diff --git a/Documentation/driver-api/vfio.rst b/Documentation/driver-api/vfio.rst
index f1a4d3c3ba0bb1..d3a02300913a7f 100644
--- a/Documentation/driver-api/vfio.rst
+++ b/Documentation/driver-api/vfio.rst
@@ -249,18 +249,23 @@ VFIO bus driver API
 
 VFIO bus drivers, such as vfio-pci make use of only a few interfaces
 into VFIO core.  When devices are bound and unbound to the driver,
-the driver should call vfio_add_group_dev() and vfio_del_group_dev()
-respectively::
-
-	extern int vfio_add_group_dev(struct device *dev,
-				      const struct vfio_device_ops *ops,
-				      void *device_data);
-
-	extern void *vfio_del_group_dev(struct device *dev);
-
-vfio_add_group_dev() indicates to the core to begin tracking the
-iommu_group of the specified dev and register the dev as owned by
-a VFIO bus driver.  The driver provides an ops structure for callbacks
+the driver should call vfio_register_group_dev() and
+vfio_unregister_group_dev() respectively::
+
+	void vfio_init_group_dev(struct vfio_device *device,
+				struct device *dev,
+				const struct vfio_device_ops *ops,
+				void *device_data);
+	int vfio_register_group_dev(struct vfio_device *device);
+	void vfio_unregister_group_dev(struct vfio_device *device);
+
+The driver should embed the vfio_device in its own structure and call
+vfio_init_group_dev() to pre-configure it before going to registration.
+vfio_register_group_dev() indicates to the core to begin tracking the
+iommu_group of the specified dev and register the dev as owned by a VFIO bus
+driver. Once vfio_register_group_dev() returns it is possible for userspace to
+start accessing the driver, thus the driver should ensure it is completely
+ready before calling it. The driver provides an ops structure for callbacks
 similar to a file operations structure::
 
 	struct vfio_device_ops {
@@ -276,7 +281,7 @@ similar to a file operations structure::
 	};
 
 Each function is passed the device_data that was originally registered
-in the vfio_add_group_dev() call above.  This allows the bus driver
+in the vfio_register_group_dev() call above.  This allows the bus driver
 an easy place to store its opaque, private data.  The open/release
 callbacks are issued when a new file descriptor is created for a
 device (via VFIO_GROUP_GET_DEVICE_FD).  The ioctl interface provides
diff --git a/drivers/vfio/vfio.c b/drivers/vfio/vfio.c
index 04e24248e77f50..cfa06ae3b9018b 100644
--- a/drivers/vfio/vfio.c
+++ b/drivers/vfio/vfio.c
@@ -89,16 +89,6 @@ struct vfio_group {
 	struct blocking_notifier_head	notifier;
 };
 
-struct vfio_device {
-	refcount_t			refcount;
-	struct completion		comp;
-	struct device			*dev;
-	const struct vfio_device_ops	*ops;
-	struct vfio_group		*group;
-	struct list_head		group_next;
-	void				*device_data;
-};
-
 #ifdef CONFIG_VFIO_NOIOMMU
 static bool noiommu __read_mostly;
 module_param_named(enable_unsafe_noiommu_mode,
@@ -532,40 +522,6 @@ static struct vfio_group *vfio_group_get_from_dev(struct device *dev)
 /**
  * Device objects - create, release, get, put, search
  */
-static
-struct vfio_device *vfio_group_create_device(struct vfio_group *group,
-					     struct device *dev,
-					     const struct vfio_device_ops *ops,
-					     void *device_data)
-{
-	struct vfio_device *device;
-
-	device = kzalloc(sizeof(*device), GFP_KERNEL);
-	if (!device)
-		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
-
-	refcount_set(&device->refcount, 1);
-	init_completion(&device->comp);
-	device->dev = dev;
-	device->group = group;
-	device->ops = ops;
-	device->device_data = device_data;
-	dev_set_drvdata(dev, device);
-
-	/*
-	 * No need to get group_lock, caller has group reference, matching put
-	 * is in vfio_del_group_dev()
-	 */
-	vfio_group_get(group);
-
-	mutex_lock(&group->device_lock);
-	list_add(&device->group_next, &group->device_list);
-	group->dev_counter++;
-	mutex_unlock(&group->device_lock);
-
-	return device;
-}
-
 /* Device reference always implies a group reference */
 void vfio_device_put(struct vfio_device *device)
 {
@@ -784,14 +740,23 @@ static int vfio_iommu_group_notifier(struct notifier_block *nb,
 /**
  * VFIO driver API
  */
-int vfio_add_group_dev(struct device *dev,
-		       const struct vfio_device_ops *ops, void *device_data)
+void vfio_init_group_dev(struct vfio_device *device, struct device *dev,
+			 const struct vfio_device_ops *ops, void *device_data)
 {
+	init_completion(&device->comp);
+	device->dev = dev;
+	device->ops = ops;
+	device->device_data = device_data;
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(vfio_init_group_dev);
+
+int vfio_register_group_dev(struct vfio_device *device)
+{
+	struct vfio_device *existing_device;
 	struct iommu_group *iommu_group;
 	struct vfio_group *group;
-	struct vfio_device *device;
 
-	iommu_group = iommu_group_get(dev);
+	iommu_group = iommu_group_get(device->dev);
 	if (!iommu_group)
 		return -EINVAL;
 
@@ -810,30 +775,51 @@ int vfio_add_group_dev(struct device *dev,
 		iommu_group_put(iommu_group);
 	}
 
-	device = vfio_group_get_device(group, dev);
-	if (device) {
-		dev_WARN(dev, "Device already exists on group %d\n",
+	existing_device = vfio_group_get_device(group, device->dev);
+	if (existing_device) {
+		dev_WARN(device->dev, "Device already exists on group %d\n",
 			 iommu_group_id(iommu_group));
-		vfio_device_put(device);
+		vfio_device_put(existing_device);
 		vfio_group_put(group);
 		return -EBUSY;
 	}
 
-	device = vfio_group_create_device(group, dev, ops, device_data);
-	if (IS_ERR(device)) {
-		vfio_group_put(group);
-		return PTR_ERR(device);
-	}
+	/* Our reference on group is moved to the device */
+	device->group = group;
 
-	/*
-	 * Drop all but the vfio_device reference.  The vfio_device holds
-	 * a reference to the vfio_group, which holds a reference to the
-	 * iommu_group.
-	 */
-	vfio_group_put(group);
+	/* Refcounting can't start until the driver calls register */
+	refcount_set(&device->refcount, 1);
+
+	mutex_lock(&group->device_lock);
+	list_add(&device->group_next, &group->device_list);
+	group->dev_counter++;
+	mutex_unlock(&group->device_lock);
 
 	return 0;
 }
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(vfio_register_group_dev);
+
+int vfio_add_group_dev(struct device *dev, const struct vfio_device_ops *ops,
+		       void *device_data)
+{
+	struct vfio_device *device;
+	int ret;
+
+	device = kzalloc(sizeof(*device), GFP_KERNEL);
+	if (!device)
+		return -ENOMEM;
+
+	vfio_init_group_dev(device, dev, ops, device_data);
+	ret = vfio_register_group_dev(device);
+	if (ret)
+		goto err_kfree;
+	dev_set_drvdata(dev, device);
+	return 0;
+
+err_kfree:
+	kfree(device);
+	return ret;
+}
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(vfio_add_group_dev);
 
 /**
@@ -900,11 +886,9 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(vfio_device_data);
 /*
  * Decrement the device reference count and wait for the device to be
  * removed.  Open file descriptors for the device... */
-void *vfio_del_group_dev(struct device *dev)
+void vfio_unregister_group_dev(struct vfio_device *device)
 {
-	struct vfio_device *device = dev_get_drvdata(dev);
 	struct vfio_group *group = device->group;
-	void *device_data = device->device_data;
 	struct vfio_unbound_dev *unbound;
 	unsigned int i = 0;
 	bool interrupted = false;
@@ -921,7 +905,7 @@ void *vfio_del_group_dev(struct device *dev)
 	 */
 	unbound = kzalloc(sizeof(*unbound), GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (unbound) {
-		unbound->dev = dev;
+		unbound->dev = device->dev;
 		mutex_lock(&group->unbound_lock);
 		list_add(&unbound->unbound_next, &group->unbound_list);
 		mutex_unlock(&group->unbound_lock);
@@ -932,7 +916,7 @@ void *vfio_del_group_dev(struct device *dev)
 	rc = try_wait_for_completion(&device->comp);
 	while (rc <= 0) {
 		if (device->ops->request)
-			device->ops->request(device_data, i++);
+			device->ops->request(device->device_data, i++);
 
 		if (interrupted) {
 			rc = wait_for_completion_timeout(&device->comp,
@@ -942,7 +926,7 @@ void *vfio_del_group_dev(struct device *dev)
 				&device->comp, HZ * 10);
 			if (rc < 0) {
 				interrupted = true;
-				dev_warn(dev,
+				dev_warn(device->dev,
 					 "Device is currently in use, task"
 					 " \"%s\" (%d) "
 					 "blocked until device is released",
@@ -975,9 +959,17 @@ void *vfio_del_group_dev(struct device *dev)
 
 	/* Matches the get in vfio_group_create_device() */
 	vfio_group_put(group);
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(vfio_unregister_group_dev);
+
+void *vfio_del_group_dev(struct device *dev)
+{
+	struct vfio_device *device = dev_get_drvdata(dev);
+	void *device_data = device->device_data;
+
+	vfio_unregister_group_dev(device);
 	dev_set_drvdata(dev, NULL);
 	kfree(device);
-
 	return device_data;
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(vfio_del_group_dev);
diff --git a/include/linux/vfio.h b/include/linux/vfio.h
index b7e18bde5aa8b3..ad8b579d67d34a 100644
--- a/include/linux/vfio.h
+++ b/include/linux/vfio.h
@@ -15,6 +15,18 @@
 #include <linux/poll.h>
 #include <uapi/linux/vfio.h>
 
+struct vfio_device {
+	struct device *dev;
+	const struct vfio_device_ops *ops;
+	struct vfio_group *group;
+
+	/* Members below here are private, not for driver use */
+	refcount_t refcount;
+	struct completion comp;
+	struct list_head group_next;
+	void *device_data;
+};
+
 /**
  * struct vfio_device_ops - VFIO bus driver device callbacks
  *
@@ -48,11 +60,15 @@ struct vfio_device_ops {
 extern struct iommu_group *vfio_iommu_group_get(struct device *dev);
 extern void vfio_iommu_group_put(struct iommu_group *group, struct device *dev);
 
+void vfio_init_group_dev(struct vfio_device *device, struct device *dev,
+			 const struct vfio_device_ops *ops, void *device_data);
+int vfio_register_group_dev(struct vfio_device *device);
 extern int vfio_add_group_dev(struct device *dev,
 			      const struct vfio_device_ops *ops,
 			      void *device_data);
 
 extern void *vfio_del_group_dev(struct device *dev);
+void vfio_unregister_group_dev(struct vfio_device *device);
 extern struct vfio_device *vfio_device_get_from_dev(struct device *dev);
 extern void vfio_device_put(struct vfio_device *device);
 extern void *vfio_device_data(struct vfio_device *device);
