diff --git a/docs/about/deprecated.rst b/docs/about/deprecated.rst
index 20b7a17cf07e..ac8d40fd0e84 100644
--- a/docs/about/deprecated.rst
+++ b/docs/about/deprecated.rst
@@ -389,6 +389,13 @@ recommending to switch to their stable counterparts:
 SD physical layer specification v2.00 supersedes the v1.10 one.
 v2.00 is the default since QEMU 3.0.0.
 
+Integer specification of PCI device's ``rombar`` property (since 9.1)
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+Specifying an integer for the ``rombar`` property of a PCI device is being
+deprecated starting in 9.1 due to obscurity of such an specification. Replace
+zero with ``off`` and a non-zero value with ``on``, respectively.
+
 Block device options
 ''''''''''''''''''''
 
diff --git a/docs/igd-assign.txt b/docs/igd-assign.txt
index e17bb50789ad..35c6c8e28493 100644
--- a/docs/igd-assign.txt
+++ b/docs/igd-assign.txt
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ IGD has two different modes for assignment using vfio-pci:
       ISA/LPC bridge device (vfio-pci-igd-lpc-bridge) on the root bus at
       PCI address 1f.0.
     * The IGD device must have a VGA ROM, either provided via the romfile
-      option or loaded automatically through vfio (standard).  rombar=0
+      option or loaded automatically through vfio (standard).  rombar=off
       will disable legacy mode support.
     * Hotplug of the IGD device is not supported.
     * The IGD device must be a SandyBridge or newer model device.
diff --git a/include/hw/pci/pci_device.h b/include/hw/pci/pci_device.h
index ca151325085d..49b341ce2e27 100644
--- a/include/hw/pci/pci_device.h
+++ b/include/hw/pci/pci_device.h
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ struct PCIDevice {
     uint32_t romsize;
     bool has_rom;
     MemoryRegion rom;
-    uint32_t rom_bar;
+    OnOffAuto rom_bar;
 
     /* INTx routing notifier */
     PCIINTxRoutingNotifier intx_routing_notifier;
diff --git a/hw/pci/pci.c b/hw/pci/pci.c
index 4c7be5295110..ca8fb5383765 100644
--- a/hw/pci/pci.c
+++ b/hw/pci/pci.c
@@ -67,11 +67,64 @@ static char *pcibus_get_fw_dev_path(DeviceState *dev);
 static void pcibus_reset_hold(Object *obj, ResetType type);
 static bool pcie_has_upstream_port(PCIDevice *dev);
 
+static void rom_bar_get(Object *obj, Visitor *v, const char *name, void *opaque,
+                        Error **errp)
+{
+    Property *prop = opaque;
+    int *ptr = object_field_prop_ptr(obj, prop);
+
+    visit_type_enum(v, name, ptr, prop->info->enum_table, errp);
+}
+
+static void rom_bar_set(Object *obj, Visitor *v, const char *name, void *opaque,
+                        Error **errp)
+{
+    Property *prop = opaque;
+    Error *local_err = NULL;
+    int *ptr = object_field_prop_ptr(obj, prop);
+    uint32_t value;
+
+    visit_type_enum(v, name, ptr, prop->info->enum_table, &local_err);
+    if (!local_err) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    if (visit_type_uint32(v, name, &value, NULL)) {
+        if (value) {
+            *ptr = ON_OFF_AUTO_ON;
+            warn_report("Specifying a number for rombar is deprecated; replace a non-zero value with 'on'");
+        } else {
+            *ptr = ON_OFF_AUTO_OFF;
+            warn_report("Specifying a number for rombar is deprecated; replace 0 with 'off'");
+        }
+
+        return;
+    }
+
+    error_propagate(errp, local_err);
+}
+
+static void rom_bar_set_default_value(ObjectProperty *op, const Property *prop)
+{
+    object_property_set_default_str(op,
+        qapi_enum_lookup(prop->info->enum_table, prop->defval.i));
+}
+
+static const PropertyInfo qdev_prop_rom_bar = {
+    .name = "OnOffAuto",
+    .description = "on/off/auto",
+    .enum_table = &OnOffAuto_lookup,
+    .get = rom_bar_get,
+    .set = rom_bar_set,
+    .set_default_value = rom_bar_set_default_value,
+};
+
 static Property pci_props[] = {
     DEFINE_PROP_PCI_DEVFN("addr", PCIDevice, devfn, -1),
     DEFINE_PROP_STRING("romfile", PCIDevice, romfile),
     DEFINE_PROP_UINT32("romsize", PCIDevice, romsize, UINT32_MAX),
-    DEFINE_PROP_UINT32("rombar",  PCIDevice, rom_bar, 1),
+    DEFINE_PROP_SIGNED("rombar",  PCIDevice, rom_bar, ON_OFF_AUTO_AUTO,
+                       qdev_prop_rom_bar, OnOffAuto),
     DEFINE_PROP_BIT("multifunction", PCIDevice, cap_present,
                     QEMU_PCI_CAP_MULTIFUNCTION_BITNR, false),
     DEFINE_PROP_BIT("x-pcie-lnksta-dllla", PCIDevice, cap_present,
@@ -2334,7 +2387,7 @@ static void pci_add_option_rom(PCIDevice *pdev, bool is_default_rom,
         return;
     }
 
-    if (!pdev->rom_bar) {
+    if (pdev->rom_bar == ON_OFF_AUTO_OFF) {
         /*
          * Load rom via fw_cfg instead of creating a rom bar,
          * for 0.11 compatibility.
diff --git a/hw/vfio/pci-quirks.c b/hw/vfio/pci-quirks.c
index 39dae72497e0..0e920ed0691a 100644
--- a/hw/vfio/pci-quirks.c
+++ b/hw/vfio/pci-quirks.c
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
  * execution as noticed with the BCM 57810 card for lack of a
  * more better way to handle such issues.
  * The  user can still override by specifying a romfile or
- * rombar=1.
+ * rombar=on.
  * Please see https://bugs.launchpad.net/qemu/+bug/1284874
  * for an analysis of the 57810 card hang. When adding
  * a new vendor id/device id combination below, please also add
diff --git a/hw/vfio/pci.c b/hw/vfio/pci.c
index e03d9f3ba546..502ee2ed0489 100644
--- a/hw/vfio/pci.c
+++ b/hw/vfio/pci.c
@@ -902,7 +902,7 @@ static void vfio_pci_load_rom(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev)
         error_report("vfio-pci: Cannot read device rom at "
                     "%s", vdev->vbasedev.name);
         error_printf("Device option ROM contents are probably invalid "
-                    "(check dmesg).\nSkip option ROM probe with rombar=0, "
+                    "(check dmesg).\nSkip option ROM probe with rombar=off, "
                     "or load from file with romfile=\n");
         return;
     }
@@ -1012,11 +1012,10 @@ static void vfio_pci_size_rom(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev)
 {
     uint32_t orig, size = cpu_to_le32((uint32_t)PCI_ROM_ADDRESS_MASK);
     off_t offset = vdev->config_offset + PCI_ROM_ADDRESS;
-    DeviceState *dev = DEVICE(vdev);
     char *name;
     int fd = vdev->vbasedev.fd;
 
-    if (vdev->pdev.romfile || !vdev->pdev.rom_bar) {
+    if (vdev->pdev.romfile || vdev->pdev.rom_bar == ON_OFF_AUTO_OFF) {
         /* Since pci handles romfile, just print a message and return */
         if (vfio_opt_rom_in_denylist(vdev) && vdev->pdev.romfile) {
             warn_report("Device at %s is known to cause system instability"
@@ -1046,17 +1045,17 @@ static void vfio_pci_size_rom(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev)
     }
 
     if (vfio_opt_rom_in_denylist(vdev)) {
-        if (dev->opts && qdict_haskey(dev->opts, "rombar")) {
+        if (vdev->pdev.rom_bar == ON_OFF_AUTO_ON) {
             warn_report("Device at %s is known to cause system instability"
                         " issues during option rom execution",
                         vdev->vbasedev.name);
             error_printf("Proceeding anyway since user specified"
-                         " non zero value for rombar\n");
+                         " on for rombar\n");
         } else {
             warn_report("Rom loading for device at %s has been disabled"
                         " due to system instability issues",
                         vdev->vbasedev.name);
-            error_printf("Specify rombar=1 or romfile to force\n");
+            error_printf("Specify rombar=on or romfile to force\n");
             return;
         }
     }
diff --git a/hw/xen/xen_pt_load_rom.c b/hw/xen/xen_pt_load_rom.c
index 6bc64acd3352..025a6b25a916 100644
--- a/hw/xen/xen_pt_load_rom.c
+++ b/hw/xen/xen_pt_load_rom.c
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ void *pci_assign_dev_load_option_rom(PCIDevice *dev,
     Object *owner = OBJECT(dev);
 
     /* If loading ROM from file, pci handles it */
-    if (dev->romfile || !dev->rom_bar) {
+    if (dev->romfile || dev->rom_bar == ON_OFF_AUTO_OFF) {
         return NULL;
     }
 
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ void *pci_assign_dev_load_option_rom(PCIDevice *dev,
     if (!fread(ptr, 1, st.st_size, fp)) {
         error_report("pci-assign: Cannot read from host %s", rom_file);
         error_printf("Device option ROM contents are probably invalid "
-                     "(check dmesg).\nSkip option ROM probe with rombar=0, "
+                     "(check dmesg).\nSkip option ROM probe with rombar=off, "
                      "or load from file with romfile=\n");
         goto close_rom;
     }
diff --git a/tests/qtest/virtio-net-failover.c b/tests/qtest/virtio-net-failover.c
index 73dfabc2728b..f65b97683fb6 100644
--- a/tests/qtest/virtio-net-failover.c
+++ b/tests/qtest/virtio-net-failover.c
@@ -568,7 +568,7 @@ static void test_hotplug_2_reverse(void)
                          "{'bus': 'root0',"
                          "'failover': true,"
                          "'netdev': 'hs0',"
-                         "'rombar': 0,"
+                         "'rombar': 'off',"
                          "'romfile': '',"
                          "'mac': '"MAC_STANDBY0"'}");
 
@@ -655,7 +655,7 @@ static void test_migrate_out(gconstpointer opaque)
                          "{'bus': 'root1',"
                          "'failover_pair_id': 'standby0',"
                          "'netdev': 'hs1',"
-                         "'rombar': 0,"
+                         "'rombar': 'off',"
                          "'romfile': '',"
                          "'mac': '"MAC_PRIMARY0"'}");
 
@@ -765,7 +765,7 @@ static void test_migrate_in(gconstpointer opaque)
                          "{'bus': 'root1',"
                          "'failover_pair_id': 'standby0',"
                          "'netdev': 'hs1',"
-                         "'rombar': 0,"
+                         "'rombar': 'off',"
                          "'romfile': '',"
                          "'mac': '"MAC_PRIMARY0"'}");
 
@@ -819,7 +819,7 @@ static void test_off_migrate_out(gconstpointer opaque)
                          "{'bus': 'root1',"
                          "'failover_pair_id': 'standby0',"
                          "'netdev': 'hs1',"
-                         "'rombar': 0,"
+                         "'rombar': 'off',"
                          "'romfile': '',"
                          "'mac': '"MAC_PRIMARY0"'}");
 
@@ -887,7 +887,7 @@ static void test_off_migrate_in(gconstpointer opaque)
                          "{'bus': 'root1',"
                          "'failover_pair_id': 'standby0',"
                          "'netdev': 'hs1',"
-                         "'rombar': 0,"
+                         "'rombar': 'off',"
                          "'romfile': '',"
                          "'mac': '"MAC_PRIMARY0"'}");
 
@@ -938,7 +938,7 @@ static void test_guest_off_migrate_out(gconstpointer opaque)
                          "{'bus': 'root1',"
                          "'failover_pair_id': 'standby0',"
                          "'netdev': 'hs1',"
-                         "'rombar': 0,"
+                         "'rombar': 'off',"
                          "'romfile': '',"
                          "'mac': '"MAC_PRIMARY0"'}");
 
@@ -1014,7 +1014,7 @@ static void test_guest_off_migrate_in(gconstpointer opaque)
                          "{'bus': 'root1',"
                          "'failover_pair_id': 'standby0',"
                          "'netdev': 'hs1',"
-                         "'rombar': 0,"
+                         "'rombar': 'off',"
                          "'romfile': '',"
                          "'mac': '"MAC_PRIMARY0"'}");
 
@@ -1065,7 +1065,7 @@ static void test_migrate_guest_off_abort(gconstpointer opaque)
                          "{'bus': 'root1',"
                          "'failover_pair_id': 'standby0',"
                          "'netdev': 'hs1',"
-                         "'rombar': 0,"
+                         "'rombar': 'off',"
                          "'romfile': '',"
                          "'mac': '"MAC_PRIMARY0"'}");
 
@@ -1170,7 +1170,7 @@ static void test_migrate_abort_wait_unplug(gconstpointer opaque)
                          "{'bus': 'root1',"
                          "'failover_pair_id': 'standby0',"
                          "'netdev': 'hs1',"
-                         "'rombar': 0,"
+                         "'rombar': 'off',"
                          "'romfile': '',"
                          "'mac': '"MAC_PRIMARY0"'}");
 
@@ -1259,7 +1259,7 @@ static void test_migrate_abort_active(gconstpointer opaque)
                          "{'bus': 'root1',"
                          "'failover_pair_id': 'standby0',"
                          "'netdev': 'hs1',"
-                         "'rombar': 0,"
+                         "'rombar': 'off',"
                          "'romfile': '',"
                          "'mac': '"MAC_PRIMARY0"'}");
 
@@ -1358,7 +1358,7 @@ static void test_migrate_off_abort(gconstpointer opaque)
                          "{'bus': 'root1',"
                          "'failover_pair_id': 'standby0',"
                          "'netdev': 'hs1',"
-                         "'rombar': 0,"
+                         "'rombar': 'off',"
                          "'romfile': '',"
                          "'mac': '"MAC_PRIMARY0"'}");
 
@@ -1450,7 +1450,7 @@ static void test_migrate_abort_timeout(gconstpointer opaque)
                          "{'bus': 'root1',"
                          "'failover_pair_id': 'standby0',"
                          "'netdev': 'hs1',"
-                         "'rombar': 0,"
+                         "'rombar': 'off',"
                          "'romfile': '',"
                          "'mac': '"MAC_PRIMARY0"'}");
 
@@ -1543,7 +1543,7 @@ static void test_multi_out(gconstpointer opaque)
                          "{'bus': 'root1',"
                          "'failover_pair_id': 'standby0',"
                          "'netdev': 'hs1',"
-                         "'rombar': 0,"
+                         "'rombar': 'off',"
                          "'romfile': '',"
                          "'mac': '"MAC_PRIMARY0"'}");
 
@@ -1574,7 +1574,7 @@ static void test_multi_out(gconstpointer opaque)
                          "{'bus': 'root3',"
                          "'failover_pair_id': 'standby1',"
                          "'netdev': 'hs3',"
-                         "'rombar': 0,"
+                         "'rombar': 'off',"
                          "'romfile': '',"
                          "'mac': '"MAC_PRIMARY1"'}");
 
@@ -1713,7 +1713,7 @@ static void test_multi_in(gconstpointer opaque)
                          "{'bus': 'root1',"
                          "'failover_pair_id': 'standby0',"
                          "'netdev': 'hs1',"
-                         "'rombar': 0,"
+                         "'rombar': 'off',"
                          "'romfile': '',"
                          "'mac': '"MAC_PRIMARY0"'}");
 
@@ -1737,7 +1737,7 @@ static void test_multi_in(gconstpointer opaque)
                          "{'bus': 'root3',"
                          "'failover_pair_id': 'standby1',"
                          "'netdev': 'hs3',"
-                         "'rombar': 0,"
+                         "'rombar': 'off',"
                          "'romfile': '',"
                          "'mac': '"MAC_PRIMARY1"'}");
 
