diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index f7e889a02cd5cbfd1f8e57192876a40edf57270d..d9c52c31719ff5852891245182f037e8222e4e6c 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 stages:
   - test
 
+variables:
+  GIT_SUBMODULE_STRATEGY: normal
+
 .build-matrix:
   parallel:
     # https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/yaml/README.html#parallel-matrix-jobs