diff --git a/commitizen/cli.py b/commitizen/cli.py
index bebacdfe5..1f1b081d8 100644
--- a/commitizen/cli.py
+++ b/commitizen/cli.py
@@ -97,6 +97,10 @@ def __call__(
             "name": ["-n", "--name"],
             "help": "use the given commitizen (default: cz_conventional_commits)",
         },
+        {
+            "name": ["-cf", "--config-file"],
+            "help": "configuration file path",
+        },
         {
             "name": ["-nr", "--no-raise"],
             "type": str,
@@ -505,7 +509,6 @@ def parse_no_raise(comma_separated_no_raise: str) -> list[int]:
 
 
 def main():
-    conf = config.read_cfg()
     parser = cli(data)
 
     argcomplete.autocomplete(parser)
@@ -547,6 +550,11 @@ def main():
         extra_args = " ".join(unknown_args[1:])
         arguments["extra_cli_args"] = extra_args
 
+    if args.config_file:
+        conf = config.read_cfg(cfg_path=Path(args.config_file))
+    else:
+        conf = config.read_cfg()
+
     if args.name:
         conf.update({"name": args.name})
     elif not args.name and not conf.path:
diff --git a/commitizen/config/__init__.py b/commitizen/config/__init__.py
index 09e38ca96..0a3bdd8c8 100644
--- a/commitizen/config/__init__.py
+++ b/commitizen/config/__init__.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 from pathlib import Path
 
 from commitizen import defaults, git
+from commitizen.exceptions import InvalidConfigurationError
 
 from .base_config import BaseConfig
 from .json_config import JsonConfig
@@ -10,14 +11,65 @@
 from .yaml_config import YAMLConfig
 
 
-def read_cfg() -> BaseConfig:
+def read_cfg(
+    cfg_path: Path | None = None,
+) -> BaseConfig | TomlConfig | JsonConfig | YAMLConfig:
+    """
+    Read and load a configuration based on the provided path or defaults.
+
+    Args:
+        cfg_path (Path | None): The path to the configuration file passed from CLI args,
+            or None if no specific path is provided. Defaults to None.
+
+    Returns:
+        BaseConfig: An instance of `BaseConfig` (included TomlConfig | JsonConfig | YAMLConfig)
+            containing the loaded configuration.
+
+    Raises:
+        InvalidConfigurationError: If the specified configuration file path does not exist.
+        InvalidConfigurationError: If the loaded configuration is empty, indicating that
+            the file does not contain any valid configuration data.
+
+    Note:
+        If `cfg_path` is provided, the function attempts to load the configuration from
+        that path. If the path does not exist or the configuration is empty, an exception
+        is raised. If `cfg_path` is not provided, the function searches for a configuration
+        in default locations using `_find_config_from_defaults()`.
+    """
     conf = BaseConfig()
 
+    if cfg_path:
+        if not cfg_path.exists():
+            raise InvalidConfigurationError(f"File {cfg_path} not exists.")
+        _conf = _load_config_from_file(cfg_path)
+        if _conf.is_empty_config:
+            raise InvalidConfigurationError(
+                f"File {cfg_path} doesn't contain any configuration. "
+                f"Fill it or don't use --config-file option."
+            )
+    else:
+        _conf = _find_config_from_defaults()
+
+    if _conf:
+        conf = _conf
+
+    return conf
+
+
+def _find_config_from_defaults():
+    """
+    Find and load a configuration from default search paths.
+
+    This function looks for configuration files in default locations and loads the first
+    non-empty configuration it encounters. If no suitable configuration is found, it returns None.
+
+    Returns:
+        TomlConfig | JsonConfig | YAMLConfig | None
+    """
     git_project_root = git.find_git_project_root()
     cfg_search_paths = [Path(".")]
     if git_project_root:
         cfg_search_paths.append(git_project_root)
-
     cfg_paths = (
         path / Path(filename)
         for path in cfg_search_paths
@@ -26,23 +78,48 @@ def read_cfg() -> BaseConfig:
     for filename in cfg_paths:
         if not filename.exists():
             continue
+        _conf = _load_config_from_file(path=filename)
+        if not _conf.is_empty_config:
+            return _conf
+    return None
 
-        _conf: TomlConfig | JsonConfig | YAMLConfig
 
-        with open(filename, "rb") as f:
-            data: bytes = f.read()
+def _load_config_from_file(path: Path) -> TomlConfig | JsonConfig | YAMLConfig:
+    """
+    Load configuration data from a file based on its extension.
 
-        if "toml" in filename.suffix:
-            _conf = TomlConfig(data=data, path=filename)
-        elif "json" in filename.suffix:
-            _conf = JsonConfig(data=data, path=filename)
-        elif "yaml" in filename.suffix:
-            _conf = YAMLConfig(data=data, path=filename)
+    Args:
+        path (Path): The path to the configuration file.
 
-        if _conf.is_empty_config:
-            continue
-        else:
-            conf = _conf
-            break
+    Returns:
+        TomlConfig | JsonConfig | YAMLConfig: An instance of a configuration class
+        corresponding to the file's extension (TomlConfig for .toml, JsonConfig for .json,
+        or YAMLConfig for .yaml).
 
-    return conf
+    Raises:
+        ValueError: If the file extension is not one of the expected formats (toml, json, yaml).
+
+    Note:
+        We expect that any object in defaults.py -> config_files
+        definitely falls under the conditions above. Therefore,
+        this error may occur when using an arbitrary configuration file path.
+    """
+    _conf: TomlConfig | JsonConfig | YAMLConfig
+
+    with open(path, "rb") as f:
+        data: bytes = f.read()
+
+    if "toml" in path.suffix:
+        _conf = TomlConfig(data=data, path=path)
+    elif "json" in path.suffix:
+        _conf = JsonConfig(data=data, path=path)
+    elif "yaml" in path.suffix:
+        _conf = YAMLConfig(data=data, path=path)
+    else:
+        # We expect that any object in defaults.py -> config_files
+        # definitely falls under the conditions above. Therefore,
+        # this error may occur when using an arbitrary configuration file path.
+        raise InvalidConfigurationError(
+            "Config file should have a valid extension: toml, yaml or json"
+        )
+    return _conf
diff --git a/docs/README.md b/docs/README.md
index e7a589f40..45e95c2c2 100644
--- a/docs/README.md
+++ b/docs/README.md
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ Read more in the section [Getting Started](./getting_started.md).
 
 ```sh
 $ czp --help
-usage: czp [-h] [--debug] [-n NAME] [-nr NO_RAISE] {init,commit,c,ls,example,info,schema,bump,changelog,ch,check,version} ...
+usage: czp [-h] [--debug] [-n NAME] [-cf CONFIG_FILE] [-nr NO_RAISE] {init,commit,c,ls,example,info,schema,bump,changelog,ch,check,version} ...
 
 Commitizen is a cli tool to generate conventional commits.
 For more information about the topic go to https://conventionalcommits.org/
@@ -109,6 +109,8 @@ optional arguments:
   -h, --help            show this help message and exit
   --debug               use debug mode
   -n NAME, --name NAME  use the given commitizen (default: cz_conventional_commits)
+  -cf CONFIG_FILE, --config-file CONFIG_FILE
+                        configuration file path
   -nr NO_RAISE, --no-raise NO_RAISE
                         comma separated error codes that won't rise error, e.g: czp -nr 1,2,3 bump. See codes at https://commitizen-
                         tools.github.io/commitizen/exit_codes/
diff --git a/docs/config.md b/docs/config.md
index 391c20f0f..dab993f80 100644
--- a/docs/config.md
+++ b/docs/config.md
@@ -1,5 +1,105 @@
 # Configuration
 
+## Configuration file
+
+### pyproject.toml or .cz.toml
+
+Default and recommended configuration format for a project.
+For a **python** project, we recommend adding an entry to your `pyproject.toml`.
+You can also create a `.cz.toml` file at the root of your project folder.
+
+Example configuration:
+
+```toml
+[tool.commitizen]
+name = "cz_conventional_commits"
+version = "0.1.0"
+version_files = [
+    "src/__version__.py",
+    "pyproject.toml:version"
+]
+update_changelog_on_bump = true
+style = [
+    ["qmark", "fg:#ff9d00 bold"],
+    ["question", "bold"],
+    ["answer", "fg:#ff9d00 bold"],
+    ["pointer", "fg:#ff9d00 bold"],
+    ["highlighted", "fg:#ff9d00 bold"],
+    ["selected", "fg:#cc5454"],
+    ["separator", "fg:#cc5454"],
+    ["instruction", ""],
+    ["text", ""],
+    ["disabled", "fg:#858585 italic"]
+]
+```
+
+### .cz.json or cz.json
+
+Commitizen has support for JSON configuration. Recommended for `NodeJS` projects.
+
+```json
+{
+  "commitizen": {
+    "name": "cz_conventional_commits",
+    "version": "0.1.0",
+    "version_files": ["src/__version__.py", "pyproject.toml:version"],
+    "style": [
+      ["qmark", "fg:#ff9d00 bold"],
+      ["question", "bold"],
+      ["answer", "fg:#ff9d00 bold"],
+      ["pointer", "fg:#ff9d00 bold"],
+      ["highlighted", "fg:#ff9d00 bold"],
+      ["selected", "fg:#cc5454"],
+      ["separator", "fg:#cc5454"],
+      ["instruction", ""],
+      ["text", ""],
+      ["disabled", "fg:#858585 italic"]
+    ]
+  }
+}
+```
+
+### .cz.yaml or cz.yaml
+
+YAML configuration is supported by Commitizen. Recommended for `Go`, `ansible`, or even `helm` charts projects.
+
+```yaml
+commitizen:
+  name: cz_conventional_commits
+  version: 0.1.0
+  version_files:
+    - src/__version__.py
+    - pyproject.toml:version
+  style:
+    - - qmark
+      - fg:#ff9d00 bold
+    - - question
+      - bold
+    - - answer
+      - fg:#ff9d00 bold
+    - - pointer
+      - fg:#ff9d00 bold
+    - - highlighted
+      - fg:#ff9d00 bold
+    - - selected
+      - fg:#cc5454
+    - - separator
+      - fg:#cc5454
+    - - instruction
+      - ""
+    - - text
+      - ""
+    - - disabled
+      - fg:#858585 italic
+```
+
+### Custom file path 
+
+It is possible to specify custom path to the config file by using `-cf`/`--config-file` argument.
+```cz -cf mics/cz.yaml```
+
+Note: file should have a valid extension (toml/json/yaml).
+
 ## Settings
 
 ### `name`
@@ -216,99 +316,6 @@ Default: `{}`
 
 Provide extra variables to the changelog template. [Read more][template-customization]
 
-## Configuration file
-
-### pyproject.toml or .cz.toml
-
-Default and recommended configuration format for a project.
-For a **python** project, we recommend adding an entry to your `pyproject.toml`.
-You can also create a `.cz.toml` file at the root of your project folder.
-
-Example configuration:
-
-```toml
-[tool.commitizen]
-name = "cz_conventional_commits"
-version = "0.1.0"
-version_files = [
-    "src/__version__.py",
-    "pyproject.toml:version"
-]
-update_changelog_on_bump = true
-style = [
-    ["qmark", "fg:#ff9d00 bold"],
-    ["question", "bold"],
-    ["answer", "fg:#ff9d00 bold"],
-    ["pointer", "fg:#ff9d00 bold"],
-    ["highlighted", "fg:#ff9d00 bold"],
-    ["selected", "fg:#cc5454"],
-    ["separator", "fg:#cc5454"],
-    ["instruction", ""],
-    ["text", ""],
-    ["disabled", "fg:#858585 italic"]
-]
-```
-
-### .cz.json or cz.json
-
-Commitizen has support for JSON configuration. Recommended for `NodeJS` projects.
-
-```json
-{
-  "commitizen": {
-    "name": "cz_conventional_commits",
-    "version": "0.1.0",
-    "version_files": ["src/__version__.py", "pyproject.toml:version"],
-    "style": [
-      ["qmark", "fg:#ff9d00 bold"],
-      ["question", "bold"],
-      ["answer", "fg:#ff9d00 bold"],
-      ["pointer", "fg:#ff9d00 bold"],
-      ["highlighted", "fg:#ff9d00 bold"],
-      ["selected", "fg:#cc5454"],
-      ["separator", "fg:#cc5454"],
-      ["instruction", ""],
-      ["text", ""],
-      ["disabled", "fg:#858585 italic"]
-    ]
-  }
-}
-```
-
-### .cz.yaml or cz.yaml
-
-YAML configuration is supported by Commitizen. Recommended for `Go`, `ansible`, or even `helm` charts projects.
-
-```yaml
-commitizen:
-  name: cz_conventional_commits
-  version: 0.1.0
-  version_files:
-    - src/__version__.py
-    - pyproject.toml:version
-  style:
-    - - qmark
-      - fg:#ff9d00 bold
-    - - question
-      - bold
-    - - answer
-      - fg:#ff9d00 bold
-    - - pointer
-      - fg:#ff9d00 bold
-    - - highlighted
-      - fg:#ff9d00 bold
-    - - selected
-      - fg:#cc5454
-    - - separator
-      - fg:#cc5454
-    - - instruction
-      - ""
-    - - text
-      - ""
-    - - disabled
-      - fg:#858585 italic
-```
-
 ## Version providers
 
 Commitizen can read and write version from different sources.
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 8ff83c5cb..8bc5e74fa 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -136,6 +136,7 @@ build-backend = "poetry.core.masonry.api"
 
 [tool.pytest.ini_options]
 addopts = "--strict-markers"
+markers = ["czplus"]
 
 [tool.ruff]
 line-length = 88
diff --git a/tests/test_cli.py b/tests/test_cli.py
index 93f6c16dd..883eab4ff 100644
--- a/tests/test_cli.py
+++ b/tests/test_cli.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
     NoCommandFoundError,
     NotAGitProjectError,
     InvalidCommandArgumentError,
+    InvalidConfigurationError,
 )
 
 
@@ -172,3 +173,11 @@ def test_unknown_args_before_double_dash_raises(mocker: MockFixture):
     assert "Invalid commitizen arguments were found before -- separator" in str(
         excinfo.value
     )
+
+
+@pytest.mark.czplus
+def test_pass_custom_config(mocker: MockFixture):
+    test_args = ["cz", "-cf", "file.toml", "example"]
+    mocker.patch.object(sys, "argv", test_args)
+    with pytest.raises(InvalidConfigurationError, match="File file.toml not exists."):
+        cli.main()
diff --git a/tests/test_conf.py b/tests/test_conf.py
index dcac8e015..d580d84ec 100644
--- a/tests/test_conf.py
+++ b/tests/test_conf.py
@@ -217,3 +217,35 @@ def test_init_with_invalid_content(self, tmpdir):
 
         with pytest.raises(InvalidConfigurationError, match=r"\.cz\.yaml"):
             config.YAMLConfig(data=existing_content, path=path)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.czplus
+class TestCustomFileConfig:
+    @pytest.fixture
+    def empty_files_manager(self, request, tmpdir):
+        with tmpdir.as_cwd():
+            with open(request.param, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
+                f.write("")
+            yield
+
+    def test_custom_file_not_exist(self):
+        with pytest.raises(InvalidConfigurationError, match=".*not exists.*"):
+            config.read_cfg(cfg_path=Path("file.yaml"))
+
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("empty_files_manager", ["file.toml"], indirect=True)
+    def test_custom_file_is_empty_config(self, empty_files_manager):
+        with pytest.raises(InvalidConfigurationError, match=".*Fill it.*"):
+            config.read_cfg(cfg_path=Path("file.toml"))
+
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("empty_files_manager", ["file.txt"], indirect=True)
+    def test_load_config_from_file_incorrect_extension(self, empty_files_manager):
+        assert Path("file.txt").exists()
+        with pytest.raises(
+            InvalidConfigurationError, match=".*should have a valid extension.*"
+        ):
+            config._load_config_from_file(path=Path("file.txt"))
+
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("config_files_manager", ["file.toml"], indirect=True)
+    def test_load_config_from_custom_file(self, config_files_manager):
+        cfg = config.read_cfg(cfg_path=Path("file.toml"))
+        assert cfg.settings == _settings