diff --git a/include/hw/vfio/vfio-common.h b/include/hw/vfio/vfio-common.h
index 1a96678f8c384e7ff4a1db1e0ba90a5f9624bcff..4e44b26d3c453b5b47a819df371a21a4ca3b39c3 100644
--- a/include/hw/vfio/vfio-common.h
+++ b/include/hw/vfio/vfio-common.h
@@ -242,6 +242,7 @@ void vfio_region_finalize(VFIORegion *region);
 void vfio_reset_handler(void *opaque);
 struct vfio_device_info *vfio_get_device_info(int fd);
 bool vfio_device_is_mdev(VFIODevice *vbasedev);
+bool vfio_device_hiod_realize(VFIODevice *vbasedev, Error **errp);
 bool vfio_attach_device(char *name, VFIODevice *vbasedev,
                         AddressSpace *as, Error **errp);
 void vfio_detach_device(VFIODevice *vbasedev);
diff --git a/hw/vfio/common.c b/hw/vfio/common.c
index d7f02be595b5e71558d7e2d75d21d28f05968252..26e74fa430db4c7618698ded5d514d524f33d273 100644
--- a/hw/vfio/common.c
+++ b/hw/vfio/common.c
@@ -1536,7 +1536,7 @@ bool vfio_attach_device(char *name, VFIODevice *vbasedev,
 {
     const VFIOIOMMUClass *ops =
         VFIO_IOMMU_CLASS(object_class_by_name(TYPE_VFIO_IOMMU_LEGACY));
-    HostIOMMUDevice *hiod;
+    HostIOMMUDevice *hiod = NULL;
 
     if (vbasedev->iommufd) {
         ops = VFIO_IOMMU_CLASS(object_class_by_name(TYPE_VFIO_IOMMU_IOMMUFD));
@@ -1544,21 +1544,17 @@ bool vfio_attach_device(char *name, VFIODevice *vbasedev,
 
     assert(ops);
 
-    if (!ops->attach_device(name, vbasedev, as, errp)) {
-        return false;
-    }
 
-    if (vbasedev->mdev) {
-        return true;
+    if (!vbasedev->mdev) {
+        hiod = HOST_IOMMU_DEVICE(object_new(ops->hiod_typename));
+        vbasedev->hiod = hiod;
     }
 
-    hiod = HOST_IOMMU_DEVICE(object_new(ops->hiod_typename));
-    if (!HOST_IOMMU_DEVICE_GET_CLASS(hiod)->realize(hiod, vbasedev, errp)) {
+    if (!ops->attach_device(name, vbasedev, as, errp)) {
         object_unref(hiod);
-        ops->detach_device(vbasedev);
+        vbasedev->hiod = NULL;
         return false;
     }
-    vbasedev->hiod = hiod;
 
     return true;
 }
diff --git a/hw/vfio/container.c b/hw/vfio/container.c
index 10cb4b4320ac3d6b3a1da3625e964af5f2f2f9a7..9ccdb639ac84f885da40eace8a0059f397295619 100644
--- a/hw/vfio/container.c
+++ b/hw/vfio/container.c
@@ -914,6 +914,10 @@ static bool vfio_legacy_attach_device(const char *name, VFIODevice *vbasedev,
 
     trace_vfio_attach_device(vbasedev->name, groupid);
 
+    if (!vfio_device_hiod_realize(vbasedev, errp)) {
+        return false;
+    }
+
     group = vfio_get_group(groupid, as, errp);
     if (!group) {
         return false;
diff --git a/hw/vfio/helpers.c b/hw/vfio/helpers.c
index 7e23e9080c9d2860dea51ca5ef5fbc840d42a32d..ea15c79db0a3643f260fc1ce3abfeaa7001ab306 100644
--- a/hw/vfio/helpers.c
+++ b/hw/vfio/helpers.c
@@ -689,3 +689,14 @@ bool vfio_device_is_mdev(VFIODevice *vbasedev)
     subsys = realpath(tmp, NULL);
     return subsys && (strcmp(subsys, "/sys/bus/mdev") == 0);
 }
+
+bool vfio_device_hiod_realize(VFIODevice *vbasedev, Error **errp)
+{
+    HostIOMMUDevice *hiod = vbasedev->hiod;
+
+    if (!hiod) {
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    return HOST_IOMMU_DEVICE_GET_CLASS(hiod)->realize(hiod, vbasedev, errp);
+}
diff --git a/hw/vfio/iommufd.c b/hw/vfio/iommufd.c
index fb87e64e443035bc239f4f4272ae1c28fa8ab8c9..798c4798a55e0c839c5128b3cd9571356157dce9 100644
--- a/hw/vfio/iommufd.c
+++ b/hw/vfio/iommufd.c
@@ -404,6 +404,17 @@ static bool iommufd_cdev_attach(const char *name, VFIODevice *vbasedev,
 
     space = vfio_get_address_space(as);
 
+    /*
+     * The HostIOMMUDevice data from legacy backend is static and doesn't need
+     * any information from the (type1-iommu) backend to be initialized. In
+     * contrast however, the IOMMUFD HostIOMMUDevice data requires the iommufd
+     * FD to be connected and having a devid to be able to successfully call
+     * iommufd_backend_get_device_info().
+     */
+    if (!vfio_device_hiod_realize(vbasedev, errp)) {
+        goto err_alloc_ioas;
+    }
+
     /* try to attach to an existing container in this space */
     QLIST_FOREACH(bcontainer, &space->containers, next) {
         container = container_of(bcontainer, VFIOIOMMUFDContainer, bcontainer);
