diff --git a/net/ipv6/ip6_gre.c b/net/ipv6/ip6_gre.c
index 6cbc6e979bed74c422f008c2a0a9a1ca79ee0d8e..043e57d08a3e9fa165afbc308061734fb645b350 100644
--- a/net/ipv6/ip6_gre.c
+++ b/net/ipv6/ip6_gre.c
@@ -392,7 +392,6 @@ static struct ip6_tnl *ip6gre_tunnel_locate(struct net *net,
 	if (!(nt->parms.o_flags & TUNNEL_SEQ))
 		dev->features |= NETIF_F_LLTX;
 
-	dev_hold(dev);
 	ip6gre_tunnel_link(ign, nt);
 	return nt;
 
@@ -1546,8 +1545,6 @@ static void ip6gre_fb_tunnel_init(struct net_device *dev)
 	strcpy(tunnel->parms.name, dev->name);
 
 	tunnel->hlen		= sizeof(struct ipv6hdr) + 4;
-
-	dev_hold(dev);
 }
 
 static struct inet6_protocol ip6gre_protocol __read_mostly = {
diff --git a/net/ipv6/ip6_tunnel.c b/net/ipv6/ip6_tunnel.c
index 45c4c30d9806d670aa6dad7f544aea67dffd03f7..35c127c3eee78b35d00b6cb28c796a55ad1147bb 100644
--- a/net/ipv6/ip6_tunnel.c
+++ b/net/ipv6/ip6_tunnel.c
@@ -1909,7 +1909,6 @@ static int __net_init ip6_fb_tnl_dev_init(struct net_device *dev)
 	struct ip6_tnl_net *ip6n = net_generic(net, ip6_tnl_net_id);
 
 	t->parms.proto = IPPROTO_IPV6;
-	dev_hold(dev);
 
 	rcu_assign_pointer(ip6n->tnls_wc[0], t);
 	return 0;
diff --git a/net/ipv6/ip6_vti.c b/net/ipv6/ip6_vti.c
index defa04b38ee8d195b8d7dd7df0f06d679e687eb8..290badfe70e06e61c0368bfc050cb2cefea1308e 100644
--- a/net/ipv6/ip6_vti.c
+++ b/net/ipv6/ip6_vti.c
@@ -956,7 +956,6 @@ static int __net_init vti6_fb_tnl_dev_init(struct net_device *dev)
 	struct vti6_net *ip6n = net_generic(net, vti6_net_id);
 
 	t->parms.proto = IPPROTO_IPV6;
-	dev_hold(dev);
 
 	rcu_assign_pointer(ip6n->tnls_wc[0], t);
 	return 0;
diff --git a/net/ipv6/sit.c b/net/ipv6/sit.c
index a629ec46ba3a1991640da3a297cbdf3d2aa800df..bcd690ccb551ecbfbd9d4af15e658ae2b297a7d9 100644
--- a/net/ipv6/sit.c
+++ b/net/ipv6/sit.c
@@ -1421,7 +1421,6 @@ static void __net_init ipip6_fb_tunnel_init(struct net_device *dev)
 	iph->ihl		= 5;
 	iph->ttl		= 64;
 
-	dev_hold(dev);
 	rcu_assign_pointer(sitn->tunnels_wc[0], tunnel);
 }