diff --git a/hw/usb/ccid.h b/hw/usb/ccid.h
index 1f070116d6..6c6c10188d 100644
--- a/hw/usb/ccid.h
+++ b/hw/usb/ccid.h
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ typedef struct CCIDCardClass {
                             const uint8_t *apdu,
                             uint32_t len);
     void (*exitfn)(CCIDCardState *card);
-    int (*initfn)(CCIDCardState *card);
+    void (*realize)(CCIDCardState *card, Error **errp);
 } CCIDCardClass;
 
 /*
diff --git a/hw/usb/ccid-card-emulated.c b/hw/usb/ccid-card-emulated.c
index e646eb243b..daefd9f8f4 100644
--- a/hw/usb/ccid-card-emulated.c
+++ b/hw/usb/ccid-card-emulated.c
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 #include "qemu/thread.h"
 #include "qemu/main-loop.h"
 #include "ccid.h"
+#include "qapi/error.h"
 
 #define DPRINTF(card, lvl, fmt, ...) \
 do {\
@@ -401,10 +402,10 @@ static void card_event_handler(EventNotifier *notifier)
     qemu_mutex_unlock(&card->event_list_mutex);
 }
 
-static int init_event_notifier(EmulatedState *card)
+static int init_event_notifier(EmulatedState *card, Error **errp)
 {
     if (event_notifier_init(&card->notifier, false) < 0) {
-        DPRINTF(card, 2, "event notifier creation failed\n");
+        error_setg(errp, "ccid-card-emul: event notifier creation failed");
         return -1;
     }
     event_notifier_set_handler(&card->notifier, card_event_handler);
@@ -480,7 +481,7 @@ static uint32_t parse_enumeration(char *str,
     return ret;
 }
 
-static int emulated_initfn(CCIDCardState *base)
+static void emulated_realize(CCIDCardState *base, Error **errp)
 {
     EmulatedState *card = EMULATED_CCID_CARD(base);
     VCardEmulError ret;
@@ -494,8 +495,8 @@ static int emulated_initfn(CCIDCardState *base)
     qemu_cond_init(&card->handle_apdu_cond);
     card->reader = NULL;
     card->quit_apdu_thread = 0;
-    if (init_event_notifier(card) < 0) {
-        return -1;
+    if (init_event_notifier(card, errp) < 0) {
+        return;
     }
 
     card->backend = 0;
@@ -505,11 +506,11 @@ static int emulated_initfn(CCIDCardState *base)
     }
 
     if (card->backend == 0) {
-        printf("backend must be one of:\n");
+        error_setg(errp, "backend must be one of:");
         for (ptable = backend_enum_table; ptable->name != NULL; ++ptable) {
-            printf("%s\n", ptable->name);
+            error_append_hint(errp, "%s\n", ptable->name);
         }
-        return -1;
+        return;
     }
 
     /* TODO: a passthru backened that works on local machine. third card type?*/
@@ -517,34 +518,33 @@ static int emulated_initfn(CCIDCardState *base)
         if (card->cert1 != NULL && card->cert2 != NULL && card->cert3 != NULL) {
             ret = emulated_initialize_vcard_from_certificates(card);
         } else {
-            printf("%s: you must provide all three certs for"
-                   " certificates backend\n", TYPE_EMULATED_CCID);
-            return -1;
+            error_setg(errp, "%s: you must provide all three certs for"
+                       " certificates backend", TYPE_EMULATED_CCID);
+            return;
         }
     } else {
         if (card->backend != BACKEND_NSS_EMULATED) {
-            printf("%s: bad backend specified. The options are:\n%s (default),"
-                " %s.\n", TYPE_EMULATED_CCID, BACKEND_NSS_EMULATED_NAME,
-                BACKEND_CERTIFICATES_NAME);
-            return -1;
+            error_setg(errp, "%s: bad backend specified. The options are:%s"
+                       " (default), %s.", TYPE_EMULATED_CCID,
+                       BACKEND_NSS_EMULATED_NAME, BACKEND_CERTIFICATES_NAME);
+            return;
         }
         if (card->cert1 != NULL || card->cert2 != NULL || card->cert3 != NULL) {
-            printf("%s: unexpected cert parameters to nss emulated backend\n",
-                   TYPE_EMULATED_CCID);
-            return -1;
+            error_setg(errp, "%s: unexpected cert parameters to nss emulated "
+                       "backend", TYPE_EMULATED_CCID);
+            return;
         }
         /* default to mirroring the local hardware readers */
         ret = wrap_vcard_emul_init(NULL);
     }
     if (ret != VCARD_EMUL_OK) {
-        printf("%s: failed to initialize vcard\n", TYPE_EMULATED_CCID);
-        return -1;
+        error_setg(errp, "%s: failed to initialize vcard", TYPE_EMULATED_CCID);
+        return;
     }
     qemu_thread_create(&card->event_thread_id, "ccid/event", event_thread,
                        card, QEMU_THREAD_JOINABLE);
     qemu_thread_create(&card->apdu_thread_id, "ccid/apdu", handle_apdu_thread,
                        card, QEMU_THREAD_JOINABLE);
-    return 0;
 }
 
 static void emulated_exitfn(CCIDCardState *base)
@@ -581,7 +581,7 @@ static void emulated_class_initfn(ObjectClass *klass, void *data)
     DeviceClass *dc = DEVICE_CLASS(klass);
     CCIDCardClass *cc = CCID_CARD_CLASS(klass);
 
-    cc->initfn = emulated_initfn;
+    cc->realize = emulated_realize;
     cc->exitfn = emulated_exitfn;
     cc->get_atr = emulated_get_atr;
     cc->apdu_from_guest = emulated_apdu_from_guest;
diff --git a/hw/usb/ccid-card-passthru.c b/hw/usb/ccid-card-passthru.c
index 117711862e..b7dd3602dc 100644
--- a/hw/usb/ccid-card-passthru.c
+++ b/hw/usb/ccid-card-passthru.c
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 #include "qemu/error-report.h"
 #include "qemu/sockets.h"
 #include "ccid.h"
+#include "qapi/error.h"
 
 #define DPRINTF(card, lvl, fmt, ...)                    \
 do {                                                    \
@@ -337,29 +338,28 @@ static const uint8_t *passthru_get_atr(CCIDCardState *base, uint32_t *len)
     return card->atr;
 }
 
-static int passthru_initfn(CCIDCardState *base)
+static void passthru_realize(CCIDCardState *base, Error **errp)
 {
     PassthruState *card = PASSTHRU_CCID_CARD(base);
 
     card->vscard_in_pos = 0;
     card->vscard_in_hdr = 0;
     if (qemu_chr_fe_backend_connected(&card->cs)) {
-        DPRINTF(card, D_INFO, "initing chardev\n");
+        error_setg(errp, "ccid-card-passthru: initing chardev");
         qemu_chr_fe_set_handlers(&card->cs,
             ccid_card_vscard_can_read,
             ccid_card_vscard_read,
             ccid_card_vscard_event, NULL, card, NULL, true);
         ccid_card_vscard_send_init(card);
     } else {
-        error_report("missing chardev");
-        return -1;
+        error_setg(errp, "missing chardev");
+        return;
     }
     card->debug = parse_debug_env("QEMU_CCID_PASSTHRU_DEBUG", D_VERBOSE,
                                   card->debug);
     assert(sizeof(DEFAULT_ATR) <= MAX_ATR_SIZE);
     memcpy(card->atr, DEFAULT_ATR, sizeof(DEFAULT_ATR));
     card->atr_length = sizeof(DEFAULT_ATR);
-    return 0;
 }
 
 static VMStateDescription passthru_vmstate = {
@@ -387,7 +387,7 @@ static void passthru_class_initfn(ObjectClass *klass, void *data)
     DeviceClass *dc = DEVICE_CLASS(klass);
     CCIDCardClass *cc = CCID_CARD_CLASS(klass);
 
-    cc->initfn = passthru_initfn;
+    cc->realize = passthru_realize;
     cc->get_atr = passthru_get_atr;
     cc->apdu_from_guest = passthru_apdu_from_guest;
     set_bit(DEVICE_CATEGORY_INPUT, dc->categories);
diff --git a/hw/usb/dev-smartcard-reader.c b/hw/usb/dev-smartcard-reader.c
index e334d3be11..0092493f4e 100644
--- a/hw/usb/dev-smartcard-reader.c
+++ b/hw/usb/dev-smartcard-reader.c
@@ -510,14 +510,18 @@ static void ccid_card_exitfn(CCIDCardState *card)
 
 }
 
-static int ccid_card_initfn(CCIDCardState *card)
+static void ccid_card_initfn(CCIDCardState *card, Error **errp)
 {
     CCIDCardClass *cc = CCID_CARD_GET_CLASS(card);
+    Error *local_err = NULL;
 
-    if (cc->initfn) {
-        return cc->initfn(card);
+    if (cc->realize) {
+        cc->realize(card, &local_err);
+        if (local_err != NULL) {
+            error_propagate(errp, local_err);
+            return;
+        }
     }
-    return 0;
 }
 
 static bool ccid_has_pending_answers(USBCCIDState *s)
@@ -1295,27 +1299,28 @@ static int ccid_card_exit(DeviceState *qdev)
     return 0;
 }
 
-static int ccid_card_init(DeviceState *qdev)
+static void ccid_card_realize(DeviceState *qdev, Error **errp)
 {
     CCIDCardState *card = CCID_CARD(qdev);
     USBDevice *dev = USB_DEVICE(qdev->parent_bus->parent);
     USBCCIDState *s = USB_CCID_DEV(dev);
-    int ret = 0;
+    Error *local_err = NULL;
 
     if (card->slot != 0) {
-        warn_report("usb-ccid supports one slot, can't add %d",
-                    card->slot);
-        return -1;
+        error_setg(errp, "usb-ccid supports one slot, can't add %d",
+                   card->slot);
+        return;
     }
     if (s->card != NULL) {
-        warn_report("usb-ccid card already full, not adding");
-        return -1;
+        error_setg(errp, "usb-ccid card already full, not adding");
+        return;
     }
-    ret = ccid_card_initfn(card);
-    if (ret == 0) {
-        s->card = card;
+    ccid_card_initfn(card, &local_err);
+    if (local_err != NULL) {
+        error_propagate(errp, local_err);
+        return;
     }
-    return ret;
+    s->card = card;
 }
 
 static void ccid_realize(USBDevice *dev, Error **errp)
@@ -1477,7 +1482,7 @@ static void ccid_card_class_init(ObjectClass *klass, void *data)
 {
     DeviceClass *k = DEVICE_CLASS(klass);
     k->bus_type = TYPE_CCID_BUS;
-    k->init = ccid_card_init;
+    k->realize = ccid_card_realize;
     k->exit = ccid_card_exit;
     k->props = ccid_props;
 }
