diff --git a/fairmq/CMakeLists.txt b/fairmq/CMakeLists.txt
index 81690d46..c8a53008 100644
--- a/fairmq/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/fairmq/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -154,6 +154,7 @@ if(BUILD_FAIRMQ)
     FairMQSocket.h
     FairMQTransportFactory.h
     FairMQUnmanagedRegion.h
+    FwdDecls.h
     JSONParser.h
     MemoryResourceTools.h
     MemoryResources.h
diff --git a/fairmq/FwdDecls.h b/fairmq/FwdDecls.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..52096a81
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fairmq/FwdDecls.h
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+/********************************************************************************
+ *    Copyright (C) 2021 GSI Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung GmbH    *
+ *                                                                              *
+ *              This software is distributed under the terms of the             *
+ *              GNU Lesser General Public Licence (LGPL) version 3,             *
+ *                  copied verbatim in the file "LICENSE"                       *
+ ********************************************************************************/
+
+#ifndef FAIR_MQ_FWDDECLS_H
+#define FAIR_MQ_FWDDECLS_H
+
+#include <fairmq/ProgOptionsFwd.h>
+
+class FairMQChannel;
+class FairMQDevice;
+class FairMQMemoryResource;
+class FairMQMessage;
+class FairMQParts;
+class FairMQPoller;
+class FairMQRegionBlock;
+class FairMQRegionConfig;
+class FairMQRegionInfo;
+class FairMQSocket;
+class FairMQTransportFactory;
+class FairMQUnmanagedRegion;
+
+namespace fair::mq {
+class FairMQMemoryResource;
+}
+
+#endif   // FAIR_MQ_FWDDECLS_H