diff --git modules/overlay/overlay-child.js modules/overlay/overlay-child.js
index 1394d8b..ec1870b 100644
--- modules/overlay/overlay-child.js
+++ modules/overlay/overlay-child.js
@@ -38,11 +38,17 @@ Drupal.behaviors.overlayChild = {
     }
 
     // If one of the regions displaying outside the overlay needs to be
-    // reloaded, let the parent window know.
+    // reloaded immediately, let the parent window know.
     if (settings.refreshRegions) {
       parent.Drupal.overlay.refreshRegions(settings.refreshRegions);
     }
 
+    // If the entire parent window should be refreshed when the overlay is
+    // closed, pass that information to the parent window.
+    if (settings.refreshPage) {
+      parent.Drupal.overlay.refreshPage = true;
+    }
+
     // Ok, now we can tell the parent window we're ready.
     parent.Drupal.overlay.bindChild(window);
 
diff --git modules/overlay/overlay-parent.js modules/overlay/overlay-parent.js
index 4f66341..903f4a0 100644
--- modules/overlay/overlay-parent.js
+++ modules/overlay/overlay-parent.js
@@ -457,9 +457,22 @@ Drupal.overlay.eventhandlerOverrideLink = function (event) {
 
   // Close the overlay when the link contains the overlay-close class.
   if ($target.hasClass('overlay-close')) {
-    // Clearing the overlay URL fragment will close the overlay.
-    $.bbq.pushState();
-    return;
+    if (Drupal.overlay.refreshPage) {
+      // If the child window suggested that the parent refresh on close, force
+      // a page refresh by removing the URL fragment entirely.
+      var url = window.location.protocol + '//' + window.location.hostname + window.location.pathname;
+      if (window.location.search) {
+        url += '?' + window.location.search;
+      }
+      window.location.href = url;
+      return false;
+    }
+    else {
+      // If we don't need a complete refresh, trigger a hashchange event by
+      // clearing the overlay URL fragment (leaving the # alone).
+      $.bbq.pushState();
+      return;
+    }
   }
 
   var target = $target[0];
diff --git modules/overlay/overlay.module modules/overlay/overlay.module
index 3a1e159..6e2f386 100644
--- modules/overlay/overlay.module
+++ modules/overlay/overlay.module
@@ -551,18 +551,21 @@ function overlay_overlay_parent_initialize() {
 function overlay_overlay_child_initialize() {
   // Check if the parent window needs to refresh any page regions on this page
   // request.
-  overlay_trigger_regions_to_refresh();
+  overlay_trigger_refresh();
   // If this is a POST request, or a GET request with a token parameter, we
   // have an indication that something in the supplemental regions of the
   // overlay might change during the current page request. We therefore store
   // the initial rendered content of those regions here, so that we can compare
   // it to the same content rendered in overlay_exit(), at the end of the page
   // request. This allows us to check if anything actually did change, and, if
-  // so, trigger an AJAX refresh of the parent window.
+  // so, trigger an immediate AJAX refresh of the parent window.
   if (!empty($_POST) || isset($_GET['token'])) {
     foreach (overlay_supplemental_regions() as $region) {
       overlay_store_rendered_content($region, overlay_render_region($region));
     }
+    // In addition, notify the parent window that when the overlay closes,
+    // the entire parent window should be refreshed.
+    overlay_request_page_refresh();
   }
   // Indicate that when the main page rendering occurs later in the page
   // request, only the regions that appear within the overlay should be
@@ -797,7 +800,7 @@ function overlay_store_rendered_content($id = NULL, $content = NULL) {
  *   The name of the page region to refresh. The parent window will trigger a
  *   refresh of this region on the next page load.
  *
- * @see overlay_trigger_regions_to_refresh()
+ * @see overlay_trigger_refresh()
  * @see Drupal.overlay.refreshRegions()
  */
 function overlay_request_refresh($region) {
@@ -806,16 +809,27 @@ function overlay_request_refresh($region) {
 }
 
 /**
- * Check if the parent window needs to refresh any regions on this page load.
+ * Request that the entire parent window be reloaded when the overlay closes.
  *
- * If the previous page load requested that any page regions be refreshed, pass
- * that request via JavaScript to the child window, so it can in turn pass the
- * request to the parent window.
+ * @see overlay_trigger_refresh()
+ */
+function overlay_request_page_refresh() {
+  $_SESSION['overlay_refresh_parent'] = TRUE;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Check if the parent window needs to be refreshed on this page load.
+ *
+ * If the previous page load requested that any page regions be refreshed, or
+ * if it requested that the entire page be refreshed when the overlay closes,
+ * pass that request via JavaScript to the child window, so it can in turn pass
+ * the request to the parent window.
  *
  * @see overlay_request_refresh()
+ * @see overlay_request_page_refresh()
  * @see Drupal.overlay.refreshRegions()
  */
-function overlay_trigger_regions_to_refresh() {
+function overlay_trigger_refresh() {
   if (!empty($_SESSION['overlay_regions_to_refresh'])) {
     $settings = array(
       'overlayChild' => array(
@@ -825,6 +839,10 @@ function overlay_trigger_regions_to_refresh() {
     drupal_add_js($settings, array('type' => 'setting'));
     unset($_SESSION['overlay_regions_to_refresh']);
   }
+  if (!empty($_SESSION['overlay_refresh_parent'])) {
+    drupal_add_js(array('overlayChild' => array('refreshPage' => TRUE)), array('type' => 'setting'));
+    unset($_SESSION['overlay_refresh_parent']);
+  }
 }
 
 /**