diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+## Modern URI 0.2.1.0
+
+* Added `emptyURI`—`URI` value representing the empty URI.
+
 ## Modern URI 0.2.0.0
 
 * Changed the type of `uriPath` field of the `URI` record from `[RText
diff --git a/Text/URI.hs b/Text/URI.hs
--- a/Text/URI.hs
+++ b/Text/URI.hs
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
   ( -- * Data types
     URI (..)
   , mkURI
+  , emptyURI
   , makeAbsolute
   , isPathAbsolute
   , relativeTo
@@ -72,6 +73,19 @@
 import Text.URI.Render
 import Text.URI.Types
 import qualified Data.List.NonEmpty as NE
+
+-- | The empty 'URI'.
+--
+-- @since 0.2.1.0
+
+emptyURI :: URI
+emptyURI = URI
+  { uriScheme    = Nothing
+  , uriAuthority = Left False
+  , uriPath      = Nothing
+  , uriQuery     = []
+  , uriFragment  = Nothing
+  }
 
 -- $rtext
 --
diff --git a/modern-uri.cabal b/modern-uri.cabal
--- a/modern-uri.cabal
+++ b/modern-uri.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:                 modern-uri
-version:              0.2.0.0
+version:              0.2.1.0
 cabal-version:        >= 1.18
 tested-with:          GHC==7.10.3, GHC==8.0.2, GHC==8.2.2
 license:              BSD3
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@
   type:               exitcode-stdio-1.0
   build-depends:      base             >= 4.7 && < 5.0
                     , bytestring       >= 0.2 && < 0.11
-                    , criterion        >= 0.6.2.1 && < 1.3
+                    , criterion        >= 0.6.2.1 && < 1.4
                     , megaparsec       >= 6.0 && < 7.0
                     , modern-uri
                     , text             >= 0.2  && < 1.3
diff --git a/tests/Text/URISpec.hs b/tests/Text/URISpec.hs
--- a/tests/Text/URISpec.hs
+++ b/tests/Text/URISpec.hs
@@ -39,6 +39,16 @@
             , elabel "path piece"
             , eeof ]
       URI.mkURI "что-то" `shouldThrow` (== URI.ParseException "что-то" e)
+  describe "emptyURI" $ do
+    it "parsing of empty input produces emptyURI" $
+      URI.mkURI "" `shouldReturn` URI.emptyURI
+    context "rendering of emptyURI produces empty output" $ do
+      it "with render" $
+        URI.render URI.emptyURI `shouldBe` ""
+      it "with renderBs" $
+        URI.renderBs URI.emptyURI `shouldBe` ""
+      it "with renderStr" $
+        URI.renderStr URI.emptyURI `shouldBe` ""
   describe "makeAbsolute" $ do
     context "when given URI already has scheme" $
       it "returns that URI unchanged" $