diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h b/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
index 99b4168c36ff..6a7090f4a441 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
@@ -166,6 +166,7 @@ extern const struct file_operations ovl_dir_operations;
 int ovl_check_empty_dir(struct dentry *dentry, struct list_head *list);
 void ovl_cleanup_whiteouts(struct dentry *upper, struct list_head *list);
 void ovl_cache_free(struct list_head *list);
+int ovl_check_d_type_supported(struct path *realpath);
 
 /* inode.c */
 int ovl_setattr(struct dentry *dentry, struct iattr *attr);
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/readdir.c b/fs/overlayfs/readdir.c
index fdaf28f75e12..18d0a1625220 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/readdir.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/readdir.c
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ struct ovl_readdir_data {
 	struct ovl_cache_entry *first_maybe_whiteout;
 	int count;
 	int err;
+	bool d_type_supported;
 };
 
 struct ovl_dir_file {
@@ -577,3 +578,39 @@ void ovl_cleanup_whiteouts(struct dentry *upper, struct list_head *list)
 	}
 	inode_unlock(upper->d_inode);
 }
+
+static int ovl_check_d_type(struct dir_context *ctx, const char *name,
+			  int namelen, loff_t offset, u64 ino,
+			  unsigned int d_type)
+{
+	struct ovl_readdir_data *rdd =
+		container_of(ctx, struct ovl_readdir_data, ctx);
+
+	/* Even if d_type is not supported, DT_DIR is returned for . and .. */
+	if (!strncmp(name, ".", namelen) || !strncmp(name, "..", namelen))
+		return 0;
+
+	if (d_type != DT_UNKNOWN)
+		rdd->d_type_supported = true;
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Returns 1 if d_type is supported, 0 not supported/unknown. Negative values
+ * if error is encountered.
+ */
+int ovl_check_d_type_supported(struct path *realpath)
+{
+	int err;
+	struct ovl_readdir_data rdd = {
+		.ctx.actor = ovl_check_d_type,
+		.d_type_supported = false,
+	};
+
+	err = ovl_dir_read(realpath, &rdd);
+	if (err)
+		return err;
+
+	return rdd.d_type_supported;
+}
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/super.c b/fs/overlayfs/super.c
index 6b0111ae2ceb..ef64984c9bbc 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/super.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/super.c
@@ -1029,6 +1029,21 @@ static int ovl_fill_super(struct super_block *sb, void *data, int silent)
 			sb->s_flags |= MS_RDONLY;
 			ufs->workdir = NULL;
 		}
+
+		/*
+		 * Upper should support d_type, else whiteouts are visible.
+		 * Given workdir and upper are on same fs, we can do
+		 * iterate_dir() on workdir.
+		 */
+		err = ovl_check_d_type_supported(&workpath);
+		if (err < 0)
+			goto out_put_workdir;
+
+		if (!err) {
+			pr_err("overlayfs: upper fs needs to support d_type.\n");
+			err = -EINVAL;
+			goto out_put_workdir;
+		}
 	}
 
 	err = -ENOMEM;