diff --git a/drivers/nvme/host/core.c b/drivers/nvme/host/core.c
index e68a8c4ac5a6..e084120c3453 100644
--- a/drivers/nvme/host/core.c
+++ b/drivers/nvme/host/core.c
@@ -1440,7 +1440,7 @@ static int nvme_identify_ns(struct nvme_ctrl *ctrl, unsigned nsid,
 		goto out_free_id;
 	}
 
-	error = -ENODEV;
+	error = NVME_SC_INVALID_NS | NVME_SC_DNR;
 	if ((*id)->ncap == 0) /* namespace not allocated or attached */
 		goto out_free_id;
 
@@ -4038,7 +4038,7 @@ static void nvme_ns_remove_by_nsid(struct nvme_ctrl *ctrl, u32 nsid)
 static void nvme_validate_ns(struct nvme_ns *ns, struct nvme_ns_ids *ids)
 {
 	struct nvme_id_ns *id;
-	int ret = -ENODEV;
+	int ret = NVME_SC_INVALID_NS | NVME_SC_DNR;
 
 	if (test_bit(NVME_NS_DEAD, &ns->flags))
 		goto out;
@@ -4047,7 +4047,7 @@ static void nvme_validate_ns(struct nvme_ns *ns, struct nvme_ns_ids *ids)
 	if (ret)
 		goto out;
 
-	ret = -ENODEV;
+	ret = NVME_SC_INVALID_NS | NVME_SC_DNR;
 	if (!nvme_ns_ids_equal(&ns->head->ids, ids)) {
 		dev_err(ns->ctrl->device,
 			"identifiers changed for nsid %d\n", ns->head->ns_id);
@@ -4065,7 +4065,7 @@ out:
 	 *
 	 * TODO: we should probably schedule a delayed retry here.
 	 */
-	if (ret && ret != -ENOMEM && !(ret > 0 && !(ret & NVME_SC_DNR)))
+	if (ret > 0 && (ret & NVME_SC_DNR))
 		nvme_ns_remove(ns);
 }