diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_accel/ipsec.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_accel/ipsec.c
index a715601865d3..1b03ab03fc5a 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_accel/ipsec.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_accel/ipsec.c
@@ -345,29 +345,27 @@ static void mlx5e_xfrm_free_state(struct xfrm_state *x)
 	kfree(sa_entry);
 }
 
-int mlx5e_ipsec_init(struct mlx5e_priv *priv)
+void mlx5e_ipsec_init(struct mlx5e_priv *priv)
 {
 	struct mlx5e_ipsec *ipsec;
-	int ret;
+	int ret = -ENOMEM;
 
 	if (!mlx5_ipsec_device_caps(priv->mdev)) {
 		netdev_dbg(priv->netdev, "Not an IPSec offload device\n");
-		return 0;
+		return;
 	}
 
 	ipsec = kzalloc(sizeof(*ipsec), GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (!ipsec)
-		return -ENOMEM;
+		return;
 
 	hash_init(ipsec->sadb_rx);
 	spin_lock_init(&ipsec->sadb_rx_lock);
 	ipsec->mdev = priv->mdev;
 	ipsec->wq = alloc_ordered_workqueue("mlx5e_ipsec: %s", 0,
 					    priv->netdev->name);
-	if (!ipsec->wq) {
-		ret = -ENOMEM;
+	if (!ipsec->wq)
 		goto err_wq;
-	}
 
 	ret = mlx5e_accel_ipsec_fs_init(ipsec);
 	if (ret)
@@ -375,13 +373,14 @@ int mlx5e_ipsec_init(struct mlx5e_priv *priv)
 
 	priv->ipsec = ipsec;
 	netdev_dbg(priv->netdev, "IPSec attached to netdevice\n");
-	return 0;
+	return;
 
 err_fs_init:
 	destroy_workqueue(ipsec->wq);
 err_wq:
 	kfree(ipsec);
-	return (ret != -EOPNOTSUPP) ? ret : 0;
+	mlx5_core_err(priv->mdev, "IPSec initialization failed, %d\n", ret);
+	return;
 }
 
 void mlx5e_ipsec_cleanup(struct mlx5e_priv *priv)
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_accel/ipsec.h b/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_accel/ipsec.h
index 16bcceec16c4..4c47347d0ee2 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_accel/ipsec.h
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_accel/ipsec.h
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ struct mlx5e_ipsec_sa_entry {
 	struct mlx5e_ipsec_modify_state_work modify_work;
 };
 
-int mlx5e_ipsec_init(struct mlx5e_priv *priv);
+void mlx5e_ipsec_init(struct mlx5e_priv *priv);
 void mlx5e_ipsec_cleanup(struct mlx5e_priv *priv);
 void mlx5e_ipsec_build_netdev(struct mlx5e_priv *priv);
 
@@ -174,9 +174,8 @@ mlx5e_ipsec_sa2dev(struct mlx5e_ipsec_sa_entry *sa_entry)
 	return sa_entry->ipsec->mdev;
 }
 #else
-static inline int mlx5e_ipsec_init(struct mlx5e_priv *priv)
+static inline void mlx5e_ipsec_init(struct mlx5e_priv *priv)
 {
-	return 0;
 }
 
 static inline void mlx5e_ipsec_cleanup(struct mlx5e_priv *priv)
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_main.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_main.c
index 199387c6bf16..8d36e2de53a9 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_main.c
@@ -5238,10 +5238,6 @@ static int mlx5e_nic_init(struct mlx5_core_dev *mdev,
 	}
 	priv->fs = fs;
 
-	err = mlx5e_ipsec_init(priv);
-	if (err)
-		mlx5_core_err(mdev, "IPSec initialization failed, %d\n", err);
-
 	err = mlx5e_ktls_init(priv);
 	if (err)
 		mlx5_core_err(mdev, "TLS initialization failed, %d\n", err);
@@ -5254,7 +5250,6 @@ static void mlx5e_nic_cleanup(struct mlx5e_priv *priv)
 {
 	mlx5e_health_destroy_reporters(priv);
 	mlx5e_ktls_cleanup(priv);
-	mlx5e_ipsec_cleanup(priv);
 	mlx5e_fs_cleanup(priv->fs);
 }
 
@@ -5383,6 +5378,7 @@ static void mlx5e_nic_enable(struct mlx5e_priv *priv)
 	int err;
 
 	mlx5e_fs_init_l2_addr(priv->fs, netdev);
+	mlx5e_ipsec_init(priv);
 
 	err = mlx5e_macsec_init(priv);
 	if (err)
@@ -5446,6 +5442,7 @@ static void mlx5e_nic_disable(struct mlx5e_priv *priv)
 	mlx5_lag_remove_netdev(mdev, priv->netdev);
 	mlx5_vxlan_reset_to_default(mdev->vxlan);
 	mlx5e_macsec_cleanup(priv);
+	mlx5e_ipsec_cleanup(priv);
 }
 
 int mlx5e_update_nic_rx(struct mlx5e_priv *priv)
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_rep.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_rep.c
index 1b53e8852c86..623886462c10 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_rep.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_rep.c
@@ -751,7 +751,6 @@ static int mlx5e_init_ul_rep(struct mlx5_core_dev *mdev,
 			     struct net_device *netdev)
 {
 	struct mlx5e_priv *priv = netdev_priv(netdev);
-	int err;
 
 	priv->fs = mlx5e_fs_init(priv->profile, mdev,
 				 !test_bit(MLX5E_STATE_DESTROYING, &priv->state));
@@ -760,10 +759,6 @@ static int mlx5e_init_ul_rep(struct mlx5_core_dev *mdev,
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
 
-	err = mlx5e_ipsec_init(priv);
-	if (err)
-		mlx5_core_err(mdev, "Uplink rep IPsec initialization failed, %d\n", err);
-
 	mlx5e_vxlan_set_netdev_info(priv);
 	mlx5e_build_rep_params(netdev);
 	mlx5e_timestamp_init(priv);
@@ -773,7 +768,6 @@ static int mlx5e_init_ul_rep(struct mlx5_core_dev *mdev,
 static void mlx5e_cleanup_rep(struct mlx5e_priv *priv)
 {
 	mlx5e_fs_cleanup(priv->fs);
-	mlx5e_ipsec_cleanup(priv);
 }
 
 static int mlx5e_create_rep_ttc_table(struct mlx5e_priv *priv)
@@ -1112,6 +1106,8 @@ static void mlx5e_uplink_rep_enable(struct mlx5e_priv *priv)
 	struct mlx5_core_dev *mdev = priv->mdev;
 	u16 max_mtu;
 
+	mlx5e_ipsec_init(priv);
+
 	netdev->min_mtu = ETH_MIN_MTU;
 	mlx5_query_port_max_mtu(priv->mdev, &max_mtu, 1);
 	netdev->max_mtu = MLX5E_HW2SW_MTU(&priv->channels.params, max_mtu);
@@ -1158,6 +1154,8 @@ static void mlx5e_uplink_rep_disable(struct mlx5e_priv *priv)
 	mlx5e_rep_tc_disable(priv);
 	mlx5_lag_remove_netdev(mdev, priv->netdev);
 	mlx5_vxlan_reset_to_default(mdev->vxlan);
+
+	mlx5e_ipsec_cleanup(priv);
 }
 
 static MLX5E_DEFINE_STATS_GRP(sw_rep, 0);