diff --git a/include/linux/netdevice.h b/include/linux/netdevice.h
index 7a2aea56f195..1bfda90c2625 100644
--- a/include/linux/netdevice.h
+++ b/include/linux/netdevice.h
@@ -924,7 +924,12 @@ struct net_device {
 	       NETREG_UNREGISTERED,	/* completed unregister todo */
 	       NETREG_RELEASED,		/* called free_netdev */
 	       NETREG_DUMMY,		/* dummy device for NAPI poll */
-	} reg_state;
+	} reg_state:16;
+
+	enum {
+		RTNL_LINK_INITIALIZED,
+		RTNL_LINK_INITIALIZING,
+	} rtnl_link_state:16;
 
 	/* Called from unregister, can be used to call free_netdev */
 	void (*destructor)(struct net_device *dev);
diff --git a/net/core/dev.c b/net/core/dev.c
index eb7f1a4fefc6..75332b089529 100644
--- a/net/core/dev.c
+++ b/net/core/dev.c
@@ -4865,6 +4865,10 @@ static void rollback_registered_many(struct list_head *head)
 		*/
 		call_netdevice_notifiers(NETDEV_UNREGISTER, dev);
 
+		if (!dev->rtnl_link_ops ||
+		    dev->rtnl_link_state == RTNL_LINK_INITIALIZED)
+			rtmsg_ifinfo(RTM_DELLINK, dev, ~0U);
+
 		/*
 		 *	Flush the unicast and multicast chains
 		 */
@@ -5091,7 +5095,9 @@ int register_netdevice(struct net_device *dev)
 	 *	Prevent userspace races by waiting until the network
 	 *	device is fully setup before sending notifications.
 	 */
-	rtmsg_ifinfo(RTM_NEWLINK, dev, ~0U);
+	if (!dev->rtnl_link_ops ||
+	    dev->rtnl_link_state == RTNL_LINK_INITIALIZED)
+		rtmsg_ifinfo(RTM_NEWLINK, dev, ~0U);
 
 out:
 	return ret;
diff --git a/net/core/rtnetlink.c b/net/core/rtnetlink.c
index b7c7dfd86507..020e43bfef5f 100644
--- a/net/core/rtnetlink.c
+++ b/net/core/rtnetlink.c
@@ -1425,9 +1425,6 @@ static int rtnetlink_event(struct notifier_block *this, unsigned long event, voi
 	struct net_device *dev = ptr;
 
 	switch (event) {
-	case NETDEV_UNREGISTER:
-		rtmsg_ifinfo(RTM_DELLINK, dev, ~0U);
-		break;
 	case NETDEV_UP:
 	case NETDEV_DOWN:
 		rtmsg_ifinfo(RTM_NEWLINK, dev, IFF_UP|IFF_RUNNING);
@@ -1437,6 +1434,7 @@ static int rtnetlink_event(struct notifier_block *this, unsigned long event, voi
 	case NETDEV_REGISTER:
 	case NETDEV_CHANGE:
 	case NETDEV_GOING_DOWN:
+	case NETDEV_UNREGISTER:
 	case NETDEV_UNREGISTER_BATCH:
 		break;
 	default: