diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_command.c b/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
index 7008f14028..16bb8dbdbe 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
@@ -8925,31 +8925,10 @@ qemuBuildRedirdevDevStr(const virDomainDef *def,
     g_auto(virBuffer) buf = VIR_BUFFER_INITIALIZER;
     virDomainRedirFilterDefPtr redirfilter = def->redirfilter;
 
-    if (dev->bus != VIR_DOMAIN_REDIRDEV_BUS_USB) {
-        virReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED,
-                       _("Redirection bus %s is not supported by QEMU"),
-                       virDomainRedirdevBusTypeToString(dev->bus));
-        return NULL;
-    }
-
-    if (!virQEMUCapsGet(qemuCaps, QEMU_CAPS_USB_REDIR)) {
-        virReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED, "%s",
-                       _("USB redirection is not supported "
-                         "by this version of QEMU"));
-        return NULL;
-    }
-
     virBufferAsprintf(&buf, "usb-redir,chardev=char%s,id=%s",
                       dev->info.alias, dev->info.alias);
 
     if (redirfilter && redirfilter->nusbdevs) {
-        if (!virQEMUCapsGet(qemuCaps, QEMU_CAPS_USB_REDIR_FILTER)) {
-            virReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED, "%s",
-                           _("USB redirection filter is not "
-                             "supported by this version of QEMU"));
-            return NULL;
-        }
-
         virBufferAddLit(&buf, ",filter=");
 
         for (i = 0; i < redirfilter->nusbdevs; i++) {
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_validate.c b/src/qemu/qemu_validate.c
index 3df615a84d..254542249c 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_validate.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_validate.c
@@ -1770,12 +1770,35 @@ qemuValidateDomainRNGDef(const virDomainRNGDef *def,
 
 
 static int
-qemuValidateDomainRedirdevDef(const virDomainRedirdevDef *def,
+qemuValidateDomainRedirdevDef(const virDomainRedirdevDef *dev,
+                              const virDomainDef *def,
                               virQEMUCapsPtr qemuCaps)
 {
-    if (qemuValidateDomainChrSourceDef(def->source, qemuCaps) < 0)
+    if (qemuValidateDomainChrSourceDef(dev->source, qemuCaps) < 0)
         return -1;
 
+    if (dev->bus != VIR_DOMAIN_REDIRDEV_BUS_USB) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED,
+                       _("Redirection bus %s is not supported by QEMU"),
+                       virDomainRedirdevBusTypeToString(dev->bus));
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    if (!virQEMUCapsGet(qemuCaps, QEMU_CAPS_USB_REDIR)) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED, "%s",
+                       _("USB redirection is not supported "
+                         "by this version of QEMU"));
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    if (def->redirfilter && def->redirfilter->nusbdevs &&
+        !virQEMUCapsGet(qemuCaps, QEMU_CAPS_USB_REDIR_FILTER)) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED, "%s",
+                       _("USB redirection filter is not "
+                         "supported by this version of QEMU"));
+        return -1;
+    }
+
     return 0;
 }
 
@@ -4480,7 +4503,7 @@ qemuValidateDomainDeviceDef(const virDomainDeviceDef *dev,
         break;
 
     case VIR_DOMAIN_DEVICE_REDIRDEV:
-        ret = qemuValidateDomainRedirdevDef(dev->data.redirdev, qemuCaps);
+        ret = qemuValidateDomainRedirdevDef(dev->data.redirdev, def, qemuCaps);
         break;
 
     case VIR_DOMAIN_DEVICE_WATCHDOG:
diff --git a/tests/qemuxml2xmltest.c b/tests/qemuxml2xmltest.c
index a897dfe17a..7160653471 100644
--- a/tests/qemuxml2xmltest.c
+++ b/tests/qemuxml2xmltest.c
@@ -631,9 +631,13 @@ mymain(void)
             QEMU_CAPS_DEVICE_SPAPR_PCI_HOST_BRIDGE,
             QEMU_CAPS_PIIX3_USB_UHCI);
     DO_TEST("usb-port-missing", QEMU_CAPS_USB_HUB);
-    DO_TEST("usb-redir", NONE);
-    DO_TEST("usb-redir-filter", NONE);
-    DO_TEST("usb-redir-filter-version", NONE);
+    DO_TEST("usb-redir", QEMU_CAPS_USB_REDIR);
+    DO_TEST("usb-redir-filter",
+            QEMU_CAPS_USB_REDIR,
+            QEMU_CAPS_USB_REDIR_FILTER);
+    DO_TEST("usb-redir-filter-version",
+            QEMU_CAPS_USB_REDIR,
+            QEMU_CAPS_USB_REDIR_FILTER);
     DO_TEST_CAPS_LATEST("blkdeviotune");
     DO_TEST_CAPS_LATEST("blkdeviotune-max");
     DO_TEST_CAPS_LATEST("blkdeviotune-group-num");