diff --git a/libnm-core/nm-connection-private.h b/libnm-core/nm-connection-private.h
index 90d91439bc..3c505834b4 100644
--- a/libnm-core/nm-connection-private.h
+++ b/libnm-core/nm-connection-private.h
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ int _nm_setting_ovs_interface_verify_interface_type (NMSettingOvsInterface *self
                                                      NMConnection *connection,
                                                      gboolean normalize,
                                                      gboolean *out_modified,
-                                                     const char **normalized_type,
+                                                     const char **out_normalized_type,
                                                      GError **error);
 
 #endif  /* __NM_CONNECTION_PRIVATE_H__ */
diff --git a/libnm-core/nm-setting-ovs-interface.c b/libnm-core/nm-setting-ovs-interface.c
index 85e77b5443..114e0205d3 100644
--- a/libnm-core/nm-setting-ovs-interface.c
+++ b/libnm-core/nm-setting-ovs-interface.c
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ _nm_setting_ovs_interface_verify_interface_type (NMSettingOvsInterface *self,
                                                  NMConnection *connection,
                                                  gboolean normalize,
                                                  gboolean *out_modified,
-                                                 const char **normalized_type,
+                                                 const char **out_normalized_type,
                                                  GError **error)
 {
 	const char *type_from_setting = NULL;
@@ -85,9 +85,8 @@ _nm_setting_ovs_interface_verify_interface_type (NMSettingOvsInterface *self,
 		g_return_val_if_fail (!connection || NM_IS_CONNECTION (connection), FALSE);
 	}
 
-	g_return_val_if_fail (!normalized_type || !(*normalized_type), FALSE);
-
 	NM_SET_OUT (out_modified, FALSE);
+	NM_SET_OUT (out_normalized_type, NULL);
 
 	if (   type
 	    && !NM_IN_STRSET (type, "internal", "system", "patch", "dpdk")) {
@@ -100,8 +99,10 @@ _nm_setting_ovs_interface_verify_interface_type (NMSettingOvsInterface *self,
 		return FALSE;
 	}
 
-	if (!connection)
+	if (!connection) {
+		NM_SET_OUT (out_normalized_type, type);
 		return TRUE;
+	}
 
 	connection_type = nm_connection_get_connection_type (connection);
 	if (!connection_type) {
@@ -192,6 +193,7 @@ _nm_setting_ovs_interface_verify_interface_type (NMSettingOvsInterface *self,
 				g_prefix_error (error, "%s.%s: ", NM_SETTING_OVS_INTERFACE_SETTING_NAME, NM_SETTING_OVS_INTERFACE_TYPE);
 				return FALSE;
 			}
+			NM_SET_OUT (out_normalized_type, type);
 			return TRUE;
 		}
 		type = type_from_setting;
@@ -208,16 +210,17 @@ _nm_setting_ovs_interface_verify_interface_type (NMSettingOvsInterface *self,
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (type)
+	if (type) {
+		NM_SET_OUT (out_normalized_type, type);
 		return TRUE;
+	}
 
 	if (is_ovs_connection_type)
 		type = "internal";
 	else
 		type = "system";
 
-	if (normalized_type)
-		*normalized_type = type;
+	NM_SET_OUT (out_normalized_type, type);
 
 normalize:
 	if (!normalize) {
@@ -309,8 +312,6 @@ verify (NMSetting *setting, NMConnection *connection, GError **error)
 		gs_free_error GError *ifname_error = NULL;
 		const char *ifname = nm_setting_connection_get_interface_name (s_con);
 
-		normalized_type = self->type ? self->type : normalized_type;
-
 		if (   ifname
 		    && !nm_streq0 (normalized_type, "patch")
 		    && !nm_utils_ifname_valid (ifname,