diff --git a/drivers/infiniband/core/core_priv.h b/drivers/infiniband/core/core_priv.h
index 1b2575430032..cc7535c5e192 100644
--- a/drivers/infiniband/core/core_priv.h
+++ b/drivers/infiniband/core/core_priv.h
@@ -267,6 +267,7 @@ static inline int ib_mad_enforce_security(struct ib_mad_agent_private *map,
 #endif
 
 struct ib_device *ib_device_get_by_index(u32 ifindex);
+void ib_device_put(struct ib_device *device);
 /* RDMA device netlink */
 void nldev_init(void);
 void nldev_exit(void);
diff --git a/drivers/infiniband/core/device.c b/drivers/infiniband/core/device.c
index 87eb4f2cdd7d..0027b0d79b09 100644
--- a/drivers/infiniband/core/device.c
+++ b/drivers/infiniband/core/device.c
@@ -145,7 +145,8 @@ static struct ib_device *__ib_device_get_by_index(u32 index)
 }
 
 /*
- * Caller is responsible to return refrerence count by calling put_device()
+ * Caller must perform ib_device_put() to return the device reference count
+ * when ib_device_get_by_index() returns valid device pointer.
  */
 struct ib_device *ib_device_get_by_index(u32 index)
 {
@@ -153,13 +154,21 @@ struct ib_device *ib_device_get_by_index(u32 index)
 
 	down_read(&lists_rwsem);
 	device = __ib_device_get_by_index(index);
-	if (device)
-		get_device(&device->dev);
-
+	if (device) {
+		/* Do not return a device if unregistration has started. */
+		if (!refcount_inc_not_zero(&device->refcount))
+			device = NULL;
+	}
 	up_read(&lists_rwsem);
 	return device;
 }
 
+void ib_device_put(struct ib_device *device)
+{
+	if (refcount_dec_and_test(&device->refcount))
+		complete(&device->unreg_completion);
+}
+
 static struct ib_device *__ib_device_get_by_name(const char *name)
 {
 	struct ib_device *device;
@@ -293,6 +302,8 @@ struct ib_device *ib_alloc_device(size_t size)
 	rwlock_init(&device->client_data_lock);
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&device->client_data_list);
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&device->port_list);
+	refcount_set(&device->refcount, 1);
+	init_completion(&device->unreg_completion);
 
 	return device;
 }
@@ -641,6 +652,13 @@ void ib_unregister_device(struct ib_device *device)
 	struct ib_client_data *context, *tmp;
 	unsigned long flags;
 
+	/*
+	 * Wait for all netlink command callers to finish working on the
+	 * device.
+	 */
+	ib_device_put(device);
+	wait_for_completion(&device->unreg_completion);
+
 	mutex_lock(&device_mutex);
 
 	down_write(&lists_rwsem);
diff --git a/drivers/infiniband/core/nldev.c b/drivers/infiniband/core/nldev.c
index 573399e3ccc1..63cc74483188 100644
--- a/drivers/infiniband/core/nldev.c
+++ b/drivers/infiniband/core/nldev.c
@@ -636,13 +636,13 @@ static int nldev_get_doit(struct sk_buff *skb, struct nlmsghdr *nlh,
 
 	nlmsg_end(msg, nlh);
 
-	put_device(&device->dev);
+	ib_device_put(device);
 	return rdma_nl_unicast(msg, NETLINK_CB(skb).portid);
 
 err_free:
 	nlmsg_free(msg);
 err:
-	put_device(&device->dev);
+	ib_device_put(device);
 	return err;
 }
 
@@ -672,7 +672,7 @@ static int nldev_set_doit(struct sk_buff *skb, struct nlmsghdr *nlh,
 		err = ib_device_rename(device, name);
 	}
 
-	put_device(&device->dev);
+	ib_device_put(device);
 	return err;
 }
 
@@ -756,14 +756,14 @@ static int nldev_port_get_doit(struct sk_buff *skb, struct nlmsghdr *nlh,
 		goto err_free;
 
 	nlmsg_end(msg, nlh);
-	put_device(&device->dev);
+	ib_device_put(device);
 
 	return rdma_nl_unicast(msg, NETLINK_CB(skb).portid);
 
 err_free:
 	nlmsg_free(msg);
 err:
-	put_device(&device->dev);
+	ib_device_put(device);
 	return err;
 }
 
@@ -820,7 +820,7 @@ static int nldev_port_get_dumpit(struct sk_buff *skb,
 	}
 
 out:
-	put_device(&device->dev);
+	ib_device_put(device);
 	cb->args[0] = idx;
 	return skb->len;
 }
@@ -859,13 +859,13 @@ static int nldev_res_get_doit(struct sk_buff *skb, struct nlmsghdr *nlh,
 		goto err_free;
 
 	nlmsg_end(msg, nlh);
-	put_device(&device->dev);
+	ib_device_put(device);
 	return rdma_nl_unicast(msg, NETLINK_CB(skb).portid);
 
 err_free:
 	nlmsg_free(msg);
 err:
-	put_device(&device->dev);
+	ib_device_put(device);
 	return ret;
 }
 
@@ -1058,7 +1058,7 @@ next:		idx++;
 	if (!filled)
 		goto err;
 
-	put_device(&device->dev);
+	ib_device_put(device);
 	return skb->len;
 
 res_err:
@@ -1069,7 +1069,7 @@ next:		idx++;
 	nlmsg_cancel(skb, nlh);
 
 err_index:
-	put_device(&device->dev);
+	ib_device_put(device);
 	return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/include/rdma/ib_verbs.h b/include/rdma/ib_verbs.h
index 1af7bf34c04c..ee8a6008e222 100644
--- a/include/rdma/ib_verbs.h
+++ b/include/rdma/ib_verbs.h
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
 #include <linux/string.h>
 #include <linux/slab.h>
 #include <linux/netdevice.h>
-
+#include <linux/refcount.h>
 #include <linux/if_link.h>
 #include <linux/atomic.h>
 #include <linux/mmu_notifier.h>
@@ -2602,6 +2602,12 @@ struct ib_device {
 
 	const struct uapi_definition   *driver_def;
 	enum rdma_driver_id		driver_id;
+	/*
+	 * Provides synchronization between device unregistration and netlink
+	 * commands on a device. To be used only by core.
+	 */
+	refcount_t refcount;
+	struct completion unreg_completion;
 };
 
 struct ib_client {