diff --git a/pimd/pim_vxlan.c b/pimd/pim_vxlan.c
index fc34f3f600..4d8fe779ae 100644
--- a/pimd/pim_vxlan.c
+++ b/pimd/pim_vxlan.c
@@ -660,6 +660,14 @@ static struct pim_vxlan_sg *pim_vxlan_sg_new(struct pim_instance *pim,
 
 	vxlan_sg = hash_get(pim->vxlan.sg_hash, vxlan_sg, hash_alloc_intern);
 
+	/* we register with the MLAG daemon in the first VxLAN SG and never
+	 * de-register during that life of the pimd
+	 */
+	if (pim->vxlan.sg_hash->count == 1) {
+		vxlan_mlag.flags |= PIM_VXLAN_MLAGF_DO_REG;
+		pim_mlag_register();
+	}
+
 	return vxlan_sg;
 }
 
@@ -717,6 +725,11 @@ void pim_vxlan_sg_del(struct pim_instance *pim, struct prefix_sg *sg)
 }
 
 /******************************* MLAG handling *******************************/
+bool pim_vxlan_do_mlag_reg(void)
+{
+	return (vxlan_mlag.flags & PIM_VXLAN_MLAGF_DO_REG);
+}
+
 /* The peerlink sub-interface is added as an OIF to the origination-mroute.
  * This is done to send a copy of the multicast-vxlan encapsulated traffic
  * to the MLAG peer which may mroute it over the underlay if there are any
diff --git a/pimd/pim_vxlan.h b/pimd/pim_vxlan.h
index c6507a474c..22ed1f761a 100644
--- a/pimd/pim_vxlan.h
+++ b/pimd/pim_vxlan.h
@@ -66,7 +66,8 @@ struct pim_vxlan_sg {
 
 enum pim_vxlan_mlag_flags {
 	PIM_VXLAN_MLAGF_NONE = 0,
-	PIM_VXLAN_MLAGF_ENABLED = (1 << 0)
+	PIM_VXLAN_MLAGF_ENABLED = (1 << 0),
+	PIM_VXLAN_MLAGF_DO_REG = (1 << 1)
 };
 
 enum pim_vxlan_mlag_role {
@@ -142,5 +143,6 @@ extern void pim_vxlan_mlag_update(bool enable, bool peer_state, uint32_t role,
 				struct interface *peerlink_rif,
 				struct in_addr *reg_addr);
 extern void pim_vxlan_config_write(struct vty *vty, char *spaces, int *writes);
+extern bool pim_vxlan_do_mlag_reg(void);
 
 #endif /* PIM_VXLAN_H */