diff --git a/src/CodePatcher.php b/src/CodePatcher.php
index c6ba019a..3cd1c0d5 100644
--- a/src/CodePatcher.php
+++ b/src/CodePatcher.php
@@ -85,6 +85,16 @@ public function patch(ExerciseInterface $exercise, string $code): string
     private function applyPatch(Patch $patch, string $code): string
     {
         $statements = $this->parser->parse($code);
+
+        if ($statements === null) {
+            $statements = [];
+        }
+
+        $declare = null;
+        if (isset($statements[0]) && $statements[0] instanceof \PhpParser\Node\Stmt\Declare_) {
+            $declare = array_shift($statements);
+        }
+
         foreach ($patch->getModifiers() as $modifier) {
             if ($modifier instanceof CodeInsertion) {
                 $statements = $this->applyCodeInsertion($modifier, $statements);
@@ -97,6 +107,10 @@ private function applyPatch(Patch $patch, string $code): string
             }
         }
 
+        if ($declare !== null) {
+            array_unshift($statements, $declare);
+        }
+
         return $this->printer->prettyPrintFile($statements);
     }
 
diff --git a/test/CodePatcherTest.php b/test/CodePatcherTest.php
index 64adab6f..3f8df187 100644
--- a/test/CodePatcherTest.php
+++ b/test/CodePatcherTest.php
@@ -121,4 +121,52 @@ public function codeProvider(): array
             ],
         ];
     }
+
+    public function testBeforeInsertionInsertsAfterStrictTypesDeclaration(): void
+    {
+        $code = '<?php declare(strict_types=1); $original = true;';
+        $patch = (new Patch())->withInsertion(new Insertion(Insertion::TYPE_BEFORE, '$before = "here";'));
+
+        $patcher = new CodePatcher((new ParserFactory())->create(ParserFactory::PREFER_PHP7), new Standard());
+
+        $exercise = $this->createMock(PatchableExercise::class);
+
+        $exercise
+            ->expects($this->once())
+            ->method('getPatch')
+            ->willReturn($patch);
+
+        $this->assertEquals(
+            "<?php\n\ndeclare (strict_types=1);\n\$before = \"here\";\n\$original = true;",
+            $patcher->patch($exercise, $code)
+        );
+    }
+
+    public function testTransformerWithStrictTypes(): void
+    {
+        $code = '<?php declare(strict_types=1); $original = true;';
+        $patch = (new Patch())
+            ->withTransformer(function (array $statements) {
+                return [
+                    new TryCatch(
+                        $statements,
+                        [new Catch_([new Name(\Exception::class)], new Variable('e'), [])]
+                    )
+                ];
+            });
+
+        $patcher = new CodePatcher((new ParserFactory())->create(ParserFactory::PREFER_PHP7), new Standard());
+
+        $exercise = $this->createMock(PatchableExercise::class);
+
+        $exercise
+            ->expects($this->once())
+            ->method('getPatch')
+            ->willReturn($patch);
+
+        $this->assertEquals(
+            "<?php\n\ndeclare (strict_types=1);\ntry {\n    \$original = true;\n} catch (Exception \$e) {\n}",
+            $patcher->patch($exercise, $code)
+        );
+    }
 }