diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiCitation.cpp b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiCitation.cpp
index 5534100629..44118c79a5 100644
--- a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiCitation.cpp
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiCitation.cpp
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 #include "GuiCitation.h"
 
 #include "GuiSelectionManager.h"
+#include "LyXToolBox.h"
 #include "qt_helpers.h"
 
 #include "Buffer.h"
diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/LyXToolBox.cpp b/src/frontends/qt4/LyXToolBox.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fcd3dbeea3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/LyXToolBox.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+// -*- C++ -*-
+/**
+ * \file LyXToolBox.cpp
+ * This file is part of LyX, the document processor.
+ * Licence details can be found in the file COPYING.
+ *
+ * \author Guillaume Munch
+ *
+ * Full author contact details are available in file CREDITS.
+ */
+
+#include "LyXToolBox.h"
+
+#include <QApplication>
+#include <QLayout>
+
+#include "support/debug.h"
+
+namespace lyx {
+namespace frontend {
+
+
+QSize LyXToolBox::minimumSizeHint() const
+{
+	QSize s(0,0);
+	// Compute the max of the minimal sizes of the pages
+	QWidget * page;
+	for (int i = 0; (page = widget(i)); ++i)
+		s = s.expandedTo(page->minimumSizeHint());
+	// Add the height of the tabs
+	if (currentWidget())
+		s.rheight() += height() - currentWidget()->height();
+	return s;
+}
+
+void LyXToolBox::showEvent(QShowEvent * e)
+{
+	// Computation of the tab height might be incorrect yet (the proper sizes of
+	// the pages have only been computed now).
+	// It might still be incorrect after this. All this would be unnecessary if
+	// QToolBox made our life easier and exposed more information; for instance
+	// let us access the scroll areas enclosing the pages (from which one can
+	// deduce the real tab height).
+	layout()->invalidate();
+	// proceed with geometry update to avoid flicker
+	qApp->processEvents(QEventLoop::ExcludeUserInputEvents, 50);
+	QToolBox::showEvent(e);
+}
+
+
+} // namespace frontend
+} // namespace lyx
+
+#include "moc_LyXToolBox.cpp"
+
diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/LyXToolBox.h b/src/frontends/qt4/LyXToolBox.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ec70ceb05f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/LyXToolBox.h
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+// -*- C++ -*-
+/**
+ * \file LyXToolBox.h
+ * This file is part of LyX, the document processor.
+ * Licence details can be found in the file COPYING.
+ *
+ * \author Guillaume Munch
+ *
+ * Full author contact details are available in file CREDITS.
+ */
+
+#ifndef LYXTOOLBOX_H
+#define LYXTOOLBOX_H
+
+#include <QtGui/QToolBox>
+
+namespace lyx {
+namespace frontend {
+
+// The purpose of this custom widget is to allow the use of a QToolBox in a
+// limited area. The stock QToolBox does not provide a minimum size hint that
+// depends on the size of the pages; it assumes that there is enough room.  This
+// subclass sets the minimal size of the QToolbox. Without this, the size of the
+// QToolbox is only determined by values in the ui file and therefore causes
+// portability and localisation issues. Note that the computation of the minimum
+// size hint depends on the minimum size hints of the page widgets. Therefore
+// page widgets must have a layout with layoutSizeContraint = SetMinimumSize or
+// similar.
+class LyXToolBox : public QToolBox
+{
+	Q_OBJECT
+
+public:
+	LyXToolBox(QWidget * p = 0, Qt::WindowFlags f = 0) : QToolBox(p, f) {}
+	QSize minimumSizeHint() const;
+
+protected:
+	void showEvent(QShowEvent * e);
+};
+
+
+} // namespace frontend
+} // namespace lyx
+
+
+#endif // LYXTOOLBOX_H
diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/Makefile.am b/src/frontends/qt4/Makefile.am
index e3f41bc12c..f5b1ee8aa0 100644
--- a/src/frontends/qt4/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/Makefile.am
@@ -143,6 +143,7 @@ SOURCEFILES = \
 	InsetParamsWidget.cpp \
 	LengthCombo.cpp \
 	LyXFileDialog.cpp \
+	LyXToolBox.cpp \
 	LaTeXHighlighter.cpp \
 	LayoutBox.cpp \
 	Menus.cpp \
@@ -252,6 +253,7 @@ MOCHEADER = \
 	LayoutBox.h \
 	LengthCombo.h \
 	LyXFileDialog.h \
+	LyXToolBox.h \
 	Menus.h \
 	PanelStack.h \
 	TocModel.h \
diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/ui/CitationUi.ui b/src/frontends/qt4/ui/CitationUi.ui
index d10af983a6..ce407590e9 100644
--- a/src/frontends/qt4/ui/CitationUi.ui
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/ui/CitationUi.ui
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@
     </layout>
    </item>
    <item row="1" column="0">
-    <widget class="QToolBox" name="citationTB">
+    <widget class="lyx::frontend::LyXToolBox" name="citationTB">
      <property name="sizePolicy">
       <sizepolicy hsizetype="MinimumExpanding" vsizetype="MinimumExpanding">
        <horstretch>0</horstretch>
@@ -208,14 +208,6 @@
       <number>1</number>
      </property>
      <widget class="QWidget" name="page">
-      <property name="geometry">
-       <rect>
-        <x>0</x>
-        <y>0</y>
-        <width>572</width>
-        <height>111</height>
-       </rect>
-      </property>
       <attribute name="label">
        <string>&amp;Search Citation</string>
       </attribute>
@@ -377,14 +369,6 @@
       </layout>
      </widget>
      <widget class="QWidget" name="page_2">
-      <property name="geometry">
-       <rect>
-        <x>0</x>
-        <y>0</y>
-        <width>572</width>
-        <height>105</height>
-       </rect>
-      </property>
       <attribute name="label">
        <string>For&amp;matting</string>
       </attribute>
@@ -558,6 +542,14 @@
    </item>
   </layout>
  </widget>
+ <customwidgets>
+  <customwidget>
+   <class>lyx::frontend::LyXToolBox</class>
+   <extends>QToolBox</extends>
+   <header>LyXToolBox.h</header>
+   <container>1</container>
+  </customwidget>
+ </customwidgets>
  <tabstops>
   <tabstop>availableLV</tabstop>
   <tabstop>addPB</tabstop>