diff --git a/tc/f_flower.c b/tc/f_flower.c
index 25ffd295..fbb7042f 100644
--- a/tc/f_flower.c
+++ b/tc/f_flower.c
@@ -160,21 +160,23 @@ err:
 	return err;
 }
 
-static bool eth_type_vlan(__be16 ethertype)
+static bool eth_type_vlan(__be16 ethertype, bool good_num_of_vlans)
 {
 	return ethertype == htons(ETH_P_8021Q) ||
-	       ethertype == htons(ETH_P_8021AD);
+	       ethertype == htons(ETH_P_8021AD) ||
+	       good_num_of_vlans;
 }
 
 static int flower_parse_vlan_eth_type(char *str, __be16 eth_type, int type,
 				      __be16 *p_vlan_eth_type,
-				      struct nlmsghdr *n)
+				      struct nlmsghdr *n, bool good_num_of_vlans)
 {
 	__be16 vlan_eth_type;
 
-	if (!eth_type_vlan(eth_type)) {
-		fprintf(stderr, "Can't set \"%s\" if ethertype isn't 802.1Q or 802.1AD\n",
-			type == TCA_FLOWER_KEY_VLAN_ETH_TYPE ? "vlan_ethtype" : "cvlan_ethtype");
+	if (!eth_type_vlan(eth_type, good_num_of_vlans)) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "Can't set \"%s\" if ethertype isn't 802.1Q or 802.1AD and num_of_vlans %s\n",
+			type == TCA_FLOWER_KEY_VLAN_ETH_TYPE ? "vlan_ethtype" : "cvlan_ethtype",
+			type == TCA_FLOWER_KEY_VLAN_ETH_TYPE ? "is 0" : "less than 2");
 		return -1;
 	}
 
@@ -1425,6 +1427,7 @@ static int flower_parse_opt(struct filter_util *qu, char *handle,
 	__be16 tc_proto = TC_H_MIN(t->tcm_info);
 	__be16 eth_type = tc_proto;
 	__be16 vlan_ethtype = 0;
+	__u8 num_of_vlans = 0;
 	__u8 ip_proto = 0xff;
 	__u32 flags = 0;
 	__u32 mtf = 0;
@@ -1527,8 +1530,6 @@ static int flower_parse_opt(struct filter_util *qu, char *handle,
 				invarg("\"indev\" not a valid ifname", *argv);
 			addattrstrz(n, MAX_MSG, TCA_FLOWER_INDEV, *argv);
 		} else if (matches(*argv, "num_of_vlans") == 0) {
-			__u8 num_of_vlans;
-
 			NEXT_ARG();
 			ret = get_u8(&num_of_vlans, *argv, 10);
 			if (ret < 0) {
@@ -1541,8 +1542,9 @@ static int flower_parse_opt(struct filter_util *qu, char *handle,
 			__u16 vid;
 
 			NEXT_ARG();
-			if (!eth_type_vlan(tc_proto)) {
-				fprintf(stderr, "Can't set \"vlan_id\" if ethertype isn't 802.1Q or 802.1AD\n");
+			if (!eth_type_vlan(tc_proto, num_of_vlans > 0)) {
+				fprintf(stderr, "Can't set \"vlan_id\" if ethertype isn't 802.1Q or 802.1AD"
+						" and num_of_vlans is 0\n");
 				return -1;
 			}
 			ret = get_u16(&vid, *argv, 10);
@@ -1555,8 +1557,9 @@ static int flower_parse_opt(struct filter_util *qu, char *handle,
 			__u8 vlan_prio;
 
 			NEXT_ARG();
-			if (!eth_type_vlan(tc_proto)) {
-				fprintf(stderr, "Can't set \"vlan_prio\" if ethertype isn't 802.1Q or 802.1AD\n");
+			if (!eth_type_vlan(tc_proto, num_of_vlans > 0)) {
+				fprintf(stderr, "Can't set \"vlan_prio\" if ethertype isn't 802.1Q or 802.1AD"
+						" and num_of_vlans is 0\n");
 				return -1;
 			}
 			ret = get_u8(&vlan_prio, *argv, 10);
@@ -1570,7 +1573,7 @@ static int flower_parse_opt(struct filter_util *qu, char *handle,
 			NEXT_ARG();
 			ret = flower_parse_vlan_eth_type(*argv, eth_type,
 						 TCA_FLOWER_KEY_VLAN_ETH_TYPE,
-						 &vlan_ethtype, n);
+						 &vlan_ethtype, n, num_of_vlans > 0);
 			if (ret < 0)
 				return -1;
 			/* get new ethtype for later parsing  */
@@ -1579,8 +1582,9 @@ static int flower_parse_opt(struct filter_util *qu, char *handle,
 			__u16 vid;
 
 			NEXT_ARG();
-			if (!eth_type_vlan(vlan_ethtype)) {
-				fprintf(stderr, "Can't set \"cvlan_id\" if inner vlan ethertype isn't 802.1Q or 802.1AD\n");
+			if (!eth_type_vlan(vlan_ethtype, num_of_vlans > 1)) {
+				fprintf(stderr, "Can't set \"cvlan_id\" if inner vlan ethertype isn't 802.1Q or 802.1AD"
+						" and num_of_vlans is less than 2\n");
 				return -1;
 			}
 			ret = get_u16(&vid, *argv, 10);
@@ -1593,8 +1597,9 @@ static int flower_parse_opt(struct filter_util *qu, char *handle,
 			__u8 cvlan_prio;
 
 			NEXT_ARG();
-			if (!eth_type_vlan(vlan_ethtype)) {
-				fprintf(stderr, "Can't set \"cvlan_prio\" if inner vlan ethertype isn't 802.1Q or 802.1AD\n");
+			if (!eth_type_vlan(vlan_ethtype, num_of_vlans > 1)) {
+				fprintf(stderr, "Can't set \"cvlan_prio\" if inner vlan ethertype isn't 802.1Q or 802.1AD"
+						" and num_of_vlans is less than 2\n");
 				return -1;
 			}
 			ret = get_u8(&cvlan_prio, *argv, 10);
@@ -1609,7 +1614,7 @@ static int flower_parse_opt(struct filter_util *qu, char *handle,
 			/* get new ethtype for later parsing */
 			ret = flower_parse_vlan_eth_type(*argv, vlan_ethtype,
 						 TCA_FLOWER_KEY_CVLAN_ETH_TYPE,
-						 &eth_type, n);
+						 &eth_type, n, num_of_vlans > 1);
 			if (ret < 0)
 				return -1;
 		} else if (matches(*argv, "mpls") == 0) {
