diff --git a/lib/Grid.h b/lib/Grid.h
index 0f57c8a6..cb55d0c8 100644
--- a/lib/Grid.h
+++ b/lib/Grid.h
@@ -60,12 +60,12 @@ Author: paboyle <paboyle@ph.ed.ac.uk>
 // Grid headers
 ///////////////////
 #include "Config.h"
-#include <Grid/serialisation/Serialisation.h>
 #include <Grid/Timer.h>
 #include <Grid/PerfCount.h>
 #include <Grid/Log.h>
 #include <Grid/AlignedAllocator.h>
 #include <Grid/Simd.h>
+#include <Grid/serialisation/Serialisation.h>
 #include <Grid/Threads.h>
 #include <Grid/Lexicographic.h>
 #include <Grid/Init.h>
diff --git a/lib/serialisation/BaseIO.h b/lib/serialisation/BaseIO.h
index eca5cff2..0357915d 100644
--- a/lib/serialisation/BaseIO.h
+++ b/lib/serialisation/BaseIO.h
@@ -68,20 +68,21 @@ namespace Grid {
     return os;
   }
   
-  // Vector element trait //////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+  // Vector element trait //////////////////////////////////////////////////////  
   template <typename T>
   struct element
   {
     typedef T type;
-    static constexpr bool is_arithmetic = false;
+    static constexpr bool is_number = false;
   };
   
   template <typename T>
   struct element<std::vector<T>>
   {
     typedef typename element<T>::type type;
-    static constexpr bool is_arithmetic = std::is_arithmetic<T>::value
-                                          or element<T>::is_arithmetic;
+    static constexpr bool is_number = std::is_arithmetic<T>::value
+                                      or is_complex<T>::value
+                                      or element<T>::is_number;
   };
   
   // Vector flatening utility class ////////////////////////////////////////////
diff --git a/lib/serialisation/Hdf5IO.h b/lib/serialisation/Hdf5IO.h
index 3edb7d10..2f891cd4 100644
--- a/lib/serialisation/Hdf5IO.h
+++ b/lib/serialisation/Hdf5IO.h
@@ -32,10 +32,10 @@ namespace Grid
     template <typename U>
     void writeDefault(const std::string &s, const U &x);
     template <typename U>
-    typename std::enable_if<element<std::vector<U>>::is_arithmetic, void>::type
+    typename std::enable_if<element<std::vector<U>>::is_number, void>::type
     writeDefault(const std::string &s, const std::vector<U> &x);
     template <typename U>
-    typename std::enable_if<!element<std::vector<U>>::is_arithmetic, void>::type
+    typename std::enable_if<!element<std::vector<U>>::is_number, void>::type
     writeDefault(const std::string &s, const std::vector<U> &x);
   private:
     template <typename U>
@@ -59,10 +59,10 @@ namespace Grid
     template <typename U>
     void readDefault(const std::string &s, U &output);
     template <typename U>
-    typename std::enable_if<element<std::vector<U>>::is_arithmetic, void>::type
+    typename std::enable_if<element<std::vector<U>>::is_number, void>::type
     readDefault(const std::string &s, std::vector<U> &x);
     template <typename U>
-    typename std::enable_if<!element<std::vector<U>>::is_arithmetic, void>::type
+    typename std::enable_if<!element<std::vector<U>>::is_number, void>::type
     readDefault(const std::string &s, std::vector<U> &x);
   private:
     template <typename U>
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ namespace Grid
   void Hdf5Writer::writeDefault(const std::string &s, const std::string &x);
   
   template <typename U>
-  typename std::enable_if<element<std::vector<U>>::is_arithmetic, void>::type
+  typename std::enable_if<element<std::vector<U>>::is_number, void>::type
   Hdf5Writer::writeDefault(const std::string &s, const std::vector<U> &x)
   {
     // alias to element type
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ namespace Grid
   }
   
   template <typename U>
-  typename std::enable_if<!element<std::vector<U>>::is_arithmetic, void>::type
+  typename std::enable_if<!element<std::vector<U>>::is_number, void>::type
   Hdf5Writer::writeDefault(const std::string &s, const std::vector<U> &x)
   {
     push(s);
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ namespace Grid
   void Hdf5Reader::readDefault(const std::string &s, std::string &x);
   
   template <typename U>
-  typename std::enable_if<element<std::vector<U>>::is_arithmetic, void>::type
+  typename std::enable_if<element<std::vector<U>>::is_number, void>::type
   Hdf5Reader::readDefault(const std::string &s, std::vector<U> &x)
   {
     // alias to element type
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ namespace Grid
   }
   
   template <typename U>
-  typename std::enable_if<!element<std::vector<U>>::is_arithmetic, void>::type
+  typename std::enable_if<!element<std::vector<U>>::is_number, void>::type
   Hdf5Reader::readDefault(const std::string &s, std::vector<U> &x)
   {
     uint64_t size;
diff --git a/lib/serialisation/Hdf5Type.h b/lib/serialisation/Hdf5Type.h
index 2e02128e..cf682138 100644
--- a/lib/serialisation/Hdf5Type.h
+++ b/lib/serialisation/Hdf5Type.h
@@ -10,13 +10,14 @@
 
 #define HDF5_NATIVE_TYPE(predType, cType)\
 template <>\
-struct Hdf5Type<cType>\
+class Hdf5Type<cType>\
 {\
-static inline const H5NS::PredType & type(void)\
-{\
-  return H5NS::PredType::predType;\
-}\
-static constexpr bool       isNative = true;\
+public:\
+  static inline const H5NS::DataType & type(void)\
+  {\
+    return H5NS::PredType::predType;\
+  }\
+  static constexpr bool isNative = true;\
 };
 
 #define DEFINE_HDF5_NATIVE_TYPES \
@@ -38,12 +39,36 @@ HDF5_NATIVE_TYPE(NATIVE_LDOUBLE, long double);
 
 namespace Grid
 {
-  template <typename T> struct Hdf5Type
+  template <typename T> class Hdf5Type
   {
+  public:
     static constexpr bool isNative = false;
   };
   
   DEFINE_HDF5_NATIVE_TYPES;
+  
+  template <typename R>
+  class Hdf5Type<std::complex<R>>
+  {
+  public:
+    static inline const H5NS::DataType & type(void)
+    {
+      if (typePtr_ == nullptr)
+      {
+        typePtr_.reset(new H5NS::CompType(sizeof(std::complex<R>)));
+        typePtr_->insertMember("re", 0,         Hdf5Type<R>::type());
+        typePtr_->insertMember("im", sizeof(R), Hdf5Type<R>::type());
+      }
+
+      return *typePtr_;
+    }
+    static constexpr bool isNative = false;
+  private:
+    static std::unique_ptr<H5NS::CompType> typePtr_;
+  };
+  
+  template <typename R>
+  std::unique_ptr<H5NS::CompType> Hdf5Type<std::complex<R>>::typePtr_ = nullptr;
 }
 
 #undef HDF5_NATIVE_TYPE
diff --git a/tests/IO/Test_serialisation.cc b/tests/IO/Test_serialisation.cc
index b7158b2b..8204b05b 100644
--- a/tests/IO/Test_serialisation.cc
+++ b/tests/IO/Test_serialisation.cc
@@ -43,10 +43,14 @@ public:
                           bool , b,
                           std::vector<double>, array,
                           std::vector<std::vector<double>>, twodimarray,
+                          std::vector<std::vector<std::vector<Complex>>>, cmplx3darray
                           );
   myclass() {}
   myclass(int i)
-  : array(4,5.1), twodimarray(3,std::vector<double>(2,1.23456)), ve(2, myenum::blue)
+  : array(4,5.1)
+  , twodimarray(3,std::vector<double>(5, 1.23456))
+  , cmplx3darray(3,std::vector<std::vector<Complex>>(5, std::vector<Complex>(7, Complex(1.2, 3.4))))
+  , ve(2, myenum::blue)
   {
     e=myenum::red;
     x=i;