diff --git a/src/kernel/bitcoinkernel.cpp b/src/kernel/bitcoinkernel.cpp
index ba3a57d4422..6d333239be9 100644
--- a/src/kernel/bitcoinkernel.cpp
+++ b/src/kernel/bitcoinkernel.cpp
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 #include <util/result.h>
 #include <util/signalinterrupt.h>
 #include <util/task_runner.h>
+#include <util/time.h>
 #include <util/translation.h>
 #include <validation.h>
 #include <validationinterface.h>
@@ -43,6 +44,7 @@
 #include <cstring>
 #include <exception>
 #include <functional>
+#include <limits>
 #include <list>
 #include <memory>
 #include <span>
@@ -1488,3 +1490,13 @@ int btck_transaction_check(const btck_Transaction* tx, btck_TxValidationState* v
     const bool ok = CheckTransaction(*btck_Transaction::get(tx), state);
     return ok ? 1 : 0;
 }
+
+int btck_set_mock_time(int64_t timestamp)
+{
+    constexpr int64_t max_time{std::numeric_limits<uint32_t>::max()};
+    if (timestamp < 0 || timestamp > max_time) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+    SetMockTime(std::chrono::seconds{timestamp});
+    return 0;
+}
diff --git a/src/kernel/bitcoinkernel.h b/src/kernel/bitcoinkernel.h
index fc0eb9e82d3..f6a6355648b 100644
--- a/src/kernel/bitcoinkernel.h
+++ b/src/kernel/bitcoinkernel.h
@@ -1960,6 +1960,28 @@ BITCOINKERNEL_API void btck_block_header_destroy(btck_BlockHeader* header);
 
 ///@}
 
+/** @name Testing
+ * Functions intended for testing purposes only.
+ */
+///@{
+
+/**
+ * @brief Override the current time with a fixed timestamp for testing.
+ *
+ * Affects all kernel time reads globally. The caller is responsible
+ * for gating usage (e.g. restricting to regtest) if desired.
+ *
+ * The upper bound (4294967295) matches the maximum value of a block header
+ * timestamp.
+ *
+ * @param[in] timestamp Unix epoch seconds, or 0 to restore the system clock.
+ * @return              0 on success, non-zero if timestamp is outside the
+ *                      valid [0, 4294967295] range.
+ */
+BITCOINKERNEL_API int BITCOINKERNEL_WARN_UNUSED_RESULT btck_set_mock_time(int64_t timestamp);
+
+///@}
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 } // extern "C"
 #endif // __cplusplus
diff --git a/src/kernel/bitcoinkernel_wrapper.h b/src/kernel/bitcoinkernel_wrapper.h
index ff7899d1d69..aa309c6e024 100644
--- a/src/kernel/bitcoinkernel_wrapper.h
+++ b/src/kernel/bitcoinkernel_wrapper.h
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 #include <kernel/bitcoinkernel.h>
 
 #include <array>
+#include <chrono>
 #include <exception>
 #include <functional>
 #include <memory>
@@ -1355,6 +1356,13 @@ public:
     }
 };
 
+inline void set_mock_time(std::chrono::seconds timestamp)
+{
+    if (btck_set_mock_time(timestamp.count()) != 0) {
+        throw std::runtime_error("timestamp out of range");
+    }
+}
+
 } // namespace btck
 
 #endif // BITCOIN_KERNEL_BITCOINKERNEL_WRAPPER_H
diff --git a/src/test/kernel/test_kernel.cpp b/src/test/kernel/test_kernel.cpp
index 9050719c372..c69a6826842 100644
--- a/src/test/kernel/test_kernel.cpp
+++ b/src/test/kernel/test_kernel.cpp
@@ -1386,3 +1386,51 @@ BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE(btck_transaction_check_tests)
         "ffffffff00ffffffff000100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000"
         "00000000000000ffffffff010000000000000000015100000000");
 }
+
+class KernelMockTime
+{
+public:
+    explicit KernelMockTime(std::chrono::seconds timestamp) { set(timestamp); }
+    ~KernelMockTime()
+    {
+        set_mock_time(std::chrono::seconds{0});
+    }
+
+    KernelMockTime(const KernelMockTime&) = delete;
+    KernelMockTime& operator=(const KernelMockTime&) = delete;
+
+    void set(std::chrono::seconds timestamp) { set_mock_time(timestamp); }
+};
+
+BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE(btck_set_mock_time_tests)
+{
+    // Out-of-range timestamps throw
+    BOOST_CHECK_EXCEPTION(set_mock_time(std::chrono::seconds{-1}), std::runtime_error, HasReason("timestamp out of range"));
+    constexpr std::chrono::seconds max_time{std::numeric_limits<uint32_t>::max()};
+    BOOST_CHECK_EXCEPTION(set_mock_time(max_time + std::chrono::seconds{1}), std::runtime_error, HasReason("timestamp out of range"));
+
+    // Confirm the mock time actually takes effect by exercising the header future-time check
+    auto test_directory{TestDirectory{"set_mock_time_test_bitcoin_kernel"}};
+    auto notifications{std::make_shared<TestKernelNotifications>()};
+    auto context{create_context(notifications, ChainType::REGTEST)};
+    auto chainman{create_chainman(
+        test_directory, /*reindex=*/false, /*wipe_chainstate=*/false,
+        /*block_tree_db_in_memory=*/true, /*chainstate_db_in_memory=*/true, context)};
+
+    Block block{hex_string_to_byte_vec(REGTEST_BLOCK_DATA[0])};
+    BlockHeader header{block.GetHeader()};
+    const std::chrono::seconds block_time{header.Timestamp()};
+
+    // With the time set 3h before the header, the kernel must see the header as >2h in the future and reject it
+    KernelMockTime mock_time{block_time - std::chrono::hours{3}};
+    BlockValidationState future_state{chainman->ProcessBlockHeader(header)};
+    BOOST_CHECK(future_state.GetValidationMode() == ValidationMode::INVALID);
+    BOOST_CHECK(future_state.GetBlockValidationResult() == BlockValidationResult::TIME_FUTURE);
+
+    // At the upper bound the header is far in the past and must be accepted; this also
+    // confirms the future-time check's "now + 2h" computation doesn't overflow when now is at its max.
+    mock_time.set(max_time);
+    BlockValidationState ok_state{chainman->ProcessBlockHeader(header)};
+    BOOST_CHECK(ok_state.GetValidationMode() == ValidationMode::VALID);
+    BOOST_CHECK(ok_state.GetBlockValidationResult() == BlockValidationResult::UNSET);
+}