diff --git a/ee/changelogs/unreleased/9496-add-enable-self-approval-of-merge-requests-setting-to-merge-request-approvals-api.yml b/ee/changelogs/unreleased/9496-add-enable-self-approval-of-merge-requests-setting-to-merge-request-approvals-api.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..a2d9c05a462e7c4b95874999e17f2111e21e4235
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ee/changelogs/unreleased/9496-add-enable-self-approval-of-merge-requests-setting-to-merge-request-approvals-api.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+title: Add self approval of merge requests setting to merge requests approvals API
+merge_request: 10050
+author:
+type: changed
diff --git a/ee/lib/api/project_approvals.rb b/ee/lib/api/project_approvals.rb
index 117025345d698b83ca15ca3345c3b80e167ef943..8d8eaa2c7ea1fdf093ff6ee8f51b833a9da2090c 100644
--- a/ee/lib/api/project_approvals.rb
+++ b/ee/lib/api/project_approvals.rb
@@ -28,7 +28,8 @@ class ProjectApprovals < ::Grape::API
           optional :approvals_before_merge, type: Integer, desc: 'The amount of approvals required before an MR can be merged'
           optional :reset_approvals_on_push, type: Boolean, desc: 'Should the approval count be reset on a new push'
           optional :disable_overriding_approvers_per_merge_request, type: Boolean, desc: 'Should MRs be able to override approvers and approval count'
-          at_least_one_of :approvals_before_merge, :reset_approvals_on_push, :disable_overriding_approvers_per_merge_request
+          optional :merge_requests_author_approval, type: Boolean, desc: 'Should authors be able to self approve merge requests'
+          at_least_one_of :approvals_before_merge, :reset_approvals_on_push, :disable_overriding_approvers_per_merge_request, :merge_requests_author_approval
         end
         post '/' do
           project_params = declared(params, include_missing: false, include_parent_namespaces: false)
diff --git a/ee/lib/ee/api/entities.rb b/ee/lib/ee/api/entities.rb
index 7e1afb9617195ac1e592ed0fb5371cffd720ee68..2ba4df06c2e3547f937553ec2f56f6cf7c00ed10 100644
--- a/ee/lib/ee/api/entities.rb
+++ b/ee/lib/ee/api/entities.rb
@@ -324,6 +324,7 @@ class ApprovalSettings < Grape::Entity
         expose :approvals_before_merge
         expose :reset_approvals_on_push
         expose :disable_overriding_approvers_per_merge_request
+        expose :merge_requests_author_approval
       end
 
       class Approvals < Grape::Entity
diff --git a/ee/spec/fixtures/api/schemas/public_api/v4/project_approvers.json b/ee/spec/fixtures/api/schemas/public_api/v4/project_approvers.json
index 3e0ccfa897eb3241551e8376cbea42378511d13c..ec2b7b0b77cb5e3b89e00d116862beeabfb16321 100644
--- a/ee/spec/fixtures/api/schemas/public_api/v4/project_approvers.json
+++ b/ee/spec/fixtures/api/schemas/public_api/v4/project_approvers.json
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
     "approvals_before_merge": { "type": "integer" },
     "disable_overriding_approvers_per_merge_request": { "type": ["boolean", "null"] },
     "reset_approvals_on_push": { "type": "boolean" },
+    "merge_requests_author_approval": { "type": ["boolean", "null"] },
     "approvers": {
       "type": "array",
       "items": {
diff --git a/ee/spec/requests/api/project_approvals_spec.rb b/ee/spec/requests/api/project_approvals_spec.rb
index c2af2068014974168e89a716ee07a4e7768f3216..9335b06f6e18006c2b66c3afc934687568c4a56d 100644
--- a/ee/spec/requests/api/project_approvals_spec.rb
+++ b/ee/spec/requests/api/project_approvals_spec.rb
@@ -70,12 +70,14 @@
           project.approvals_before_merge = 2
           project.reset_approvals_on_push = false
           project.disable_overriding_approvers_per_merge_request = true
+          project.merge_requests_author_approval = false
           project.save
 
           settings = {
             approvals_before_merge: 4,
             reset_approvals_on_push: true,
-            disable_overriding_approvers_per_merge_request: false
+            disable_overriding_approvers_per_merge_request: false,
+            merge_requests_author_approval: true
           }
 
           post api(url, current_user), params: settings