diff --git a/drivers/rtc/class.c b/drivers/rtc/class.c
index 74fd9746aecad52cd40c7159008a274d9364fa47..5fb439897fe1acb707a8629ffdc788a59e80d544 100644
--- a/drivers/rtc/class.c
+++ b/drivers/rtc/class.c
@@ -195,6 +195,8 @@ struct rtc_device *rtc_device_register(const char *name, struct device *dev,
 		goto exit_ida;
 	}
 
+	device_initialize(&rtc->dev);
+
 	rtc->id = id;
 	rtc->ops = ops;
 	rtc->owner = owner;
@@ -233,14 +235,19 @@ struct rtc_device *rtc_device_register(const char *name, struct device *dev,
 
 	rtc_dev_prepare(rtc);
 
-	err = device_register(&rtc->dev);
+	err = cdev_device_add(&rtc->char_dev, &rtc->dev);
 	if (err) {
+		dev_warn(&rtc->dev, "%s: failed to add char device %d:%d\n",
+			 rtc->name, MAJOR(rtc->dev.devt), rtc->id);
+
 		/* This will free both memory and the ID */
 		put_device(&rtc->dev);
 		goto exit;
+	} else {
+		dev_dbg(&rtc->dev, "%s: dev (%d:%d)\n", rtc->name,
+			MAJOR(rtc->dev.devt), rtc->id);
 	}
 
-	rtc_dev_add_device(rtc);
 	rtc_proc_add_device(rtc);
 
 	dev_info(dev, "rtc core: registered %s as %s\n",
@@ -271,9 +278,8 @@ void rtc_device_unregister(struct rtc_device *rtc)
 	 * Remove innards of this RTC, then disable it, before
 	 * letting any rtc_class_open() users access it again
 	 */
-	rtc_dev_del_device(rtc);
 	rtc_proc_del_device(rtc);
-	device_del(&rtc->dev);
+	cdev_device_del(&rtc->char_dev, &rtc->dev);
 	rtc->ops = NULL;
 	mutex_unlock(&rtc->ops_lock);
 	put_device(&rtc->dev);
diff --git a/drivers/rtc/rtc-core.h b/drivers/rtc/rtc-core.h
index a098aea197fc72dad6b0e1819c2ab739cb7dd042..7a4ed2f7c7d7dfcd531654d355d8ef4c23b082c5 100644
--- a/drivers/rtc/rtc-core.h
+++ b/drivers/rtc/rtc-core.h
@@ -3,8 +3,6 @@
 extern void __init rtc_dev_init(void);
 extern void __exit rtc_dev_exit(void);
 extern void rtc_dev_prepare(struct rtc_device *rtc);
-extern void rtc_dev_add_device(struct rtc_device *rtc);
-extern void rtc_dev_del_device(struct rtc_device *rtc);
 
 #else
 
@@ -20,14 +18,6 @@ static inline void rtc_dev_prepare(struct rtc_device *rtc)
 {
 }
 
-static inline void rtc_dev_add_device(struct rtc_device *rtc)
-{
-}
-
-static inline void rtc_dev_del_device(struct rtc_device *rtc)
-{
-}
-
 #endif
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_RTC_INTF_PROC
diff --git a/drivers/rtc/rtc-dev.c b/drivers/rtc/rtc-dev.c
index 6dc8f29697abfe708490005bfcb30bb291c6ef2b..e81a8711fea741b2c347f9655b2fd158db093f7d 100644
--- a/drivers/rtc/rtc-dev.c
+++ b/drivers/rtc/rtc-dev.c
@@ -477,23 +477,6 @@ void rtc_dev_prepare(struct rtc_device *rtc)
 
 	cdev_init(&rtc->char_dev, &rtc_dev_fops);
 	rtc->char_dev.owner = rtc->owner;
-	rtc->char_dev.kobj.parent = &rtc->dev.kobj;
-}
-
-void rtc_dev_add_device(struct rtc_device *rtc)
-{
-	if (cdev_add(&rtc->char_dev, rtc->dev.devt, 1))
-		dev_warn(&rtc->dev, "%s: failed to add char device %d:%d\n",
-			rtc->name, MAJOR(rtc_devt), rtc->id);
-	else
-		dev_dbg(&rtc->dev, "%s: dev (%d:%d)\n", rtc->name,
-			MAJOR(rtc_devt), rtc->id);
-}
-
-void rtc_dev_del_device(struct rtc_device *rtc)
-{
-	if (rtc->dev.devt)
-		cdev_del(&rtc->char_dev);
 }
 
 void __init rtc_dev_init(void)