diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx4/main.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx4/main.c
index 22c72fb7206afe8c50beff30501d38f41137e526..77f056b0895e6596156546fca860613291fbe942 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx4/main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx4/main.c
@@ -4015,6 +4015,7 @@ static int mlx4_init_one(struct pci_dev *pdev, const struct pci_device_id *id)
 		goto err_params_unregister;
 
 	devlink_params_publish(devlink);
+	devlink_reload_enable(devlink);
 	pci_save_state(pdev);
 	return 0;
 
@@ -4126,6 +4127,8 @@ static void mlx4_remove_one(struct pci_dev *pdev)
 	struct devlink *devlink = priv_to_devlink(priv);
 	int active_vfs = 0;
 
+	devlink_reload_disable(devlink);
+
 	if (mlx4_is_slave(dev))
 		persist->interface_state |= MLX4_INTERFACE_STATE_NOWAIT;
 
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlxsw/core.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlxsw/core.c
index e1a90f5bddd040158cdd2c1c7f956bb848ea6e2d..da436a6aad2fb1a41725940555421c719cf7594a 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlxsw/core.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlxsw/core.c
@@ -1198,8 +1198,10 @@ __mlxsw_core_bus_device_register(const struct mlxsw_bus_info *mlxsw_bus_info,
 	if (err)
 		goto err_thermal_init;
 
-	if (mlxsw_driver->params_register)
+	if (mlxsw_driver->params_register) {
 		devlink_params_publish(devlink);
+		devlink_reload_enable(devlink);
+	}
 
 	return 0;
 
@@ -1263,6 +1265,8 @@ void mlxsw_core_bus_device_unregister(struct mlxsw_core *mlxsw_core,
 {
 	struct devlink *devlink = priv_to_devlink(mlxsw_core);
 
+	if (!reload)
+		devlink_reload_disable(devlink);
 	if (devlink_is_reload_failed(devlink)) {
 		if (!reload)
 			/* Only the parts that were not de-initialized in the
diff --git a/drivers/net/netdevsim/dev.c b/drivers/net/netdevsim/dev.c
index 3da96c7e82655e5d73b2ce5ed02a3f5a705458d9..059711edfc61e9d8119d1a35afc7b0dc468f9ed2 100644
--- a/drivers/net/netdevsim/dev.c
+++ b/drivers/net/netdevsim/dev.c
@@ -820,6 +820,7 @@ int nsim_dev_probe(struct nsim_bus_dev *nsim_bus_dev)
 		goto err_bpf_dev_exit;
 
 	devlink_params_publish(devlink);
+	devlink_reload_enable(devlink);
 	return 0;
 
 err_bpf_dev_exit:
@@ -865,6 +866,8 @@ void nsim_dev_remove(struct nsim_bus_dev *nsim_bus_dev)
 	struct nsim_dev *nsim_dev = dev_get_drvdata(&nsim_bus_dev->dev);
 	struct devlink *devlink = priv_to_devlink(nsim_dev);
 
+	devlink_reload_disable(devlink);
+
 	nsim_dev_reload_destroy(nsim_dev);
 
 	nsim_bpf_dev_exit(nsim_dev);
diff --git a/include/net/devlink.h b/include/net/devlink.h
index 8d6b5846822c731a56d262d250cc0019d48d46e2..7891611868e45ac05da8ac71fe1dbb0c1cfbb32a 100644
--- a/include/net/devlink.h
+++ b/include/net/devlink.h
@@ -38,8 +38,9 @@ struct devlink {
 	struct device *dev;
 	possible_net_t _net;
 	struct mutex lock;
-	bool reload_failed;
-	bool registered;
+	u8 reload_failed:1,
+	   reload_enabled:1,
+	   registered:1;
 	char priv[0] __aligned(NETDEV_ALIGN);
 };
 
@@ -824,6 +825,8 @@ void devlink_net_set(struct devlink *devlink, struct net *net);
 struct devlink *devlink_alloc(const struct devlink_ops *ops, size_t priv_size);
 int devlink_register(struct devlink *devlink, struct device *dev);
 void devlink_unregister(struct devlink *devlink);
+void devlink_reload_enable(struct devlink *devlink);
+void devlink_reload_disable(struct devlink *devlink);
 void devlink_free(struct devlink *devlink);
 int devlink_port_register(struct devlink *devlink,
 			  struct devlink_port *devlink_port,
diff --git a/net/core/devlink.c b/net/core/devlink.c
index ff53f7d29dea90376ce6a30298d48d42b252fc03..2e027c9436e02e76015555033ce7c964044b94d4 100644
--- a/net/core/devlink.c
+++ b/net/core/devlink.c
@@ -2791,6 +2791,9 @@ static int devlink_reload(struct devlink *devlink, struct net *dest_net,
 {
 	int err;
 
+	if (!devlink->reload_enabled)
+		return -EOPNOTSUPP;
+
 	err = devlink->ops->reload_down(devlink, !!dest_net, extack);
 	if (err)
 		return err;
@@ -6308,12 +6311,49 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(devlink_register);
 void devlink_unregister(struct devlink *devlink)
 {
 	mutex_lock(&devlink_mutex);
+	WARN_ON(devlink_reload_supported(devlink) &&
+		devlink->reload_enabled);
 	devlink_notify(devlink, DEVLINK_CMD_DEL);
 	list_del(&devlink->list);
 	mutex_unlock(&devlink_mutex);
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(devlink_unregister);
 
+/**
+ *	devlink_reload_enable - Enable reload of devlink instance
+ *
+ *	@devlink: devlink
+ *
+ *	Should be called at end of device initialization
+ *	process when reload operation is supported.
+ */
+void devlink_reload_enable(struct devlink *devlink)
+{
+	mutex_lock(&devlink_mutex);
+	devlink->reload_enabled = true;
+	mutex_unlock(&devlink_mutex);
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(devlink_reload_enable);
+
+/**
+ *	devlink_reload_disable - Disable reload of devlink instance
+ *
+ *	@devlink: devlink
+ *
+ *	Should be called at the beginning of device cleanup
+ *	process when reload operation is supported.
+ */
+void devlink_reload_disable(struct devlink *devlink)
+{
+	mutex_lock(&devlink_mutex);
+	/* Mutex is taken which ensures that no reload operation is in
+	 * progress while setting up forbidded flag.
+	 */
+	devlink->reload_enabled = false;
+	mutex_unlock(&devlink_mutex);
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(devlink_reload_disable);
+
 /**
  *	devlink_free - Free devlink instance resources
  *
@@ -8201,7 +8241,7 @@ static void __net_exit devlink_pernet_pre_exit(struct net *net)
 			if (WARN_ON(!devlink_reload_supported(devlink)))
 				continue;
 			err = devlink_reload(devlink, &init_net, NULL);
-			if (err)
+			if (err && err != -EOPNOTSUPP)
 				pr_warn("Failed to reload devlink instance into init_net\n");
 		}
 	}