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ endif
 PHP_CONFIG_SCRIPTS = php-config
 
 PHP_CFLAGS = $(TARGET_CFLAGS)
+PHP_CXXFLAGS = $(TARGET_CXXFLAGS)
 
 # The OPcache extension isn't cross-compile friendly
 # Throw some defines here to avoid patching heavily
@@ -173,6 +174,7 @@ endif
 
 ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_PHP_EXT_INTL),y)
 PHP_CONF_OPTS += --enable-intl --with-icu-dir=$(STAGING_DIR)/usr
+PHP_CXXFLAGS += "`$(STAGING_DIR)/usr/bin/icu-config --cxxflags`"
 PHP_DEPENDENCIES += icu
 # The intl module is implemented in C++, but PHP fails to use
 # g++ as the compiler for the final link. As a workaround,
@@ -343,6 +345,6 @@ endef
 
 PHP_POST_INSTALL_TARGET_HOOKS += PHP_INSTALL_FIXUP
 
-PHP_CONF_ENV += CFLAGS="$(PHP_CFLAGS)"
+PHP_CONF_ENV += CFLAGS="$(PHP_CFLAGS)" CXXFLAGS="$(PHP_CXXFLAGS)"
 
 $(eval $(autotools-package))