diff --git a/src/cdk/a11y/BUILD.bazel b/src/cdk/a11y/BUILD.bazel
index 2b683c2ea75e..992b525d754d 100644
--- a/src/cdk/a11y/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/src/cdk/a11y/BUILD.bazel
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ ng_test_library(
         "//src/cdk/keycodes",
         "//src/cdk/observers",
         "//src/cdk/platform",
+        "//src/cdk/portal",
         "//src/cdk/testing/private",
         "@npm//@angular/platform-browser",
         "@npm//rxjs",
diff --git a/src/cdk/a11y/focus-trap/focus-trap.spec.ts b/src/cdk/a11y/focus-trap/focus-trap.spec.ts
index b0ec9a9a317c..fc49b2f1dbb8 100644
--- a/src/cdk/a11y/focus-trap/focus-trap.spec.ts
+++ b/src/cdk/a11y/focus-trap/focus-trap.spec.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import {Platform} from '@angular/cdk/platform';
-import {Component, ViewChild} from '@angular/core';
+import {Component, ViewChild, TemplateRef, ViewContainerRef} from '@angular/core';
 import {async, ComponentFixture, TestBed} from '@angular/core/testing';
+import {PortalModule, CdkPortalOutlet, TemplatePortal} from '@angular/cdk/portal';
 import {A11yModule, FocusTrap, CdkTrapFocus} from '../index';
 
 
@@ -8,7 +9,7 @@ describe('FocusTrap', () => {
 
   beforeEach(async(() => {
     TestBed.configureTestingModule({
-      imports: [A11yModule],
+      imports: [A11yModule, PortalModule],
       declarations: [
         FocusTrapWithBindings,
         SimpleFocusTrap,
@@ -17,6 +18,7 @@ describe('FocusTrap', () => {
         FocusTrapWithoutFocusableElements,
         FocusTrapWithAutoCapture,
         FocusTrapUnfocusableTarget,
+        FocusTrapInsidePortal,
       ],
     });
 
@@ -187,6 +189,27 @@ describe('FocusTrap', () => {
       });
     }));
   });
+
+  it('should put anchors inside the outlet when set at the root of a template portal', () => {
+    const fixture = TestBed.createComponent(FocusTrapInsidePortal);
+    const instance = fixture.componentInstance;
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+    const outlet: HTMLElement = fixture.nativeElement.querySelector('.portal-outlet');
+
+    expect(outlet.querySelectorAll('button').length)
+      .toBe(0, 'Expected no buttons inside the outlet on init.');
+    expect(outlet.querySelectorAll('.cdk-focus-trap-anchor').length)
+      .toBe(0, 'Expected no focus trap anchors inside the outlet on init.');
+
+    const portal = new TemplatePortal(instance.template, instance.viewContainerRef);
+    instance.portalOutlet.attachTemplatePortal(portal);
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+
+    expect(outlet.querySelectorAll('button').length)
+      .toBe(1, 'Expected one button inside the outlet after attaching.');
+    expect(outlet.querySelectorAll('.cdk-focus-trap-anchor').length)
+      .toBe(2, 'Expected two focus trap anchors in the outlet after attaching.');
+  });
 });
 
 
@@ -283,3 +306,24 @@ class FocusTrapWithSvg {
 class FocusTrapWithoutFocusableElements {
   @ViewChild(CdkTrapFocus) focusTrapDirective: CdkTrapFocus;
 }
+
+
+@Component({
+  template: `
+  <div class="portal-outlet">
+    <ng-template cdkPortalOutlet></ng-template>
+  </div>
+
+  <ng-template #template>
+    <div cdkTrapFocus>
+      <button>Click me</button>
+    </div>
+  </ng-template>
+  `,
+})
+class FocusTrapInsidePortal {
+  @ViewChild('template', {static: false}) template: TemplateRef<any>;
+  @ViewChild(CdkPortalOutlet, {static: false}) portalOutlet: CdkPortalOutlet;
+
+  constructor(public viewContainerRef: ViewContainerRef) {}
+}
diff --git a/src/cdk/portal/dom-portal-outlet.ts b/src/cdk/portal/dom-portal-outlet.ts
index 78ed0f3df2d8..b30f3bd110a5 100644
--- a/src/cdk/portal/dom-portal-outlet.ts
+++ b/src/cdk/portal/dom-portal-outlet.ts
@@ -83,7 +83,6 @@ export class DomPortalOutlet extends BasePortalOutlet {
   attachTemplatePortal<C>(portal: TemplatePortal<C>): EmbeddedViewRef<C> {
     let viewContainer = portal.viewContainerRef;
     let viewRef = viewContainer.createEmbeddedView(portal.templateRef, portal.context);
-    viewRef.detectChanges();
 
     // The method `createEmbeddedView` will add the view as a child of the viewContainer.
     // But for the DomPortalOutlet the view can be added everywhere in the DOM
@@ -91,6 +90,11 @@ export class DomPortalOutlet extends BasePortalOutlet {
     // re-append the existing root nodes.
     viewRef.rootNodes.forEach(rootNode => this.outletElement.appendChild(rootNode));
 
+    // Note that we want to detect changes after the nodes have been moved so that
+    // any directives inside the portal that are looking at the DOM inside a lifecycle
+    // hook won't be invoked too early.
+    viewRef.detectChanges();
+
     this.setDisposeFn((() => {
       let index = viewContainer.indexOf(viewRef);
       if (index !== -1) {
diff --git a/src/cdk/portal/portal.spec.ts b/src/cdk/portal/portal.spec.ts
index 58ef243d919f..aab283087043 100644
--- a/src/cdk/portal/portal.spec.ts
+++ b/src/cdk/portal/portal.spec.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ import {
   ViewChild,
   ViewChildren,
   ViewContainerRef,
+  Directive,
+  AfterViewInit,
 } from '@angular/core';
 import {ComponentFixture, inject, TestBed} from '@angular/core/testing';
 import {DomPortalOutlet} from './dom-portal-outlet';
@@ -404,7 +406,7 @@ describe('Portals', () => {
     let componentFactoryResolver: ComponentFactoryResolver;
     let someViewContainerRef: ViewContainerRef;
     let someInjector: Injector;
-    let someFixture: ComponentFixture<any>;
+    let someFixture: ComponentFixture<ArbitraryViewContainerRefComponent>;
     let someDomElement: HTMLElement;
     let host: DomPortalOutlet;
     let injector: Injector;
@@ -440,6 +442,19 @@ describe('Portals', () => {
       expect(someDomElement.innerHTML).toBe('');
     });
 
+    it('should move the DOM nodes before running change detection', () => {
+      someFixture.detectChanges();
+      let portal = new TemplatePortal(someFixture.componentInstance.template, someViewContainerRef);
+
+      host.attachTemplatePortal(portal);
+      someFixture.detectChanges();
+
+      expect(someFixture.componentInstance.saveParentNodeOnInit.parentOnViewInit)
+          .toBe(someDomElement);
+
+      host.dispose();
+    });
+
     it('should attach and detach a component portal with a given injector', () => {
       let fixture = TestBed.createComponent(ArbitraryViewContainerRefComponent);
       someViewContainerRef = fixture.componentInstance.viewContainerRef;
@@ -634,12 +649,38 @@ class PizzaMsg {
   constructor(@Optional() public snack: Chocolate) { }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Saves the parent node that the directive was attached to on init.
+ * Useful to see where the element was in the DOM when it was first attached.
+ */
+@Directive({
+  selector: '[savesParentNodeOnInit]'
+})
+class SaveParentNodeOnInit implements AfterViewInit {
+  parentOnViewInit: HTMLElement;
+
+  constructor(private _elementRef: ElementRef<HTMLElement>) {}
+
+  ngAfterViewInit() {
+    this.parentOnViewInit = this._elementRef.nativeElement.parentElement!;
+  }
+}
+
 /** Simple component to grab an arbitrary ViewContainerRef */
 @Component({
   selector: 'some-placeholder',
-  template: '<p>Hello</p>'
+  template: `
+    <p>Hello</p>
+
+    <ng-template #template>
+      <div savesParentNodeOnInit></div>
+    </ng-template>
+  `
 })
 class ArbitraryViewContainerRefComponent {
+  @ViewChild('template', {static: false}) template: TemplateRef<any>;
+  @ViewChild(SaveParentNodeOnInit, {static: false}) saveParentNodeOnInit: SaveParentNodeOnInit;
+
   constructor(public viewContainerRef: ViewContainerRef, public injector: Injector) { }
 }
 
@@ -731,7 +772,7 @@ const TEST_COMPONENTS = [
 @NgModule({
   imports: [CommonModule, PortalModule],
   exports: TEST_COMPONENTS,
-  declarations: TEST_COMPONENTS,
+  declarations: [...TEST_COMPONENTS, SaveParentNodeOnInit],
   entryComponents: TEST_COMPONENTS,
 })
 class PortalTestModule { }