diff --git a/Lib/test/test_csv.py b/Lib/test/test_csv.py
index 2411a91110dd..a1e050acd2a0 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_csv.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_csv.py
@@ -1237,6 +1237,9 @@ def test__all__(self):
         extra = {'__doc__', '__version__'}
         support.check__all__(self, csv, ('csv', '_csv'), extra=extra)
 
+    def test_subclassable(self):
+        # issue 44089
+        class Foo(csv.Error): ...
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     unittest.main()
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2021-05-09-22-52-34.bpo-44089.IoANsN.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2021-05-09-22-52-34.bpo-44089.IoANsN.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..b9bd963582fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2021-05-09-22-52-34.bpo-44089.IoANsN.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Allow subclassing ``csv.Error`` in 3.10 (it was allowed in 3.9 and earlier but
+was disallowed in early versions of 3.10).
diff --git a/Modules/_csv.c b/Modules/_csv.c
index cade1ca9d47f..bdb67fdb4876 100644
--- a/Modules/_csv.c
+++ b/Modules/_csv.c
@@ -1515,7 +1515,7 @@ static PyType_Slot error_slots[] = {
 
 PyType_Spec error_spec = {
     .name = "_csv.Error",
-    .flags = Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT,
+    .flags = Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT | Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE,
     .slots = error_slots,
 };