diff --git a/drivers/rtc/class.c b/drivers/rtc/class.c
index f77bc089eb6b75..654e921244bff2 100644
--- a/drivers/rtc/class.c
+++ b/drivers/rtc/class.c
@@ -334,7 +334,8 @@ static void devm_rtc_unregister_device(void *data)
 	 * letting any rtc_class_open() users access it again
 	 */
 	rtc_proc_del_device(rtc);
-	cdev_device_del(&rtc->char_dev, &rtc->dev);
+	if (!test_bit(RTC_NO_CDEV, &rtc->flags))
+		cdev_device_del(&rtc->char_dev, &rtc->dev);
 	rtc->ops = NULL;
 	mutex_unlock(&rtc->ops_lock);
 }
@@ -397,12 +398,14 @@ int __devm_rtc_register_device(struct module *owner, struct rtc_device *rtc)
 	rtc_dev_prepare(rtc);
 
 	err = cdev_device_add(&rtc->char_dev, &rtc->dev);
-	if (err)
+	if (err) {
+		set_bit(RTC_NO_CDEV, &rtc->flags);
 		dev_warn(rtc->dev.parent, "failed to add char device %d:%d\n",
 			 MAJOR(rtc->dev.devt), rtc->id);
-	else
+	} else {
 		dev_dbg(rtc->dev.parent, "char device (%d:%d)\n",
 			MAJOR(rtc->dev.devt), rtc->id);
+	}
 
 	rtc_proc_add_device(rtc);
 
diff --git a/include/linux/rtc.h b/include/linux/rtc.h
index bd611e26291d45..354e0843ab17f4 100644
--- a/include/linux/rtc.h
+++ b/include/linux/rtc.h
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ struct rtc_timer {
 
 /* flags */
 #define RTC_DEV_BUSY 0
+#define RTC_NO_CDEV  1
 
 struct rtc_device {
 	struct device dev;