diff --git a/hw/virtio/virtio.c b/hw/virtio/virtio.c
index 5bd2a2f621..546a198e79 100644
--- a/hw/virtio/virtio.c
+++ b/hw/virtio/virtio.c
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 #include "hw/virtio/virtio-access.h"
 #include "sysemu/dma.h"
 #include "sysemu/runstate.h"
+#include "standard-headers/linux/virtio_ids.h"
 
 /*
  * The alignment to use between consumer and producer parts of vring.
@@ -3279,6 +3280,30 @@ void virtio_init(VirtIODevice *vdev, const char *name,
     vdev->use_guest_notifier_mask = true;
 }
 
+/*
+ * Only devices that have already been around prior to defining the virtio
+ * standard support legacy mode; this includes devices not specified in the
+ * standard. All newer devices conform to the virtio standard only.
+ */
+bool virtio_legacy_allowed(VirtIODevice *vdev)
+{
+    switch (vdev->device_id) {
+    case VIRTIO_ID_NET:
+    case VIRTIO_ID_BLOCK:
+    case VIRTIO_ID_CONSOLE:
+    case VIRTIO_ID_RNG:
+    case VIRTIO_ID_BALLOON:
+    case VIRTIO_ID_RPMSG:
+    case VIRTIO_ID_SCSI:
+    case VIRTIO_ID_9P:
+    case VIRTIO_ID_RPROC_SERIAL:
+    case VIRTIO_ID_CAIF:
+        return true;
+    default:
+        return false;
+    }
+}
+
 hwaddr virtio_queue_get_desc_addr(VirtIODevice *vdev, int n)
 {
     return vdev->vq[n].vring.desc;
diff --git a/include/hw/virtio/virtio.h b/include/hw/virtio/virtio.h
index b69d517496..198ffc7626 100644
--- a/include/hw/virtio/virtio.h
+++ b/include/hw/virtio/virtio.h
@@ -396,4 +396,6 @@ static inline bool virtio_device_disabled(VirtIODevice *vdev)
     return unlikely(vdev->disabled || vdev->broken);
 }
 
+bool virtio_legacy_allowed(VirtIODevice *vdev);
+
 #endif