diff --git a/modules/field/field.api.php b/modules/field/field.api.php
index e37254a1631..bc4e266905c 100644
--- a/modules/field/field.api.php
+++ b/modules/field/field.api.php
@@ -149,6 +149,10 @@ function hook_field_extra_fields_alter(&$info) {
  *     instance definition. This formatter must be available whenever the field
  *     type is available (i.e. provided by the field type module, or by a module
  *     the field type module depends on).
+ *   - no_ui: (optional) A boolean specifying that users should not be allowed
+ *     to create fields and instances of this field type through the UI. Such
+ *     fields can only be created programmatically with field_create_field()
+ *     and field_create_instance(). Defaults to FALSE.
  *
  * @see hook_field_info_alter()
  */
diff --git a/modules/field/tests/field_test.field.inc b/modules/field/tests/field_test.field.inc
index faf1b146973..116e94a6aba 100644
--- a/modules/field/tests/field_test.field.inc
+++ b/modules/field/tests/field_test.field.inc
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 function field_test_field_info() {
   return array(
     'test_field' => array(
-      'label' => t('Test Field'),
+      'label' => t('Test field'),
       'description' => t('Dummy field type used for tests.'),
       'settings' => array(
         'test_field_setting' => 'dummy test string',
@@ -26,6 +26,15 @@ function field_test_field_info() {
       'default_widget' => 'test_field_widget',
       'default_formatter' => 'field_test_default',
     ),
+    'hidden_test_field' => array(
+      'no_ui' => TRUE,
+      'label' => t('Hidden from UI test field'),
+      'description' => t('Dummy hidden field type used for tests.'),
+      'settings' => array(),
+      'instance_settings' => array(),
+      'default_widget' => 'test_field_widget',
+      'default_formatter' => 'field_test_default',
+    ),
   );
 }
 
@@ -139,7 +148,7 @@ function field_test_field_widget_info() {
   return array(
     'test_field_widget' => array(
       'label' => t('Test field'),
-      'field types' => array('test_field'),
+      'field types' => array('test_field', 'hidden_test_field'),
       'settings' => array('test_widget_setting' => 'dummy test string'),
     ),
     'test_field_widget_multiple' => array(
diff --git a/modules/field_ui/field_ui.admin.inc b/modules/field_ui/field_ui.admin.inc
index 5c8b45e3217..6be92ee591d 100644
--- a/modules/field_ui/field_ui.admin.inc
+++ b/modules/field_ui/field_ui.admin.inc
@@ -703,8 +703,9 @@ function field_ui_field_type_options() {
     $field_types = field_info_field_types();
     $field_type_options = array();
     foreach ($field_types as $name => $field_type) {
-      // Skip field types which have no widget types.
-      if (field_ui_widget_type_options($name)) {
+      // Skip field types which have no widget types, or should not be add via
+      // uesr interface.
+      if (field_ui_widget_type_options($name) && empty($field_type['no_ui'])) {
         $options[$name] = $field_type['label'];
       }
     }
@@ -793,10 +794,13 @@ function field_ui_existing_field_options($entity_type, $bundle) {
           // Don't show
           // - locked fields,
           // - fields already in the current bundle,
-          // - field that cannot be added to the entity type.
+          // - fields that cannot be added to the entity type,
+          // - fields that that shoud not be added via user interface.
+
           if (empty($field['locked'])
             && !field_info_instance($entity_type, $field['field_name'], $bundle)
-            && (empty($field['entity_types']) || in_array($entity_type, $field['entity_types']))) {
+            && (empty($field['entity_types']) || in_array($entity_type, $field['entity_types']))
+            && empty($field_types[$field['type']]['no_ui'])) {
             $text = t('@type: @field (@label)', array(
               '@type' => $field_types[$field['type']]['label'],
               '@label' => t($instance['label']), '@field' => $instance['field_name'],
diff --git a/modules/field_ui/field_ui.test b/modules/field_ui/field_ui.test
index 171d4c4bc32..a45e0bcca49 100644
--- a/modules/field_ui/field_ui.test
+++ b/modules/field_ui/field_ui.test
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ class FieldUITestCase extends DrupalWebTestCase {
    */
   function addExistingField() {
     // Check "Add existing field" appears.
-    $this->drupalGet(('admin/structure/types/manage/page/fields'));
+    $this->drupalGet('admin/structure/types/manage/page/fields');
     $this->assertRaw(t('Add existing field'), t('"Add existing field" was found.'));
 
     // Check that the list of options respects entity type restrictions on
@@ -263,6 +263,41 @@ class FieldUITestCase extends DrupalWebTestCase {
     $this->assertNull(field_info_field($this->field_name), t('Field was deleted.'));
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Test that Field UI respects the 'no_ui' option in hook_field_info().
+   */
+  function testHiddenFields() {
+    $bundle_path = 'admin/structure/types/manage/' . $this->hyphen_type . '/fields/';
+
+    // Check that the field type is not available in the 'add new field' row.
+    $this->drupalGet($bundle_path);
+    $this->assertFalse($this->xpath('//select[@id="edit--add-new-field-type"]//option[@value="hidden_test_field"]'), t("The 'add new field' select respects field types 'no_ui' property."));
+
+    // Create a field and an instance programmatically.
+    $field_name = 'hidden_test_field';
+    field_create_field(array('field_name' => $field_name, 'type' => $field_name));
+    $instance = array(
+      'field_name' => $field_name,
+      'bundle' => $this->type,
+      'entity_type' => 'node',
+      'label' => t('Hidden field'),
+      'widget_type' => 'test_field_widget',
+    );
+    field_create_instance($instance);
+    $this->assertTrue(field_read_instance('node', $field_name, $this->type), t('An instance of the field %field was created programmatically.', array('%field' => $field_name)));
+
+    // Check that the newly added instance appears on the 'Manage Fields'
+    // screen.
+    $this->drupalGet($bundle_path);
+    $this->assertFieldByXPath('//table[@id="field-overview"]//span[@class="label-field"]', $instance['label'], t('Field was created and appears in the overview page.'));
+
+    // Check that the instance does not appear in the 'add existing field' row
+    // on other bundles.
+    $bundle_path = 'admin/structure/types/manage/article/fields/';
+    $this->drupalGet($bundle_path);
+    $this->assertFalse($this->xpath('//select[@id="edit--add-existing-field-field-name"]//option[@value=:field_name]', array(':field_name' => $field_name)), t("The 'add existing field' select respects field types 'no_ui' property."));
+  }
+
   /**
    * Create a new field through the Field UI.
    *