diff --git a/drivers/net/vrf.c b/drivers/net/vrf.c
index 11b9525dff27..69ef9cce5858 100644
--- a/drivers/net/vrf.c
+++ b/drivers/net/vrf.c
@@ -1072,12 +1072,14 @@ static struct sk_buff *vrf_l3_rcv(struct net_device *vrf_dev,
 #if IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_IPV6)
 /* send to link-local or multicast address via interface enslaved to
  * VRF device. Force lookup to VRF table without changing flow struct
+ * Note: Caller to this function must hold rcu_read_lock() and no refcnt
+ * is taken on the dst by this function.
  */
 static struct dst_entry *vrf_link_scope_lookup(const struct net_device *dev,
 					      struct flowi6 *fl6)
 {
 	struct net *net = dev_net(dev);
-	int flags = RT6_LOOKUP_F_IFACE;
+	int flags = RT6_LOOKUP_F_IFACE | RT6_LOOKUP_F_DST_NOREF;
 	struct dst_entry *dst = NULL;
 	struct rt6_info *rt;
 
@@ -1087,7 +1089,6 @@ static struct dst_entry *vrf_link_scope_lookup(const struct net_device *dev,
 	 */
 	if (fl6->flowi6_oif == dev->ifindex) {
 		dst = &net->ipv6.ip6_null_entry->dst;
-		dst_hold(dst);
 		return dst;
 	}
 
diff --git a/include/net/ip6_route.h b/include/net/ip6_route.h
index 0709835c01ad..89ad7917b98d 100644
--- a/include/net/ip6_route.h
+++ b/include/net/ip6_route.h
@@ -84,6 +84,10 @@ struct dst_entry *ip6_route_input_lookup(struct net *net,
 					 struct flowi6 *fl6,
 					 const struct sk_buff *skb, int flags);
 
+struct dst_entry *ip6_route_output_flags_noref(struct net *net,
+					       const struct sock *sk,
+					       struct flowi6 *fl6, int flags);
+
 struct dst_entry *ip6_route_output_flags(struct net *net, const struct sock *sk,
 					 struct flowi6 *fl6, int flags);
 
diff --git a/net/ipv6/route.c b/net/ipv6/route.c
index d2b287635aab..8a746001f813 100644
--- a/net/ipv6/route.c
+++ b/net/ipv6/route.c
@@ -2415,8 +2415,9 @@ static struct rt6_info *ip6_pol_route_output(struct net *net,
 	return ip6_pol_route(net, table, fl6->flowi6_oif, fl6, skb, flags);
 }
 
-struct dst_entry *ip6_route_output_flags(struct net *net, const struct sock *sk,
-					 struct flowi6 *fl6, int flags)
+struct dst_entry *ip6_route_output_flags_noref(struct net *net,
+					       const struct sock *sk,
+					       struct flowi6 *fl6, int flags)
 {
 	bool any_src;
 
@@ -2424,6 +2425,7 @@ struct dst_entry *ip6_route_output_flags(struct net *net, const struct sock *sk,
 	    (IPV6_ADDR_MULTICAST | IPV6_ADDR_LINKLOCAL)) {
 		struct dst_entry *dst;
 
+		/* This function does not take refcnt on the dst */
 		dst = l3mdev_link_scope_lookup(net, fl6);
 		if (dst)
 			return dst;
@@ -2431,6 +2433,7 @@ struct dst_entry *ip6_route_output_flags(struct net *net, const struct sock *sk,
 
 	fl6->flowi6_iif = LOOPBACK_IFINDEX;
 
+	flags |= RT6_LOOKUP_F_DST_NOREF;
 	any_src = ipv6_addr_any(&fl6->saddr);
 	if ((sk && sk->sk_bound_dev_if) || rt6_need_strict(&fl6->daddr) ||
 	    (fl6->flowi6_oif && any_src))
@@ -2443,6 +2446,28 @@ struct dst_entry *ip6_route_output_flags(struct net *net, const struct sock *sk,
 
 	return fib6_rule_lookup(net, fl6, NULL, flags, ip6_pol_route_output);
 }
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(ip6_route_output_flags_noref);
+
+struct dst_entry *ip6_route_output_flags(struct net *net,
+					 const struct sock *sk,
+					 struct flowi6 *fl6,
+					 int flags)
+{
+        struct dst_entry *dst;
+        struct rt6_info *rt6;
+
+        rcu_read_lock();
+        dst = ip6_route_output_flags_noref(net, sk, fl6, flags);
+        rt6 = (struct rt6_info *)dst;
+        /* For dst cached in uncached_list, refcnt is already taken. */
+        if (list_empty(&rt6->rt6i_uncached) && !dst_hold_safe(dst)) {
+                dst = &net->ipv6.ip6_null_entry->dst;
+                dst_hold(dst);
+        }
+        rcu_read_unlock();
+
+        return dst;
+}
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(ip6_route_output_flags);
 
 struct dst_entry *ip6_blackhole_route(struct net *net, struct dst_entry *dst_orig)
diff --git a/net/l3mdev/l3mdev.c b/net/l3mdev/l3mdev.c
index cfc9fcb97465..f35899d45a9a 100644
--- a/net/l3mdev/l3mdev.c
+++ b/net/l3mdev/l3mdev.c
@@ -118,6 +118,8 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(l3mdev_fib_table_by_index);
  *			     local and multicast addresses
  *	@net: network namespace for device index lookup
  *	@fl6: IPv6 flow struct for lookup
+ *	This function does not hold refcnt on the returned dst.
+ *	Caller must hold rcu_read_lock().
  */
 
 struct dst_entry *l3mdev_link_scope_lookup(struct net *net,
@@ -126,9 +128,8 @@ struct dst_entry *l3mdev_link_scope_lookup(struct net *net,
 	struct dst_entry *dst = NULL;
 	struct net_device *dev;
 
+	WARN_ON_ONCE(!rcu_read_lock_held());
 	if (fl6->flowi6_oif) {
-		rcu_read_lock();
-
 		dev = dev_get_by_index_rcu(net, fl6->flowi6_oif);
 		if (dev && netif_is_l3_slave(dev))
 			dev = netdev_master_upper_dev_get_rcu(dev);
@@ -136,8 +137,6 @@ struct dst_entry *l3mdev_link_scope_lookup(struct net *net,
 		if (dev && netif_is_l3_master(dev) &&
 		    dev->l3mdev_ops->l3mdev_link_scope_lookup)
 			dst = dev->l3mdev_ops->l3mdev_link_scope_lookup(dev, fl6);
-
-		rcu_read_unlock();
 	}
 
 	return dst;
