diff --git a/python/pylance/__init__.py b/python/pylance/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1e542f1e11d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/pylance/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+import pyarrow.dataset as ds
+from pylance.lib import LanceFileFormat
+
+
+def dataset(uri: str):
+    """
+    Create an Arrow Dataset from the given lance uri.
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    uri: str
+        The uri to the lance data
+    """
+    fmt = LanceFileFormat()
+    return ds.dataset(uri, format=fmt)
diff --git a/python/pylance/_lib.pyx b/python/pylance/_lib.pyx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6161d5d9a5d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/pylance/_lib.pyx
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+from libcpp.memory cimport shared_ptr
+from pyarrow.includes.libarrow_dataset cimport CFileFormat
+from pyarrow._dataset cimport FileFormat
+
+
+cdef extern from "lance/arrow/file_lance.h" namespace "lance" nogil:
+
+    cdef cppclass CLanceFileFormat "::lance::arrow::LanceFileFormat"(
+            CFileFormat):
+        pass
+
+
+cdef class LanceFileFormat(FileFormat):
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.init(shared_ptr[CFileFormat](new CLanceFileFormat()))
+
+    def equals(self, LanceFileFormat other):
+        return True
+
+    @property
+    def default_extname(self):
+        return "lance"
+
+    def __reduce__(self):
+        return LanceFileFormat, tuple()
+