diff --git a/client.go b/client.go
index 3eff5aca..84ad19ac 100644
--- a/client.go
+++ b/client.go
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@ func (c *client) establishSecureConnection(ctx context.Context) error {
 }
 
 func (c *client) handlePacket(p *receivedPacket) {
-	if p.hdr.IsVersionNegotiation() {
+	if wire.IsVersionNegotiationPacket(p.data) {
 		go c.handleVersionNegotiationPacket(p.hdr)
 		return
 	}
diff --git a/client_test.go b/client_test.go
index d0df05fa..b3581753 100644
--- a/client_test.go
+++ b/client_test.go
@@ -60,10 +60,11 @@ var _ = Describe("Client", func() {
 		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 		hdr, _, _, err := wire.ParsePacket(data, 0)
 		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
-		Expect(hdr.IsVersionNegotiation()).To(BeTrue())
+		Expect(wire.IsVersionNegotiationPacket(data)).To(BeTrue())
 		return &receivedPacket{
 			rcvTime: time.Now(),
 			hdr:     hdr,
+			data:    data,
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/internal/wire/header.go b/internal/wire/header.go
index 9461cccb..740d3789 100644
--- a/internal/wire/header.go
+++ b/internal/wire/header.go
@@ -35,6 +35,14 @@ func ParseConnectionID(data []byte, shortHeaderConnIDLen int) (protocol.Connecti
 	return protocol.ConnectionID(data[6 : 6+destConnIDLen]), nil
 }
 
+// IsVersionNegotiationPacket says if this is a version negotiation packet
+func IsVersionNegotiationPacket(b []byte) bool {
+	if len(b) < 5 {
+		return false
+	}
+	return b[0]&0x80 > 0 && b[1] == 0 && b[2] == 0 && b[3] == 0 && b[4] == 0
+}
+
 var errUnsupportedVersion = errors.New("unsupported version")
 
 // The Header is the version independent part of the header
@@ -129,7 +137,7 @@ func (h *Header) parseLongHeader(b *bytes.Reader) error {
 		return err
 	}
 	h.Version = protocol.VersionNumber(v)
-	if !h.IsVersionNegotiation() && h.typeByte&0x40 == 0 {
+	if h.Version != 0 && h.typeByte&0x40 == 0 {
 		return errors.New("not a QUIC packet")
 	}
 	connIDLenByte, err := b.ReadByte()
@@ -214,11 +222,6 @@ func (h *Header) parseVersionNegotiationPacket(b *bytes.Reader) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// IsVersionNegotiation says if this a version negotiation packet
-func (h *Header) IsVersionNegotiation() bool {
-	return h.IsLongHeader && h.Version == 0
-}
-
 // ParsedLen returns the number of bytes that were consumed when parsing the header
 func (h *Header) ParsedLen() protocol.ByteCount {
 	return h.parsedLen
diff --git a/internal/wire/header_test.go b/internal/wire/header_test.go
index b1c8702f..363c5015 100644
--- a/internal/wire/header_test.go
+++ b/internal/wire/header_test.go
@@ -94,6 +94,24 @@ var _ = Describe("Header Parsing", func() {
 		})
 	})
 
+	Context("Identifying Version Negotiation Packets", func() {
+		It("identifies version negotiation packets", func() {
+			Expect(IsVersionNegotiationPacket([]byte{0x80 | 0x56, 0, 0, 0, 0})).To(BeTrue())
+			Expect(IsVersionNegotiationPacket([]byte{0x56, 0, 0, 0, 0})).To(BeFalse())
+			Expect(IsVersionNegotiationPacket([]byte{0x80, 1, 0, 0, 0})).To(BeFalse())
+			Expect(IsVersionNegotiationPacket([]byte{0x80, 0, 1, 0, 0})).To(BeFalse())
+			Expect(IsVersionNegotiationPacket([]byte{0x80, 0, 0, 1, 0})).To(BeFalse())
+			Expect(IsVersionNegotiationPacket([]byte{0x80, 0, 0, 0, 1})).To(BeFalse())
+		})
+
+		It("returns false on EOF", func() {
+			vnp := []byte{0x80, 0, 0, 0, 0}
+			for i := range vnp {
+				Expect(IsVersionNegotiationPacket(vnp[:i])).To(BeFalse())
+			}
+		})
+	})
+
 	Context("Version Negotiation Packets", func() {
 		It("parses", func() {
 			srcConnID := protocol.ConnectionID{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12}
@@ -101,12 +119,12 @@ var _ = Describe("Header Parsing", func() {
 			versions := []protocol.VersionNumber{0x22334455, 0x33445566}
 			vnp, err := ComposeVersionNegotiation(destConnID, srcConnID, versions)
 			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+			Expect(IsVersionNegotiationPacket(vnp)).To(BeTrue())
 			hdr, _, rest, err := ParsePacket(vnp, 0)
 			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(hdr.DestConnectionID).To(Equal(destConnID))
 			Expect(hdr.SrcConnectionID).To(Equal(srcConnID))
 			Expect(hdr.IsLongHeader).To(BeTrue())
-			Expect(hdr.IsVersionNegotiation()).To(BeTrue())
 			Expect(hdr.Version).To(BeZero())
 			for _, v := range versions {
 				Expect(hdr.SupportedVersions).To(ContainElement(v))
@@ -150,12 +168,12 @@ var _ = Describe("Header Parsing", func() {
 			hdrLen := len(data)
 			data = append(data, []byte{0, 0, 0xbe, 0xef}...) // packet number
 			data = append(data, []byte("foobar")...)
+			Expect(IsVersionNegotiationPacket(data)).To(BeFalse())
 
 			hdr, pdata, rest, err := ParsePacket(data, 0)
 			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(pdata).To(Equal(data))
 			Expect(hdr.IsLongHeader).To(BeTrue())
-			Expect(hdr.IsVersionNegotiation()).To(BeFalse())
 			Expect(hdr.DestConnectionID).To(Equal(destConnID))
 			Expect(hdr.SrcConnectionID).To(Equal(srcConnID))
 			Expect(hdr.Type).To(Equal(protocol.PacketTypeInitial))
@@ -399,10 +417,11 @@ var _ = Describe("Header Parsing", func() {
 			connID := protocol.ConnectionID{0xde, 0xad, 0xbe, 0xef, 0xca, 0xfe, 0x13, 0x37}
 			data := append([]byte{0x40}, connID...)
 			data = append(data, 0x42) // packet number
+			Expect(IsVersionNegotiationPacket(data)).To(BeFalse())
+
 			hdr, pdata, rest, err := ParsePacket(data, 8)
 			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(hdr.IsLongHeader).To(BeFalse())
-			Expect(hdr.IsVersionNegotiation()).To(BeFalse())
 			Expect(hdr.DestConnectionID).To(Equal(connID))
 			b := bytes.NewReader(data)
 			extHdr, err := hdr.ParseExtended(b, versionIETFFrames)
diff --git a/server_test.go b/server_test.go
index cfa36cf1..b5525fff 100644
--- a/server_test.go
+++ b/server_test.go
@@ -239,8 +239,8 @@ var _ = Describe("Server", func() {
 			var write mockPacketConnWrite
 			Eventually(conn.dataWritten).Should(Receive(&write))
 			Expect(write.to.String()).To(Equal("127.0.0.1:1337"))
+			Expect(wire.IsVersionNegotiationPacket(write.data)).To(BeTrue())
 			hdr := parseHeader(write.data)
-			Expect(hdr.IsVersionNegotiation()).To(BeTrue())
 			Expect(hdr.DestConnectionID).To(Equal(srcConnID))
 			Expect(hdr.SrcConnectionID).To(Equal(destConnID))
 			Expect(hdr.SupportedVersions).ToNot(ContainElement(protocol.VersionNumber(0x42)))