diff --git a/doc/api/child_process.md b/doc/api/child_process.md
index d9cfcde6d9e0b6..a0d7a398614896 100644
--- a/doc/api/child_process.md
+++ b/doc/api/child_process.md
@@ -146,6 +146,10 @@ exec('"my script.cmd" a b', (err, stdout, stderr) => {
 <!-- YAML
 added: v0.1.90
 changes:
+  - version: REPLACEME
+    pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/38862
+    description: The `cwd` option can be a WHATWG `URL` object using
+                 `file:` protocol.
   - version: v15.4.0
     pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/36308
     description: AbortSignal support was added.
@@ -156,7 +160,7 @@ changes:
 
 * `command` {string} The command to run, with space-separated arguments.
 * `options` {Object}
-  * `cwd` {string} Current working directory of the child process.
+  * `cwd` {string|URL} Current working directory of the child process.
     **Default:** `process.cwd()`.
   * `env` {Object} Environment key-value pairs. **Default:** `process.env`.
   * `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
@@ -271,6 +275,10 @@ controller.abort();
 <!-- YAML
 added: v0.1.91
 changes:
+  - version: REPLACEME
+    pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/38862
+    description: The `cwd` option can be a WHATWG `URL` object using
+                 `file:` protocol.
   - version: v15.4.0
     pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/36308
     description: AbortSignal support was added.
@@ -282,7 +290,7 @@ changes:
 * `file` {string} The name or path of the executable file to run.
 * `args` {string[]} List of string arguments.
 * `options` {Object}
-  * `cwd` {string} Current working directory of the child process.
+  * `cwd` {string|URL} Current working directory of the child process.
   * `env` {Object} Environment key-value pairs. **Default:** `process.env`.
   * `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
   * `timeout` {number} **Default:** `0`
@@ -374,6 +382,10 @@ controller.abort();
 <!-- YAML
 added: v0.5.0
 changes:
+  - version: REPLACEME
+    pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/38862
+    description: The `cwd` option can be a WHATWG `URL` object using
+                 `file:` protocol.
   - version: v15.13.0
     pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/37256
     description: timeout was added.
@@ -399,7 +411,7 @@ changes:
 * `modulePath` {string} The module to run in the child.
 * `args` {string[]} List of string arguments.
 * `options` {Object}
-  * `cwd` {string} Current working directory of the child process.
+  * `cwd` {string|URL} Current working directory of the child process.
   * `detached` {boolean} Prepare child to run independently of its parent
     process. Specific behavior depends on the platform, see
     [`options.detached`][]).
@@ -483,6 +495,10 @@ if (process.argv[2] === 'child') {
 <!-- YAML
 added: v0.1.90
 changes:
+  - version: REPLACEME
+    pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/38862
+    description: The `cwd` option can be a WHATWG `URL` object using
+                 `file:` protocol.
   - version: v15.13.0
     pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/37256
     description: timeout was added.
@@ -511,7 +527,7 @@ changes:
 * `command` {string} The command to run.
 * `args` {string[]} List of string arguments.
 * `options` {Object}
-  * `cwd` {string} Current working directory of the child process.
+  * `cwd` {string|URL} Current working directory of the child process.
   * `env` {Object} Environment key-value pairs. **Default:** `process.env`.
   * `argv0` {string} Explicitly set the value of `argv[0]` sent to the child
     process. This will be set to `command` if not specified.
@@ -839,6 +855,10 @@ configuration at startup.
 <!-- YAML
 added: v0.11.12
 changes:
+  - version: REPLACEME
+    pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/38862
+    description: The `cwd` option can be a WHATWG `URL` object using
+                 `file:` protocol.
   - version: v10.10.0
     pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/22409
     description: The `input` option can now be any `TypedArray` or a
@@ -859,7 +879,7 @@ changes:
 * `file` {string} The name or path of the executable file to run.
 * `args` {string[]} List of string arguments.
 * `options` {Object}
-  * `cwd` {string} Current working directory of the child process.
+  * `cwd` {string|URL} Current working directory of the child process.
   * `input` {string|Buffer|TypedArray|DataView} The value which will be passed
     as stdin to the spawned process. Supplying this value will override
     `stdio[0]`.
@@ -908,6 +928,10 @@ arbitrary command execution.**
 <!-- YAML
 added: v0.11.12
 changes:
+  - version: REPLACEME
+    pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/38862
+    description: The `cwd` option can be a WHATWG `URL` object using
+                 `file:` protocol.
   - version: v10.10.0
     pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/22409
     description: The `input` option can now be any `TypedArray` or a
@@ -922,7 +946,7 @@ changes:
 
 * `command` {string} The command to run.
 * `options` {Object}
-  * `cwd` {string} Current working directory of the child process.
+  * `cwd` {string|URL} Current working directory of the child process.
   * `input` {string|Buffer|TypedArray|DataView} The value which will be passed
     as stdin to the spawned process. Supplying this value will override
     `stdio[0]`.
@@ -968,6 +992,10 @@ metacharacters may be used to trigger arbitrary command execution.**
 <!-- YAML
 added: v0.11.12
 changes:
+  - version: REPLACEME
+    pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/38862
+    description: The `cwd` option can be a WHATWG `URL` object using
+                 `file:` protocol.
   - version: v10.10.0
     pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/22409
     description: The `input` option can now be any `TypedArray` or a
@@ -991,7 +1019,7 @@ changes:
 * `command` {string} The command to run.
 * `args` {string[]} List of string arguments.
 * `options` {Object}
-  * `cwd` {string} Current working directory of the child process.
+  * `cwd` {string|URL} Current working directory of the child process.
   * `input` {string|Buffer|TypedArray|DataView} The value which will be passed
     as stdin to the spawned process. Supplying this value will override
     `stdio[0]`.
diff --git a/lib/child_process.js b/lib/child_process.js
index 26e1bb33d0c9ef..e3691639a9fddd 100644
--- a/lib/child_process.js
+++ b/lib/child_process.js
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ const {
   ERR_OUT_OF_RANGE,
 } = errorCodes;
 const { clearTimeout, setTimeout } = require('timers');
+const { getValidatedPath } = require('internal/fs/utils');
 const {
   isInt32,
   validateAbortSignal,
@@ -450,9 +451,11 @@ function normalizeSpawnArguments(file, args, options) {
   else
     validateObject(options, 'options');
 
+  let cwd = options.cwd;
+
   // Validate the cwd, if present.
-  if (options.cwd != null) {
-    validateString(options.cwd, 'options.cwd');
+  if (cwd != null) {
+    cwd = getValidatedPath(cwd, 'options.cwd');
   }
 
   // Validate detached, if present.
@@ -577,11 +580,12 @@ function normalizeSpawnArguments(file, args, options) {
     // Make a shallow copy so we don't clobber the user's options object.
     ...options,
     args,
+    cwd,
     detached: !!options.detached,
     envPairs,
     file,
     windowsHide: !!options.windowsHide,
-    windowsVerbatimArguments: !!windowsVerbatimArguments
+    windowsVerbatimArguments: !!windowsVerbatimArguments,
   };
 }
 
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-child-process-cwd.js b/test/parallel/test-child-process-cwd.js
index 232f1d0f3d5316..869db83db3902e 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-child-process-cwd.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-child-process-cwd.js
@@ -20,12 +20,14 @@
 // USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
 
 'use strict';
+
 const common = require('../common');
 const tmpdir = require('../common/tmpdir');
 tmpdir.refresh();
 
 const assert = require('assert');
 const { spawn } = require('child_process');
+const { pathToFileURL, URL } = require('url');
 
 // Spawns 'pwd' with given options, then test
 // - whether the child pid is undefined or number,
@@ -66,10 +68,27 @@ function testCwd(options, expectPidType, expectCode = 0, expectData) {
     }));
 }
 
+{
+  assert.throws(() => {
+    testCwd({
+      cwd: new URL('http://example.com/'),
+    }, 'number', 0, tmpdir.path);
+  }, /The URL must be of scheme file/);
+
+  if (process.platform !== 'win32') {
+    assert.throws(() => {
+      testCwd({
+        cwd: new URL('file://host/dev/null'),
+      }, 'number', 0, tmpdir.path);
+    }, /File URL host must be "localhost" or empty on/);
+  }
+}
+
 // Assume these exist, and 'pwd' gives us the right directory back
 testCwd({ cwd: tmpdir.path }, 'number', 0, tmpdir.path);
 const shouldExistDir = common.isWindows ? process.env.windir : '/dev';
 testCwd({ cwd: shouldExistDir }, 'number', 0, shouldExistDir);
+testCwd({ cwd: pathToFileURL(tmpdir.path) }, 'number', 0, tmpdir.path);
 
 // Spawn() shouldn't try to chdir() to invalid arg, so this should just work
 testCwd({ cwd: '' }, 'number');