diff --git a/src/fmu/ensemble/ensemble.py b/src/fmu/ensemble/ensemble.py
index 9fcd4b8e..1f9d9b92 100644
--- a/src/fmu/ensemble/ensemble.py
+++ b/src/fmu/ensemble/ensemble.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 import os
 import glob
 from datetime import datetime
+import dateutil
 
 import six
 import pandas as pd
@@ -951,7 +952,6 @@ def _get_smry_dates(eclsumsdates, freq, normalize, start_date, end_date):
         in will have length 1, if not, it can be larger.
 
         """
-        import dateutil.parser
         from .realization import normalize_dates
 
         if not eclsumsdates:
@@ -959,7 +959,7 @@ def _get_smry_dates(eclsumsdates, freq, normalize, start_date, end_date):
 
         if start_date:
             if isinstance(start_date, str):
-                start_date = dateutil.parser.parse(start_date).date()
+                start_date = dateutil.parser.isoparse(start_date).date()
             elif isinstance(start_date, datetime.date):
                 pass
             else:
@@ -967,7 +967,7 @@ def _get_smry_dates(eclsumsdates, freq, normalize, start_date, end_date):
 
         if end_date:
             if isinstance(end_date, str):
-                end_date = dateutil.parser.parse(end_date).date()
+                end_date = dateutil.parser.isoparse(end_date).date()
             elif isinstance(end_date, datetime.date):
                 pass
             else:
@@ -1346,8 +1346,10 @@ def get_smry(
         Args:
             time_index: list of DateTime if interpolation is wanted
                default is None, which returns the raw Eclipse report times
-               If a string is supplied, that string is attempted used
-               via get_smry_dates() in order to obtain a time index.
+               If a string with an ISO-8601 date is supplied, that date
+               is used directly, otherwise the string is assumed to indicate
+               a wanted frequencey for dates, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly,
+               that will be send to get_smry_dates()
             column_keys: list of column key wildcards
             cache_eclsum: boolean for whether to cache the EclSum
                 objects. Defaults to True. Set to False if
@@ -1368,12 +1370,18 @@ def get_smry(
             no realizations, empty DataFrame is returned.
         """
         if isinstance(time_index, str):
-            time_index = self.get_smry_dates(
-                time_index,
-                start_date=start_date,
-                end_date=end_date,
-                include_restart=include_restart,
-            )
+            # Try interpreting as ISO-date:
+            try:
+                parseddate = dateutil.parser.isoparse(time_index)
+                time_index = [parseddate]
+            # But this should fail when a frequency string is supplied:
+            except ValueError:
+                time_index = self.get_smry_dates(
+                    time_index,
+                    start_date=start_date,
+                    end_date=end_date,
+                    include_restart=include_restart,
+                )
         dflist = []
         for index, realization in self._realizations.items():
             dframe = realization.get_smry(
diff --git a/src/fmu/ensemble/realization.py b/src/fmu/ensemble/realization.py
index 7f8968f2..4d2e4a31 100644
--- a/src/fmu/ensemble/realization.py
+++ b/src/fmu/ensemble/realization.py
@@ -996,7 +996,8 @@ def get_smry(
                'yearly', 'monthly', 'daily', 'last' or 'raw', the latter will
                return the simulated report steps (also default).
                If a list of DateTime is supplied, data will be resampled
-               to these.
+               to these. If a date in ISO-8601 format is supplied, that is
+               used as a single date.
             column_keys: list of column key wildcards. None means everything.
             cache_eclsum: boolean for whether to keep the loaded EclSum
                 object in memory after data has been loaded.
@@ -1016,12 +1017,17 @@ def get_smry(
         if isinstance(time_index, str) and time_index == "raw":
             time_index_arg = None
         elif isinstance(time_index, str):
-            time_index_arg = self.get_smry_dates(
-                freq=time_index,
-                start_date=start_date,
-                end_date=end_date,
-                include_restart=include_restart,
-            )
+            try:
+                parseddate = dateutil.parser.isoparse(time_index)
+                time_index_arg = [parseddate]
+            except ValueError:
+
+                time_index_arg = self.get_smry_dates(
+                    freq=time_index,
+                    start_date=start_date,
+                    end_date=end_date,
+                    include_restart=include_restart,
+                )
         else:
             time_index_arg = time_index
 
diff --git a/tests/test_ensemble.py b/tests/test_ensemble.py
index f3df423e..01baf9ef 100644
--- a/tests/test_ensemble.py
+++ b/tests/test_ensemble.py
@@ -411,6 +411,11 @@ def test_ensemble_ecl():
     assert len(reekensemble.load_smry(column_keys=["FOPR"], time_index="last")) == 5
     assert isinstance(reekensemble.get_df("unsmry--last.csv"), pd.DataFrame)
 
+    # Give ISO-dates directly:
+    assert (
+        len(reekensemble.get_smry(column_keys=["FOPR"], time_index="2001-01-02")) == 5
+    )
+
     # Eclipse well names list
     assert len(reekensemble.get_wellnames("OP*")) == 5
     assert len(reekensemble.get_wellnames(None)) == 8
diff --git a/tests/test_realization.py b/tests/test_realization.py
index 0639b7d7..91935634 100644
--- a/tests/test_realization.py
+++ b/tests/test_realization.py
@@ -396,6 +396,11 @@ def test_singlereal_ecl(tmp="TMP"):
     assert len(monthly) == 38
     assert len(real.get_smry_dates(freq="daily")) == 1098
 
+    # Try ISO-date for time_index:
+    singledata = real.get_smry(time_index="2000-05-05", column_keys="FOPT")
+    assert "FOPT" in singledata
+    assert "2000-05-05" in singledata.index
+
     # start and end should be included:
     assert (
         len(