diff --git a/criu/image.c b/criu/image.c
index 6ba2ffc7d..06f770626 100644
--- a/criu/image.c
+++ b/criu/image.c
@@ -149,8 +149,7 @@ InventoryEntry *get_parent_inventory(void)
 	InventoryEntry *ie;
 	int dir;
 
-	dir = openat(get_service_fd(IMG_FD_OFF), CR_PARENT_LINK, O_RDONLY);
-	if (dir == -1) {
+	if (open_parent(get_service_fd(IMG_FD_OFF), &dir)) {
 		/*
 		 * We print the warning below to be notified that we had some
 		 * unexpected problem on open. For instance we have a parent
@@ -158,10 +157,11 @@ InventoryEntry *get_parent_inventory(void)
 		 * when also having no parent directory is an expected case of
 		 * first dump iteration.
 		 */
-		if (errno != ENOENT)
-			pr_warn("Failed to open parent directory\n");
+		pr_warn("Failed to open parent directory\n");
 		return NULL;
 	}
+	if (dir < 0)
+		return NULL;
 
 	img = open_image_at(dir, CR_FD_INVENTORY, O_RSTR);
 	if (!img) {
@@ -561,6 +561,11 @@ int open_image_dir(char *dir, int mode)
 		if (img_streamer_init(dir, mode) < 0)
 			goto err;
 	} else if (opts.img_parent) {
+		if (faccessat(fd, opts.img_parent, R_OK, 0)) {
+			pr_perror("Invalid parent image directory provided");
+			goto err;
+		}
+
 		ret = symlinkat(opts.img_parent, fd, CR_PARENT_LINK);
 		if (ret < 0 && errno != EEXIST) {
 			pr_perror("Can't link parent snapshot");
@@ -586,6 +591,24 @@ void close_image_dir(void)
 	close_service_fd(IMG_FD_OFF);
 }
 
+int open_parent(int dfd, int *pfd)
+{
+	*pfd = -1;
+	/* Check if the parent symlink exists */
+	if (faccessat(dfd, CR_PARENT_LINK, F_OK, AT_SYMLINK_NOFOLLOW) && errno == ENOENT) {
+		pr_debug("No parent images directory provided\n");
+		return 0;
+	}
+
+	*pfd = openat(dfd, CR_PARENT_LINK, O_RDONLY);
+	if (*pfd < 0) {
+		pr_perror("Can't open parent path");
+		return -1;
+	}
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
 static unsigned long page_ids = 1;
 
 void up_page_ids_base(void)
diff --git a/criu/include/image.h b/criu/include/image.h
index 62c8d7ba0..7c45381db 100644
--- a/criu/include/image.h
+++ b/criu/include/image.h
@@ -147,6 +147,12 @@ extern off_t img_raw_size(struct cr_img *img);
 
 extern int open_image_dir(char *dir, int mode);
 extern void close_image_dir(void);
+/*
+ * Return -1 -- parent symlink points to invalid target
+ * Return 0 && pfd < 0 -- parent symlink does not exist
+ * Return 0 && pfd >= 0 -- opened
+ */
+extern int open_parent(int dfd, int *pfd);
 
 extern struct cr_img *open_image_at(int dfd, int type, unsigned long flags, ...);
 #define open_image(typ, flags, ...) open_image_at(-1, typ, flags, ##__VA_ARGS__)
diff --git a/criu/irmap.c b/criu/irmap.c
index 58bc055d5..c9bfdbe22 100644
--- a/criu/irmap.c
+++ b/criu/irmap.c
@@ -425,12 +425,10 @@ in:
 		close_image(*img);
 		if (dir == AT_FDCWD) {
 			pr_info("Searching irmap cache in parent\n");
-			dir = openat(get_service_fd(IMG_FD_OFF),
-					CR_PARENT_LINK, O_RDONLY);
+			if (open_parent(get_service_fd(IMG_FD_OFF), &dir))
+				return -1;
 			if (dir >= 0)
 				goto in;
-			if (errno != ENOENT)
-				return -1;
 		}
 
 		pr_info("No irmap cache\n");
diff --git a/criu/page-xfer.c b/criu/page-xfer.c
index 98e9c6b6e..34f6a0967 100644
--- a/criu/page-xfer.c
+++ b/criu/page-xfer.c
@@ -364,10 +364,8 @@ static int open_page_local_xfer(struct page_xfer *xfer, int fd_type, unsigned lo
 		return -1;
 
 	xfer->pi = open_pages_image(O_DUMP, xfer->pmi, &pages_id);
-	if (!xfer->pi) {
-		close_image(xfer->pmi);
-		return -1;
-	}
+	if (!xfer->pi)
+		goto err_pmi;
 
 	/*
 	 * Open page-read for parent images (if it exists). It will
@@ -386,14 +384,15 @@ static int open_page_local_xfer(struct page_xfer *xfer, int fd_type, unsigned lo
 		if (opts.stream)
 			goto out;
 
-		pfd = openat(get_service_fd(IMG_FD_OFF), CR_PARENT_LINK, O_RDONLY);
-		if (pfd < 0 && errno == ENOENT)
+		if (open_parent(get_service_fd(IMG_FD_OFF), &pfd))
+			goto err_pi;
+		if (pfd < 0)
 			goto out;
 
 		xfer->parent = xmalloc(sizeof(*xfer->parent));
 		if (!xfer->parent) {
 			close(pfd);
-			return -1;
+			goto err_pi;
 		}
 
 		ret = open_page_read_at(pfd, img_id, xfer->parent, pr_flags);
@@ -412,6 +411,12 @@ out:
 	xfer->write_pages = write_pages_loc;
 	xfer->close = close_page_xfer;
 	return 0;
+
+err_pi:
+	close_image(xfer->pi);
+err_pmi:
+	close_image(xfer->pmi);
+	return -1;
 }
 
 int open_page_xfer(struct page_xfer *xfer, int fd_type, unsigned long img_id)
@@ -936,8 +941,9 @@ int check_parent_local_xfer(int fd_type, unsigned long img_id)
 	if (opts.stream)
 		return 0;
 
-	pfd = openat(get_service_fd(IMG_FD_OFF), CR_PARENT_LINK, O_RDONLY);
-	if (pfd < 0 && errno == ENOENT)
+	if (open_parent(get_service_fd(IMG_FD_OFF), &pfd))
+		return -1;
+	if (pfd < 0)
 		return 0;
 
 	snprintf(path, sizeof(path), imgset_template[fd_type].fmt, img_id);
diff --git a/criu/pagemap.c b/criu/pagemap.c
index abcdcdfd5..1d849a1b9 100644
--- a/criu/pagemap.c
+++ b/criu/pagemap.c
@@ -661,8 +661,9 @@ static int try_open_parent(int dfd, unsigned long id, struct page_read *pr, int
 	if (opts.stream)
 		goto out;
 
-	pfd = openat(dfd, CR_PARENT_LINK, O_RDONLY);
-	if (pfd < 0 && errno == ENOENT)
+	if (open_parent(dfd, &pfd))
+		goto err;
+	if (pfd < 0)
 		goto out;
 
 	parent = xmalloc(sizeof(*parent));
@@ -687,6 +688,7 @@ err_free:
 	xfree(parent);
 err_cl:
 	close(pfd);
+err:
 	return -1;
 }