diff --git a/migration/migration.c b/migration/migration.c
index 2398a9db4fce922b6b3ea60fa214d2815eeb0f88..51ccd1a4c5177fb997759ebe5322490b4e2b0bef 100644
--- a/migration/migration.c
+++ b/migration/migration.c
@@ -1311,6 +1311,15 @@ bool migrate_use_block(void)
     return s->enabled_capabilities[MIGRATION_CAPABILITY_BLOCK];
 }
 
+bool migrate_use_return_path(void)
+{
+    MigrationState *s;
+
+    s = migrate_get_current();
+
+    return s->enabled_capabilities[MIGRATION_CAPABILITY_RETURN_PATH];
+}
+
 bool migrate_use_block_incremental(void)
 {
     MigrationState *s;
@@ -1975,10 +1984,11 @@ void migrate_fd_connect(MigrationState *s)
     notifier_list_notify(&migration_state_notifiers, s);
 
     /*
-     * Open the return path; currently for postcopy but other things might
-     * also want it.
+     * Open the return path. For postcopy, it is used exclusively. For
+     * precopy, only if user specified "return-path" capability would
+     * QEMU uses the return path.
      */
-    if (migrate_postcopy_ram()) {
+    if (migrate_postcopy_ram() || migrate_use_return_path()) {
         if (open_return_path_on_source(s)) {
             error_report("Unable to open return-path for postcopy");
             migrate_set_state(&s->state, MIGRATION_STATUS_SETUP,
diff --git a/migration/migration.h b/migration/migration.h
index 994b01701503d336d6e0a0277ce407e0b1a05fb5..148c9facbce9a25218a2b611385461edaf48e5ef 100644
--- a/migration/migration.h
+++ b/migration/migration.h
@@ -177,6 +177,7 @@ bool migrate_colo_enabled(void);
 
 bool migrate_use_block(void);
 bool migrate_use_block_incremental(void);
+bool migrate_use_return_path(void);
 
 bool migrate_use_compression(void);
 int migrate_compress_level(void);
diff --git a/qapi-schema.json b/qapi-schema.json
index 4b50b652d3edfadb92537d6012f22d2e741c377b..9e34cf71f37fd5d57503a4eefc898e8fbbfcafd1 100644
--- a/qapi-schema.json
+++ b/qapi-schema.json
@@ -900,12 +900,15 @@
 #          offers more flexibility.
 #          (Since 2.10)
 #
+# @return-path: If enabled, migration will use the return path even
+#               for precopy. (since 2.10)
+#
 # Since: 1.2
 ##
 { 'enum': 'MigrationCapability',
   'data': ['xbzrle', 'rdma-pin-all', 'auto-converge', 'zero-blocks',
            'compress', 'events', 'postcopy-ram', 'x-colo', 'release-ram',
-           'block' ] }
+           'block', 'return-path' ] }
 
 ##
 # @MigrationCapabilityStatus: