diff --git a/hw/arm/virt.c b/hw/arm/virt.c
index 92d46ebcfe..74340e21bd 100644
--- a/hw/arm/virt.c
+++ b/hw/arm/virt.c
@@ -454,6 +454,7 @@ static void fdt_add_gic_node(VirtMachineState *vms)
 {
     MachineState *ms = MACHINE(vms);
     char *nodename;
+    bool has_el2 = object_property_get_bool(OBJECT(first_cpu), "el2", NULL);
 
     vms->gic_phandle = qemu_fdt_alloc_phandle(ms->fdt);
     qemu_fdt_setprop_cell(ms->fdt, "/", "interrupt-parent", vms->gic_phandle);
@@ -491,7 +492,7 @@ static void fdt_add_gic_node(VirtMachineState *vms)
                                  2, vms->memmap[VIRT_HIGH_GIC_REDIST2].size);
         }
 
-        if (vms->virt) {
+        if (vms->virt || has_el2) {
             qemu_fdt_setprop_cells(ms->fdt, nodename, "interrupts",
                                    GIC_FDT_IRQ_TYPE_PPI, ARCH_GIC_MAINT_IRQ,
                                    GIC_FDT_IRQ_FLAGS_LEVEL_HI);
@@ -1911,8 +1912,8 @@ static void machvirt_init(MachineState *machine)
     }
 
     if (vms->virt && kvm_enabled()) {
-        error_report("mach-virt: KVM does not support providing "
-                     "Virtualization extensions to the guest CPU");
+        error_report("mach-virt: VM 'virtualization' feature is not supported "
+                     "in KVM mode, please use CPU feature 'el2' instead");
         exit(1);
     }
 
@@ -1950,11 +1951,16 @@ static void machvirt_init(MachineState *machine)
             object_property_set_bool(cpuobj, "has_el3", false, NULL);
         }
 
-        if (!vms->virt && object_property_find(cpuobj, "has_el2")) {
+        if (!vms->virt && !kvm_enabled() &&
+            object_property_find(cpuobj, "has_el2")) {
             object_property_set_bool(cpuobj, "has_el2", false, NULL);
         }
 
         if (vms->psci_conduit != QEMU_PSCI_CONDUIT_DISABLED) {
+            if (kvm_enabled() && ARM_CPU(cpuobj)->has_el2) {
+                vms->psci_conduit = QEMU_PSCI_CONDUIT_SMC;
+            }
+
             object_property_set_int(cpuobj, "psci-conduit", vms->psci_conduit,
                                     NULL);
 
diff --git a/target/arm/cpu.c b/target/arm/cpu.c
index 30cc330f50..9530a2c4bf 100644
--- a/target/arm/cpu.c
+++ b/target/arm/cpu.c
@@ -1099,7 +1099,7 @@ static Property arm_cpu_rvbar_property =
 
 #ifndef CONFIG_USER_ONLY
 static Property arm_cpu_has_el2_property =
-            DEFINE_PROP_BOOL("has_el2", ARMCPU, has_el2, true);
+            DEFINE_PROP_BOOL("has_el2", ARMCPU, has_el2, false);
 
 static Property arm_cpu_has_el3_property =
             DEFINE_PROP_BOOL("has_el3", ARMCPU, has_el3, true);
@@ -2018,6 +2018,7 @@ static void arm_host_initfn(Object *obj)
     kvm_arm_set_cpu_features_from_host(cpu);
     if (arm_feature(&cpu->env, ARM_FEATURE_AARCH64)) {
         aarch64_add_sve_properties(obj);
+        aarch64_add_el2_properties(obj);
     }
     arm_cpu_post_init(obj);
 }
diff --git a/target/arm/cpu64.c b/target/arm/cpu64.c
index 3f3f2c5495..ae8811d09e 100644
--- a/target/arm/cpu64.c
+++ b/target/arm/cpu64.c
@@ -666,6 +666,7 @@ static void aarch64_max_initfn(Object *obj)
 
     if (kvm_enabled()) {
         kvm_arm_set_cpu_features_from_host(cpu);
+        aarch64_add_el2_properties(obj);
     } else {
         uint64_t t;
         uint32_t u;
diff --git a/target/arm/kvm64.c b/target/arm/kvm64.c
index 9cacaf2eb8..7bf892404f 100644
--- a/target/arm/kvm64.c
+++ b/target/arm/kvm64.c
@@ -500,6 +500,7 @@ bool kvm_arm_get_host_cpu_features(ARMHostCPUFeatures *ahcf)
      */
     int fdarray[3];
     bool sve_supported;
+    bool el2_supported;
     uint64_t features = 0;
     uint64_t t;
     int err;
@@ -646,6 +647,7 @@ bool kvm_arm_get_host_cpu_features(ARMHostCPUFeatures *ahcf)
     }
 
     sve_supported = ioctl(fdarray[0], KVM_CHECK_EXTENSION, KVM_CAP_ARM_SVE) > 0;
+    el2_supported = ioctl(fdarray[0], KVM_CHECK_EXTENSION, KVM_CAP_ARM_EL2) > 0;
 
     kvm_arm_destroy_scratch_host_vcpu(fdarray);
 
@@ -660,6 +662,11 @@ bool kvm_arm_get_host_cpu_features(ARMHostCPUFeatures *ahcf)
         ahcf->isar.id_aa64pfr0 = t;
     }
 
+    /* Use the ARM_FEATURE_EL2 bit to keep inline with that in TCG mode. */
+    if (el2_supported) {
+        features |= 1ULL << ARM_FEATURE_EL2;
+    }
+
     /*
      * We can assume any KVM supporting CPU is at least a v8
      * with VFPv4+Neon; this in turn implies most of the other
@@ -861,6 +868,9 @@ int kvm_arch_init_vcpu(CPUState *cs)
         assert(kvm_arm_sve_supported());
         cpu->kvm_init_features[0] |= 1 << KVM_ARM_VCPU_SVE;
     }
+    if (arm_feature(&cpu->env, ARM_FEATURE_EL2)) {
+        cpu->kvm_init_features[0] |= 1 << KVM_ARM_VCPU_HAS_EL2;
+    }
 
     /* Do KVM_ARM_VCPU_INIT ioctl */
     ret = kvm_arm_vcpu_init(cs);
