diff --git a/drivers/nvme/host/fc.c b/drivers/nvme/host/fc.c
index 775869c..14a009e 100644
--- a/drivers/nvme/host/fc.c
+++ b/drivers/nvme/host/fc.c
@@ -2395,8 +2395,6 @@
 
 	ctrl->ctrl.opts->nr_reconnects = 0;
 
-	kref_get(&ctrl->ctrl.kref);
-
 	if (ctrl->queue_count > 1) {
 		nvme_start_queues(&ctrl->ctrl);
 		nvme_queue_scan(&ctrl->ctrl);
@@ -2793,7 +2791,6 @@
 		ctrl->ctrl.opts = NULL;
 		/* initiate nvme ctrl ref counting teardown */
 		nvme_uninit_ctrl(&ctrl->ctrl);
-		nvme_put_ctrl(&ctrl->ctrl);
 
 		/* as we're past the point where we transition to the ref
 		 * counting teardown path, if we return a bad pointer here,
@@ -2809,6 +2806,8 @@
 		return ERR_PTR(ret);
 	}
 
+	kref_get(&ctrl->ctrl.kref);
+
 	dev_info(ctrl->ctrl.device,
 		"NVME-FC{%d}: new ctrl: NQN \"%s\"\n",
 		ctrl->cnum, ctrl->ctrl.opts->subsysnqn);