diff --git a/net/8021q/vlan.c b/net/8021q/vlan.c
index 55275ef9a31a7c6f0cc447078ceda97e365dc5fe..a3a0a5e994f5aeae550404701e72253a7e38a991 100644
--- a/net/8021q/vlan.c
+++ b/net/8021q/vlan.c
@@ -123,9 +123,6 @@ void unregister_vlan_dev(struct net_device *dev, struct list_head *head)
 	}
 
 	vlan_vid_del(real_dev, vlan->vlan_proto, vlan_id);
-
-	/* Get rid of the vlan's reference to real_dev */
-	dev_put(real_dev);
 }
 
 int vlan_check_real_dev(struct net_device *real_dev,
diff --git a/net/8021q/vlan_dev.c b/net/8021q/vlan_dev.c
index 90330b893134f811f54eb6984fd3646ab661322d..ab6dee28536daaaf825dfc22120ca111c6197f4b 100644
--- a/net/8021q/vlan_dev.c
+++ b/net/8021q/vlan_dev.c
@@ -843,6 +843,9 @@ static void vlan_dev_free(struct net_device *dev)
 
 	free_percpu(vlan->vlan_pcpu_stats);
 	vlan->vlan_pcpu_stats = NULL;
+
+	/* Get rid of the vlan's reference to real_dev */
+	dev_put(vlan->real_dev);
 }
 
 void vlan_setup(struct net_device *dev)