diff --git a/include/linux/socket.h b/include/linux/socket.h
index b8fc5c53ba6f..0d8e3dcb7f88 100644
--- a/include/linux/socket.h
+++ b/include/linux/socket.h
@@ -438,6 +438,4 @@ extern int __sys_socketpair(int family, int type, int protocol,
 			    int __user *usockvec);
 extern int __sys_shutdown_sock(struct socket *sock, int how);
 extern int __sys_shutdown(int fd, int how);
-
-extern struct ns_common *get_net_ns(struct ns_common *ns);
 #endif /* _LINUX_SOCKET_H */
diff --git a/include/net/net_namespace.h b/include/net/net_namespace.h
index fa5887143f0d..6412d7833d97 100644
--- a/include/net/net_namespace.h
+++ b/include/net/net_namespace.h
@@ -184,6 +184,8 @@ struct net *copy_net_ns(unsigned long flags, struct user_namespace *user_ns,
 void net_ns_get_ownership(const struct net *net, kuid_t *uid, kgid_t *gid);
 
 void net_ns_barrier(void);
+
+struct ns_common *get_net_ns(struct ns_common *ns);
 #else /* CONFIG_NET_NS */
 #include <linux/sched.h>
 #include <linux/nsproxy.h>
@@ -203,6 +205,11 @@ static inline void net_ns_get_ownership(const struct net *net,
 }
 
 static inline void net_ns_barrier(void) {}
+
+static inline struct ns_common *get_net_ns(struct ns_common *ns)
+{
+	return ERR_PTR(-EINVAL);
+}
 #endif /* CONFIG_NET_NS */
 
 
diff --git a/net/core/net_namespace.c b/net/core/net_namespace.c
index 43b6ac4c4439..cc8dafb25d61 100644
--- a/net/core/net_namespace.c
+++ b/net/core/net_namespace.c
@@ -641,6 +641,18 @@ void __put_net(struct net *net)
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(__put_net);
 
+/**
+ * get_net_ns - increment the refcount of the network namespace
+ * @ns: common namespace (net)
+ *
+ * Returns the net's common namespace.
+ */
+struct ns_common *get_net_ns(struct ns_common *ns)
+{
+	return &get_net(container_of(ns, struct net, ns))->ns;
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(get_net_ns);
+
 struct net *get_net_ns_by_fd(int fd)
 {
 	struct file *file;
diff --git a/net/socket.c b/net/socket.c
index 27e3e7d53f8e..4f2c6d2795d0 100644
--- a/net/socket.c
+++ b/net/socket.c
@@ -1072,19 +1072,6 @@ static long sock_do_ioctl(struct net *net, struct socket *sock,
  *	what to do with it - that's up to the protocol still.
  */
 
-/**
- *	get_net_ns - increment the refcount of the network namespace
- *	@ns: common namespace (net)
- *
- *	Returns the net's common namespace.
- */
-
-struct ns_common *get_net_ns(struct ns_common *ns)
-{
-	return &get_net(container_of(ns, struct net, ns))->ns;
-}
-EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(get_net_ns);
-
 static long sock_ioctl(struct file *file, unsigned cmd, unsigned long arg)
 {
 	struct socket *sock;