diff --git a/cr-restore.c b/cr-restore.c
index b8b447399..8aa570b99 100644
--- a/cr-restore.c
+++ b/cr-restore.c
@@ -1123,15 +1123,6 @@ static inline int fork_with_pid(struct pstree_item *item)
 		BUG_ON(pid != INIT_PID);
 	}
 
-	if (ca.clone_flags & CLONE_NEWNET)
-		/*
-		 * When restoring a net namespace we need to communicate
-		 * with the original (i.e. -- init) one. Thus, prepare for
-		 * that before we leave the existing namespaces.
-		 */
-		if (netns_pre_create())
-			goto err_unlock;
-
 	/*
 	 * Some kernel modules, such as netwrok packet generator
 	 * run kernel thread upon net-namespace creattion taking
@@ -1772,7 +1763,7 @@ static int restore_root_task(struct pstree_item *init)
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	if (start_usernsd())
+	if (prepare_namespace_before_tasks())
 		return -1;
 
 	futex_set(&task_entries->nr_in_progress,
diff --git a/include/namespaces.h b/include/namespaces.h
index c03828164..0e70a7b68 100644
--- a/include/namespaces.h
+++ b/include/namespaces.h
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ extern int collect_namespaces(bool for_dump);
 extern int collect_mnt_namespaces(bool for_dump);
 extern int dump_mnt_namespaces(void);
 extern int dump_namespaces(struct pstree_item *item, unsigned int ns_flags);
+extern int prepare_namespace_before_tasks(void);
 extern int prepare_namespace(struct pstree_item *item, unsigned long clone_flags);
 extern int try_show_namespaces(int pid);
 
@@ -81,7 +82,6 @@ extern struct ns_id *lookup_ns_by_id(unsigned int id, struct ns_desc *nd);
 
 extern int collect_user_namespaces(bool for_dump);
 extern int prepare_userns(struct pstree_item *item);
-extern int start_usernsd(void);
 extern int stop_usernsd(void);
 extern int userns_uid(int uid);
 extern int userns_gid(int gid);
diff --git a/include/net.h b/include/net.h
index c03105c10..900b13656 100644
--- a/include/net.h
+++ b/include/net.h
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 struct cr_imgset;
 extern int dump_net_ns(int ns_id);
 extern int prepare_net_ns(int pid);
-extern int netns_pre_create(void);
+extern int netns_keep_nsfd(void);
 
 struct veth_pair {
 	struct list_head node;
diff --git a/namespaces.c b/namespaces.c
index 993b29dac..bb38459b3 100644
--- a/namespaces.c
+++ b/namespaces.c
@@ -1088,7 +1088,7 @@ out:
 	return ret;
 }
 
-int start_usernsd(void)
+static int start_usernsd(void)
 {
 	int sk[2];
 	int one = 1;
@@ -1313,6 +1313,22 @@ int prepare_namespace(struct pstree_item *item, unsigned long clone_flags)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+int prepare_namespace_before_tasks(void)
+{
+	if (start_usernsd())
+		goto err_unds;
+
+	if (netns_keep_nsfd())
+		goto err_netns;
+
+	return 0;
+
+err_netns:
+	stop_usernsd();
+err_unds:
+	return -1;
+}
+
 int try_show_namespaces(int ns_pid)
 {
 	struct cr_imgset *imgset;
diff --git a/net.c b/net.c
index a45ac304d..f525c4898 100644
--- a/net.c
+++ b/net.c
@@ -762,8 +762,17 @@ int prepare_net_ns(int pid)
 	return ret;
 }
 
-int netns_pre_create(void)
+int netns_keep_nsfd(void)
 {
+	if (!(root_ns_mask & CLONE_NEWNET))
+		return 0;
+
+	/*
+	 * When restoring a net namespace we need to communicate
+	 * with the original (i.e. -- init) one. Thus, prepare for
+	 * that before we leave the existing namespaces.
+	 */
+
 	ns_fd = open("/proc/self/ns/net", O_RDONLY | O_CLOEXEC);
 	if (ns_fd < 0) {
 		pr_perror("Can't cache net fd");