diff --git a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/include/nvgpu/nvgpu_mem.h b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/include/nvgpu/nvgpu_mem.h
index 76c225eb4..0ad8dbb6d 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/include/nvgpu/nvgpu_mem.h
+++ b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/include/nvgpu/nvgpu_mem.h
@@ -177,6 +177,15 @@ struct nvgpu_mem {
 	 * nvgpu_mem in a system specific way.
 	 */
 #define __NVGPU_MEM_FLAG_NO_DMA			 (1 << 3)
+	/*
+	 * Some nvgpu_mem objects act as facades to memory buffers owned by
+	 * someone else. This internal flag specifies that the sgt field is
+	 * "borrowed", and it must not be freed by us.
+	 *
+	 * Of course the caller will have to make sure that the sgt owner
+	 * outlives the nvgpu_mem.
+	 */
+#define NVGPU_MEM_FLAG_FOREIGN_SGT		 (1 << 4)
 	unsigned long				 mem_flags;
 
 	/*
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/os/linux/linux-dma.c b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/os/linux/linux-dma.c
index 52987a874..d704b2a4f 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/os/linux/linux-dma.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/os/linux/linux-dma.c
@@ -392,8 +392,10 @@ void nvgpu_dma_free_sys(struct gk20a *g, struct nvgpu_mem *mem)
 	if (mem->mem_flags & __NVGPU_MEM_FLAG_NO_DMA)
 		nvgpu_kfree(g, mem->priv.pages);
 
-	if (mem->priv.sgt)
+	if ((mem->mem_flags & NVGPU_MEM_FLAG_FOREIGN_SGT) == 0 &&
+			mem->priv.sgt != NULL) {
 		nvgpu_free_sgtable(g, &mem->priv.sgt);
+	}
 
 	dma_dbg_free_done(g, mem->size, "sysmem");