diff --git a/drivers/infiniband/core/uverbs_cmd.c b/drivers/infiniband/core/uverbs_cmd.c
index 258485ee46b2..4c98696e3626 100644
--- a/drivers/infiniband/core/uverbs_cmd.c
+++ b/drivers/infiniband/core/uverbs_cmd.c
@@ -606,6 +606,7 @@ ssize_t ib_uverbs_dealloc_pd(struct ib_uverbs_file *file,
 {
 	struct ib_uverbs_dealloc_pd cmd;
 	struct ib_uobject          *uobj;
+	struct ib_pd		   *pd;
 	int                         ret;
 
 	if (copy_from_user(&cmd, buf, sizeof cmd))
@@ -614,15 +615,20 @@ ssize_t ib_uverbs_dealloc_pd(struct ib_uverbs_file *file,
 	uobj = idr_write_uobj(&ib_uverbs_pd_idr, cmd.pd_handle, file->ucontext);
 	if (!uobj)
 		return -EINVAL;
+	pd = uobj->object;
 
-	ret = ib_dealloc_pd(uobj->object);
-	if (!ret)
-		uobj->live = 0;
-
-	put_uobj_write(uobj);
+	if (atomic_read(&pd->usecnt)) {
+		ret = -EBUSY;
+		goto err_put;
+	}
 
+	ret = pd->device->dealloc_pd(uobj->object);
+	WARN_ONCE(ret, "Infiniband HW driver failed dealloc_pd");
 	if (ret)
-		return ret;
+		goto err_put;
+
+	uobj->live = 0;
+	put_uobj_write(uobj);
 
 	idr_remove_uobj(&ib_uverbs_pd_idr, uobj);
 
@@ -633,6 +639,10 @@ ssize_t ib_uverbs_dealloc_pd(struct ib_uverbs_file *file,
 	put_uobj(uobj);
 
 	return in_len;
+
+err_put:
+	put_uobj_write(uobj);
+	return ret;
 }
 
 struct xrcd_table_entry {
diff --git a/drivers/infiniband/core/verbs.c b/drivers/infiniband/core/verbs.c
index 2e5fd89a8929..aad8b3ce66cc 100644
--- a/drivers/infiniband/core/verbs.c
+++ b/drivers/infiniband/core/verbs.c
@@ -260,18 +260,32 @@ struct ib_pd *ib_alloc_pd(struct ib_device *device)
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(ib_alloc_pd);
 
-int ib_dealloc_pd(struct ib_pd *pd)
+/**
+ * ib_dealloc_pd - Deallocates a protection domain.
+ * @pd: The protection domain to deallocate.
+ *
+ * It is an error to call this function while any resources in the pd still
+ * exist.  The caller is responsible to synchronously destroy them and
+ * guarantee no new allocations will happen.
+ */
+void ib_dealloc_pd(struct ib_pd *pd)
 {
+	int ret;
+
 	if (pd->local_mr) {
-		if (ib_dereg_mr(pd->local_mr))
-			return -EBUSY;
+		ret = ib_dereg_mr(pd->local_mr);
+		WARN_ON(ret);
 		pd->local_mr = NULL;
 	}
 
-	if (atomic_read(&pd->usecnt))
-		return -EBUSY;
+	/* uverbs manipulates usecnt with proper locking, while the kabi
+	   requires the caller to guarantee we can't race here. */
+	WARN_ON(atomic_read(&pd->usecnt));
 
-	return pd->device->dealloc_pd(pd);
+	/* Making delalloc_pd a void return is a WIP, no driver should return
+	   an error here. */
+	ret = pd->device->dealloc_pd(pd);
+	WARN_ONCE(ret, "Infiniband HW driver failed dealloc_pd");
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(ib_dealloc_pd);
 
diff --git a/drivers/infiniband/ulp/ipoib/ipoib_verbs.c b/drivers/infiniband/ulp/ipoib/ipoib_verbs.c
index 8c451983d8a5..78845b6e8b81 100644
--- a/drivers/infiniband/ulp/ipoib/ipoib_verbs.c
+++ b/drivers/infiniband/ulp/ipoib/ipoib_verbs.c
@@ -280,9 +280,7 @@ void ipoib_transport_dev_cleanup(struct net_device *dev)
 		priv->wq = NULL;
 	}
 
-	if (ib_dealloc_pd(priv->pd))
-		ipoib_warn(priv, "ib_dealloc_pd failed\n");
-
+	ib_dealloc_pd(priv->pd);
 }
 
 void ipoib_event(struct ib_event_handler *handler,
diff --git a/drivers/infiniband/ulp/iser/iser_verbs.c b/drivers/infiniband/ulp/iser/iser_verbs.c
index ad2d2b50cd7f..ae70cc1463ac 100644
--- a/drivers/infiniband/ulp/iser/iser_verbs.c
+++ b/drivers/infiniband/ulp/iser/iser_verbs.c
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ static void iser_free_device_ib_res(struct iser_device *device)
 
 	(void)ib_unregister_event_handler(&device->event_handler);
 	(void)ib_dereg_mr(device->mr);
-	(void)ib_dealloc_pd(device->pd);
+	ib_dealloc_pd(device->pd);
 
 	kfree(device->comps);
 	device->comps = NULL;
diff --git a/include/rdma/ib_verbs.h b/include/rdma/ib_verbs.h
index 09400512d579..128abf2888ab 100644
--- a/include/rdma/ib_verbs.h
+++ b/include/rdma/ib_verbs.h
@@ -2196,11 +2196,7 @@ int ib_find_pkey(struct ib_device *device,
 
 struct ib_pd *ib_alloc_pd(struct ib_device *device);
 
-/**
- * ib_dealloc_pd - Deallocates a protection domain.
- * @pd: The protection domain to deallocate.
- */
-int ib_dealloc_pd(struct ib_pd *pd);
+void ib_dealloc_pd(struct ib_pd *pd);
 
 /**
  * ib_create_ah - Creates an address handle for the given address vector.
diff --git a/net/rds/iw.c b/net/rds/iw.c
index 7cc2f32a0cb3..c7dcddbf17cb 100644
--- a/net/rds/iw.c
+++ b/net/rds/iw.c
@@ -148,10 +148,7 @@ static void rds_iw_remove_one(struct ib_device *device, void *client_data)
 	if (rds_iwdev->mr)
 		ib_dereg_mr(rds_iwdev->mr);
 
-	while (ib_dealloc_pd(rds_iwdev->pd)) {
-		rdsdebug("Failed to dealloc pd %p\n", rds_iwdev->pd);
-		msleep(1);
-	}
+	ib_dealloc_pd(rds_iwdev->pd);
 
 	list_del(&rds_iwdev->list);
 	kfree(rds_iwdev);
diff --git a/net/sunrpc/xprtrdma/verbs.c b/net/sunrpc/xprtrdma/verbs.c
index 891c4ede2c20..afd504375a9a 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/xprtrdma/verbs.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/xprtrdma/verbs.c
@@ -624,7 +624,7 @@ rpcrdma_ia_close(struct rpcrdma_ia *ia)
 
 	/* If the pd is still busy, xprtrdma missed freeing a resource */
 	if (ia->ri_pd && !IS_ERR(ia->ri_pd))
-		WARN_ON(ib_dealloc_pd(ia->ri_pd));
+		ib_dealloc_pd(ia->ri_pd);
 }
 
 /*