diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_main.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_main.c
index 3cce6281e075..c24366868b39 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_main.c
@@ -3970,6 +3970,19 @@ static void mlx5e_register_vport_rep(struct mlx5_core_dev *mdev)
 	}
 }
 
+static void mlx5e_unregister_vport_rep(struct mlx5_core_dev *mdev)
+{
+	struct mlx5_eswitch *esw = mdev->priv.eswitch;
+	int total_vfs = MLX5_TOTAL_VPORTS(mdev);
+	int vport;
+
+	if (!MLX5_CAP_GEN(mdev, vport_group_manager))
+		return;
+
+	for (vport = 1; vport < total_vfs; vport++)
+		mlx5_eswitch_unregister_vport_rep(esw, vport);
+}
+
 void mlx5e_detach_netdev(struct mlx5_core_dev *mdev, struct net_device *netdev)
 {
 	struct mlx5e_priv *priv = netdev_priv(netdev);
@@ -4016,6 +4029,7 @@ static int mlx5e_attach(struct mlx5_core_dev *mdev, void *vpriv)
 		return err;
 	}
 
+	mlx5e_register_vport_rep(mdev);
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -4027,6 +4041,7 @@ static void mlx5e_detach(struct mlx5_core_dev *mdev, void *vpriv)
 	if (!netif_device_present(netdev))
 		return;
 
+	mlx5e_unregister_vport_rep(mdev);
 	mlx5e_detach_netdev(mdev, netdev);
 	mlx5e_destroy_mdev_resources(mdev);
 }
@@ -4045,8 +4060,6 @@ static void *mlx5e_add(struct mlx5_core_dev *mdev)
 	if (err)
 		return NULL;
 
-	mlx5e_register_vport_rep(mdev);
-
 	if (MLX5_CAP_GEN(mdev, vport_group_manager))
 		ppriv = &esw->offloads.vport_reps[0];
 
@@ -4098,13 +4111,7 @@ void mlx5e_destroy_netdev(struct mlx5_core_dev *mdev, struct mlx5e_priv *priv)
 
 static void mlx5e_remove(struct mlx5_core_dev *mdev, void *vpriv)
 {
-	struct mlx5_eswitch *esw = mdev->priv.eswitch;
-	int total_vfs = MLX5_TOTAL_VPORTS(mdev);
 	struct mlx5e_priv *priv = vpriv;
-	int vport;
-
-	for (vport = 1; vport < total_vfs; vport++)
-		mlx5_eswitch_unregister_vport_rep(esw, vport);
 
 	unregister_netdev(priv->netdev);
 	mlx5e_detach(mdev, vpriv);