diff --git a/include/spdk/io_channel.h b/include/spdk/io_channel.h
index 9c2da45b2..4ea1936fb 100644
--- a/include/spdk/io_channel.h
+++ b/include/spdk/io_channel.h
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@ typedef void (*spdk_thread_pass_msg)(spdk_thread_fn fn, void *ctx,
 typedef int (*spdk_io_channel_create_cb)(void *io_device, void *ctx_buf);
 typedef void (*spdk_io_channel_destroy_cb)(void *io_device, void *ctx_buf);
 
+typedef void (*spdk_io_device_unregister_cb)(void *io_device);
+
 typedef void (*spdk_channel_msg)(void *io_device, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
 				 void *ctx);
 typedef void (*spdk_channel_for_each_cpl)(void *io_device, void *ctx);
@@ -110,10 +112,11 @@ void spdk_io_device_register(void *io_device, spdk_io_channel_create_cb create_c
 /**
  * \brief Unregister the opaque io_device context as an I/O device.
  *
- * Callers must ensure they release references to any I/O channel related to this
- *  device before calling this function.
+ * The actual unregistration might be deferred until all active I/O channels are destroyed.
+ *  unregister_cb is an optional callback function invoked to release any references to
+ *  this I/O device.
  */
-void spdk_io_device_unregister(void *io_device);
+void spdk_io_device_unregister(void *io_device, spdk_io_device_unregister_cb unregister_cb);
 
 /**
  * \brief Gets an I/O channel for the specified io_device to be used by the calling thread.
diff --git a/lib/bdev/bdev.c b/lib/bdev/bdev.c
index c91f6603e..987bdafca 100644
--- a/lib/bdev/bdev.c
+++ b/lib/bdev/bdev.c
@@ -522,7 +522,7 @@ spdk_bdev_finish(void)
 	spdk_mempool_free(g_bdev_mgr.buf_small_pool);
 	spdk_mempool_free(g_bdev_mgr.buf_large_pool);
 
-	spdk_io_device_unregister(&g_bdev_mgr);
+	spdk_io_device_unregister(&g_bdev_mgr, NULL);
 
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -1462,7 +1462,7 @@ spdk_bdev_unregister(struct spdk_bdev *bdev)
 
 	pthread_mutex_destroy(&bdev->mutex);
 
-	spdk_io_device_unregister(bdev);
+	spdk_io_device_unregister(bdev, NULL);
 
 	rc = bdev->fn_table->destruct(bdev->ctxt);
 	if (rc < 0) {
diff --git a/lib/bdev/nvme/bdev_nvme.c b/lib/bdev/nvme/bdev_nvme.c
index d19fa2cbd..ce3805af5 100644
--- a/lib/bdev/nvme/bdev_nvme.c
+++ b/lib/bdev/nvme/bdev_nvme.c
@@ -224,6 +224,14 @@ bdev_nvme_poll_adminq(void *arg)
 	spdk_nvme_ctrlr_process_admin_completions(ctrlr);
 }
 
+static void
+bdev_nvme_unregister_cb(void *io_device)
+{
+	struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr = io_device;
+
+	spdk_nvme_detach(ctrlr);
+}
+
 static int
 bdev_nvme_destruct(void *ctx)
 {
@@ -240,9 +248,8 @@ bdev_nvme_destruct(void *ctx)
 	if (nvme_ctrlr->ref == 0) {
 		TAILQ_REMOVE(&g_nvme_ctrlrs, nvme_ctrlr, tailq);
 		pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_bdev_nvme_mutex);
-		spdk_io_device_unregister(nvme_ctrlr->ctrlr);
+		spdk_io_device_unregister(nvme_ctrlr->ctrlr, bdev_nvme_unregister_cb);
 		spdk_bdev_poller_stop(&nvme_ctrlr->adminq_timer_poller);
-		spdk_nvme_detach(nvme_ctrlr->ctrlr);
 		free(nvme_ctrlr->name);
 		free(nvme_ctrlr);
 		return 0;
diff --git a/lib/blob/blobstore.c b/lib/blob/blobstore.c
index bb2effadd..baa42cade 100644
--- a/lib/blob/blobstore.c
+++ b/lib/blob/blobstore.c
@@ -1141,8 +1141,8 @@ _spdk_bs_free(struct spdk_blob_store *bs)
 	struct spdk_blob	*blob, *blob_tmp;
 
 	spdk_bs_unregister_md_thread(bs);
-	spdk_io_device_unregister(&bs->io_target);
-	spdk_io_device_unregister(&bs->md_target);
+	spdk_io_device_unregister(&bs->io_target, NULL);
+	spdk_io_device_unregister(&bs->md_target, NULL);
 
 	TAILQ_FOREACH_SAFE(blob, &bs->blobs, link, blob_tmp) {
 		TAILQ_REMOVE(&bs->blobs, blob, link);
diff --git a/lib/blobfs/blobfs.c b/lib/blobfs/blobfs.c
index 11c44ace9..02046a3df 100644
--- a/lib/blobfs/blobfs.c
+++ b/lib/blobfs/blobfs.c
@@ -440,10 +440,10 @@ spdk_fs_init(struct spdk_bs_dev *dev, fs_send_request_fn send_request_fn,
 	req = alloc_fs_request(fs->md_target.md_fs_channel);
 	if (req == NULL) {
 		spdk_put_io_channel(fs->md_target.md_io_channel);
-		spdk_io_device_unregister(&fs->md_target);
+		spdk_io_device_unregister(&fs->md_target, NULL);
 		spdk_put_io_channel(fs->sync_target.sync_io_channel);
-		spdk_io_device_unregister(&fs->sync_target);
-		spdk_io_device_unregister(&fs->io_target);
+		spdk_io_device_unregister(&fs->sync_target, NULL);
+		spdk_io_device_unregister(&fs->io_target, NULL);
 		free(fs);
 		cb_fn(cb_arg, NULL, -ENOMEM);
 		return;
@@ -566,10 +566,10 @@ spdk_fs_load(struct spdk_bs_dev *dev, fs_send_request_fn send_request_fn,
 	req = alloc_fs_request(fs->md_target.md_fs_channel);
 	if (req == NULL) {
 		spdk_put_io_channel(fs->md_target.md_io_channel);
-		spdk_io_device_unregister(&fs->md_target);
+		spdk_io_device_unregister(&fs->md_target, NULL);
 		spdk_put_io_channel(fs->sync_target.sync_io_channel);
-		spdk_io_device_unregister(&fs->sync_target);
-		spdk_io_device_unregister(&fs->io_target);
+		spdk_io_device_unregister(&fs->sync_target, NULL);
+		spdk_io_device_unregister(&fs->io_target, NULL);
 		free(fs);
 		cb_fn(cb_arg, NULL, -ENOMEM);
 		return;
@@ -600,9 +600,9 @@ unload_cb(void *ctx, int bserrno)
 	args->fn.fs_op(args->arg, bserrno);
 	free(req);
 
-	spdk_io_device_unregister(&fs->io_target);
-	spdk_io_device_unregister(&fs->sync_target);
-	spdk_io_device_unregister(&fs->md_target);
+	spdk_io_device_unregister(&fs->io_target, NULL);
+	spdk_io_device_unregister(&fs->sync_target, NULL);
+	spdk_io_device_unregister(&fs->md_target, NULL);
 
 	free(fs);
 }
diff --git a/lib/util/io_channel.c b/lib/util/io_channel.c
index 3b528fba1..ecb2e980a 100644
--- a/lib/util/io_channel.c
+++ b/lib/util/io_channel.c
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ struct io_device {
 	void			*io_device;
 	spdk_io_channel_create_cb create_cb;
 	spdk_io_channel_destroy_cb destroy_cb;
+	spdk_io_device_unregister_cb unregister_cb;
 	uint32_t		ctx_size;
 	TAILQ_ENTRY(io_device)	tailq;
 
@@ -183,6 +184,7 @@ spdk_io_device_register(void *io_device, spdk_io_channel_create_cb create_cb,
 	dev->io_device = io_device;
 	dev->create_cb = create_cb;
 	dev->destroy_cb = destroy_cb;
+	dev->unregister_cb = NULL;
 	dev->ctx_size = ctx_size;
 	dev->unregistered = false;
 
@@ -217,11 +219,15 @@ _spdk_io_device_attempt_free(struct io_device *dev)
 		}
 	}
 
+	if (dev->unregister_cb) {
+		dev->unregister_cb(dev->io_device);
+	}
+
 	free(dev);
 }
 
 void
-spdk_io_device_unregister(void *io_device)
+spdk_io_device_unregister(void *io_device, spdk_io_device_unregister_cb unregister_cb)
 {
 	struct io_device *dev;
 
@@ -238,6 +244,7 @@ spdk_io_device_unregister(void *io_device)
 		return;
 	}
 
+	dev->unregister_cb = unregister_cb;
 	dev->unregistered = true;
 	TAILQ_REMOVE(&g_io_devices, dev, tailq);
 	_spdk_io_device_attempt_free(dev);
diff --git a/test/unit/lib/bdev/bdev.c/bdev_ut.c b/test/unit/lib/bdev/bdev.c/bdev_ut.c
index 3142a5e96..a5c4f45fc 100644
--- a/test/unit/lib/bdev/bdev.c/bdev_ut.c
+++ b/test/unit/lib/bdev/bdev.c/bdev_ut.c
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ spdk_io_device_register(void *io_device, spdk_io_channel_create_cb create_cb,
 }
 
 void
-spdk_io_device_unregister(void *io_device)
+spdk_io_device_unregister(void *io_device, spdk_io_device_unregister_cb unregister_cb)
 {
 }
 
diff --git a/test/unit/lib/util/io_channel.c/io_channel_ut.c b/test/unit/lib/util/io_channel.c/io_channel_ut.c
index 197158c09..1022c2f26 100644
--- a/test/unit/lib/util/io_channel.c/io_channel_ut.c
+++ b/test/unit/lib/util/io_channel.c/io_channel_ut.c
@@ -146,9 +146,9 @@ channel(void)
 	ch1 = spdk_get_io_channel(&device3);
 	CU_ASSERT(ch1 == NULL);
 
-	spdk_io_device_unregister(&device1);
-	spdk_io_device_unregister(&device2);
-	spdk_io_device_unregister(&device3);
+	spdk_io_device_unregister(&device1, NULL);
+	spdk_io_device_unregister(&device2, NULL);
+	spdk_io_device_unregister(&device3, NULL);
 	CU_ASSERT(TAILQ_EMPTY(&g_io_devices));
 	spdk_free_thread();
 	CU_ASSERT(TAILQ_EMPTY(&g_threads));