diff --git a/arch_init.c b/arch_init.c
index 0c8c07d6ba5be4a8ecf23fcbb3477a95c256efeb..aeebb8ecb26170c12827c4069e104a1cedc4c755 100644
--- a/arch_init.c
+++ b/arch_init.c
@@ -1108,7 +1108,7 @@ done:
     return ret;
 }
 
-SaveVMHandlers savevm_ram_handlers = {
+static SaveVMHandlers savevm_ram_handlers = {
     .save_live_setup = ram_save_setup,
     .save_live_iterate = ram_save_iterate,
     .save_live_complete = ram_save_complete,
@@ -1117,6 +1117,11 @@ SaveVMHandlers savevm_ram_handlers = {
     .cancel = ram_migration_cancel,
 };
 
+void ram_mig_init(void)
+{
+    register_savevm_live(NULL, "ram", 0, 4, &savevm_ram_handlers, NULL);
+}
+
 struct soundhw {
     const char *name;
     const char *descr;
diff --git a/include/migration/migration.h b/include/migration/migration.h
index 3e1e6c72bfa3b462cbfa08a41153eed83b1b5ee8..31fbf174d210e143427587ad28fb53c2e677ac20 100644
--- a/include/migration/migration.h
+++ b/include/migration/migration.h
@@ -113,8 +113,6 @@ void free_xbzrle_decoded_buf(void);
 
 void acct_update_position(QEMUFile *f, size_t size, bool zero);
 
-extern SaveVMHandlers savevm_ram_handlers;
-
 uint64_t dup_mig_bytes_transferred(void);
 uint64_t dup_mig_pages_transferred(void);
 uint64_t skipped_mig_bytes_transferred(void);
diff --git a/include/sysemu/arch_init.h b/include/sysemu/arch_init.h
index be71bcac2d6b3941ba4a82d14a8045472f023c27..182d48d8c3cf841555b12d1ac7fa8758936f9903 100644
--- a/include/sysemu/arch_init.h
+++ b/include/sysemu/arch_init.h
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ extern const uint32_t arch_type;
 void select_soundhw(const char *optarg);
 void do_acpitable_option(const QemuOpts *opts);
 void do_smbios_option(QemuOpts *opts);
+void ram_mig_init(void);
 void cpudef_init(void);
 void audio_init(void);
 int tcg_available(void);
diff --git a/vl.c b/vl.c
index 236f95efd795def44fb3ec165eead930500f3c20..8411a4a08abd1ddf9484f52dee182636740d62cb 100644
--- a/vl.c
+++ b/vl.c
@@ -4306,6 +4306,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
     cpu_exec_init_all();
 
     blk_mig_init();
+    ram_mig_init();
 
     /* open the virtual block devices */
     if (snapshot)
@@ -4320,8 +4321,6 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
     default_drive(default_floppy, snapshot, IF_FLOPPY, 0, FD_OPTS);
     default_drive(default_sdcard, snapshot, IF_SD, 0, SD_OPTS);
 
-    register_savevm_live(NULL, "ram", 0, 4, &savevm_ram_handlers, NULL);
-
     if (nb_numa_nodes > 0) {
         int i;