diff --git a/src/entry.ts b/src/entry.ts
index c3abae5f..d3748425 100644
--- a/src/entry.ts
+++ b/src/entry.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,12 @@
 const EventId = require('eventid');
 import * as extend from 'extend';
 import {google} from '../protos/protos';
-import {objToStruct, structToObj, zuluToDateObj} from './utils/common';
+import {
+  objToStruct,
+  structToObj,
+  zuluToDateObj,
+  toNanosAndSecondsObj,
+} from './utils/common';
 import {
   makeHttpRequestData,
   CloudLoggingHttpRequest,
@@ -75,7 +80,9 @@ export interface StructuredJson {
   // Universally supported properties
   message?: string | object;
   httpRequest?: object;
-  timestamp?: string;
+  // Based on https://cloud.google.com/logging/docs/agent/logging/configuration#timestamp-processing, the
+  // timestamp should be in nanos and seconds format.
+  timestamp?: Timestamp;
   [INSERT_ID_KEY]?: string;
   [OPERATION_KEY]?: object;
   [SOURCE_LOCATION_KEY]?: object;
@@ -214,12 +221,7 @@ class Entry {
     }
     // Format log timestamp
     if (entry.timestamp instanceof Date) {
-      const seconds = entry.timestamp.getTime() / 1000;
-      const secondsRounded = Math.floor(seconds);
-      entry.timestamp = {
-        seconds: secondsRounded,
-        nanos: Math.floor((seconds - secondsRounded) * 1e9),
-      };
+      entry.timestamp = toNanosAndSecondsObj(entry.timestamp);
     } else if (typeof entry.timestamp === 'string') {
       entry.timestamp = zuluToDateObj(entry.timestamp);
     }
@@ -300,7 +302,7 @@ class Entry {
     }
     // Format timestamp
     if (meta.timestamp instanceof Date) {
-      entry.timestamp = meta.timestamp.toISOString();
+      entry.timestamp = toNanosAndSecondsObj(meta.timestamp);
     }
     // Format httprequest
     const req = meta.httpRequest;
diff --git a/src/utils/common.ts b/src/utils/common.ts
index ee05d3ff..9e3f8470 100644
--- a/src/utils/common.ts
+++ b/src/utils/common.ts
@@ -243,3 +243,17 @@ export function zuluToDateObj(zuluTime: string) {
     nanos: nanoSecs ? Number(nanoSecs.padEnd(9, '0')) : 0,
   };
 }
+
+/**
+ * Converts Date to nanoseconds format suported by Logging.
+ * See https://cloud.google.com/logging/docs/agent/logging/configuration#timestamp-processing for more details
+ * @param date The date to be converted to Logging nanos and seconds format
+ */
+export function toNanosAndSecondsObj(date: Date) {
+  const seconds = date.getTime() / 1000;
+  const secondsRounded = Math.floor(seconds);
+  return {
+    seconds: secondsRounded,
+    nanos: Math.floor((seconds - secondsRounded) * 1e9),
+  };
+}
diff --git a/src/utils/instrumentation.ts b/src/utils/instrumentation.ts
index c99b08e7..6a6809de 100644
--- a/src/utils/instrumentation.ts
+++ b/src/utils/instrumentation.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 
 import arrify = require('arrify');
 import path = require('path');
-import {google} from '../../protos/protos';
 import {Entry} from '../entry';
 
 // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
@@ -95,25 +94,20 @@ export function createDiagnosticEntry(
   if (!libraryName || !libraryName.startsWith(NODEJS_LIBRARY_NAME_PREFIX)) {
     libraryName = NODEJS_LIBRARY_NAME_PREFIX;
   }
-  const entry = new Entry(
-    {
-      severity: google.logging.type.LogSeverity.INFO,
+  const entry = new Entry(undefined, {
+    [DIAGNOSTIC_INFO_KEY]: {
+      [INSTRUMENTATION_SOURCE_KEY]: [
+        {
+          // Truncate libraryName and libraryVersion if more than 14 characters length
+          name: truncateValue(libraryName, maxDiagnosticValueLen),
+          version: truncateValue(
+            libraryVersion ?? getNodejsLibraryVersion(),
+            maxDiagnosticValueLen
+          ),
+        },
+      ],
     },
-    {
-      [DIAGNOSTIC_INFO_KEY]: {
-        [INSTRUMENTATION_SOURCE_KEY]: [
-          {
-            // Truncate libraryName and libraryVersion if more than 14 characters length
-            name: truncateValue(libraryName, maxDiagnosticValueLen),
-            version: truncateValue(
-              libraryVersion ?? getNodejsLibraryVersion(),
-              maxDiagnosticValueLen
-            ),
-          },
-        ],
-      },
-    }
-  );
+  });
   return entry;
 }
 
diff --git a/test/entry.ts b/test/entry.ts
index af458dd0..0fd86e58 100644
--- a/test/entry.ts
+++ b/test/entry.ts
@@ -56,6 +56,14 @@ function withinExpectedTimeBoundaries(result?: Date): boolean {
   return false;
 }
 
+function nanosAndSecondsToDate(timestamp: entryTypes.Timestamp) {
+  // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
+  const seconds = (timestamp as any).seconds;
+  // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
+  const nanos = (timestamp as any).nanos;
+  return new Date(seconds * 1000 + nanos / 1e9);
+}
+
 describe('Entry', () => {
   // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
   let Entry: typeof entryTypes.Entry;
@@ -319,7 +327,9 @@ describe('Entry', () => {
       entry.metadata.traceSampled = false;
       entry.data = 'this is a log';
       const json = entry.toStructuredJSON();
-      assert(withinExpectedTimeBoundaries(new Date(json.timestamp!)));
+      assert(
+        withinExpectedTimeBoundaries(nanosAndSecondsToDate(json.timestamp!))
+      );
       delete json.timestamp;
       const expectedJSON = {
         [entryTypes.INSERT_ID_KEY]: '👀',
@@ -345,7 +355,9 @@ describe('Entry', () => {
     it('should convert a string timestamp', () => {
       entry.metadata.timestamp = new Date();
       const json = entry.toStructuredJSON();
-      assert(withinExpectedTimeBoundaries(new Date(json.timestamp!)));
+      assert(
+        withinExpectedTimeBoundaries(nanosAndSecondsToDate(json.timestamp!))
+      );
     });
 
     it('should convert a raw http to httprequest', () => {