diff --git a/internal/dump/tar_test.go b/internal/dump/tar_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3c5ae7b43
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/dump/tar_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,179 @@
+package dump
+
+import (
+	"archive/tar"
+	"bytes"
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"io/ioutil"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/restic/restic/internal/archiver"
+	"github.com/restic/restic/internal/fs"
+	"github.com/restic/restic/internal/repository"
+	"github.com/restic/restic/internal/restic"
+	rtest "github.com/restic/restic/internal/test"
+)
+
+func prepareTempdirRepoSrc(t testing.TB, src archiver.TestDir) (tempdir string, repo restic.Repository, cleanup func()) {
+	tempdir, removeTempdir := rtest.TempDir(t)
+	repo, removeRepository := repository.TestRepository(t)
+
+	archiver.TestCreateFiles(t, tempdir, src)
+
+	cleanup = func() {
+		removeRepository()
+		removeTempdir()
+	}
+
+	return tempdir, repo, cleanup
+}
+
+func TestWriteTar(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name   string
+		args   archiver.TestDir
+		target string
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "single file in root",
+			args: archiver.TestDir{
+				"file": archiver.TestFile{Content: "string"},
+			},
+			target: "/",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "multiple files in root",
+			args: archiver.TestDir{
+				"file1": archiver.TestFile{Content: "string"},
+				"file2": archiver.TestFile{Content: "string"},
+			},
+			target: "/",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "multiple files and folders in root",
+			args: archiver.TestDir{
+				"file1": archiver.TestFile{Content: "string"},
+				"file2": archiver.TestFile{Content: "string"},
+				"firstDir": archiver.TestDir{
+					"another": archiver.TestFile{Content: "string"},
+				},
+				"secondDir": archiver.TestDir{
+					"another2": archiver.TestFile{Content: "string"},
+				},
+			},
+			target: "/",
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+			defer cancel()
+
+			tmpdir, repo, cleanup := prepareTempdirRepoSrc(t, tt.args)
+			defer cleanup()
+
+			arch := archiver.New(repo, fs.Track{FS: fs.Local{}}, archiver.Options{})
+
+			back := fs.TestChdir(t, tmpdir)
+			defer back()
+
+			sn, _, err := arch.Snapshot(ctx, []string{"."}, archiver.SnapshotOptions{})
+			rtest.OK(t, err)
+
+			tree, err := repo.LoadTree(ctx, *sn.Tree)
+			rtest.OK(t, err)
+
+			dst := &bytes.Buffer{}
+			if err := WriteTar(ctx, repo, tree, tt.target, dst); err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("WriteTar() error = %v", err)
+			}
+			if err := checkTar(t, tmpdir, dst); err != nil {
+				t.Errorf("WriteTar() = tar does not match: %v", err)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func checkTar(t *testing.T, testDir string, srcTar *bytes.Buffer) error {
+	tr := tar.NewReader(srcTar)
+
+	fileNumber := 0
+	tarFiles := 0
+
+	err := filepath.Walk(testDir, func(path string, info os.FileInfo, err error) error {
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if info.Name() != filepath.Base(testDir) {
+			fileNumber++
+		}
+		return nil
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	for {
+		hdr, err := tr.Next()
+		if err == io.EOF {
+			break
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		matchPath := filepath.Join(testDir, hdr.Name)
+		match, err := os.Stat(matchPath)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		// check metadata, tar header contains time rounded to seconds
+		fileTime := match.ModTime().Round(time.Second)
+		tarTime := hdr.ModTime
+		if !fileTime.Equal(tarTime) {
+			return fmt.Errorf("modTime does not match, got: %s, want: %s", fileTime, tarTime)
+		}
+
+		if hdr.Typeflag == tar.TypeDir {
+			// this is a folder
+			if hdr.Name == "." {
+				// we don't need to check the root folder
+				continue
+			}
+
+			if filepath.Base(hdr.Name) != match.Name() {
+				return fmt.Errorf("foldernames don't match got %v want %v", filepath.Base(hdr.Name), match.Name())
+			}
+
+		} else {
+			if match.Size() != hdr.Size {
+				return fmt.Errorf("size does not match got %v want %v", hdr.Size, match.Size())
+			}
+			contentsFile, err := ioutil.ReadFile(matchPath)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			contentsTar := &bytes.Buffer{}
+			_, err = io.Copy(contentsTar, tr)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			if contentsTar.String() != string(contentsFile) {
+				return fmt.Errorf("contents does not match, got %s want %s", contentsTar, contentsFile)
+			}
+		}
+		tarFiles++
+	}
+
+	if tarFiles != fileNumber {
+		return fmt.Errorf("not the same amount of files got %v want %v", tarFiles, fileNumber)
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}