diff --git a/lib/libvmmapi/vmmapi.h b/lib/libvmmapi/vmmapi.h
--- a/lib/libvmmapi/vmmapi.h
+++ b/lib/libvmmapi/vmmapi.h
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@
 int	vm_create(const char *name);
 int	vm_get_device_fd(struct vmctx *ctx);
 struct vmctx *vm_open(const char *name);
-void	vm_destroy(struct vmctx *ctx);
+int	vm_destroy(struct vmctx *ctx);
 int	vm_parse_memsize(const char *optarg, size_t *memsize);
 int	vm_setup_memory(struct vmctx *ctx, size_t len, enum vm_mmap_style s);
 void	*vm_map_gpa(struct vmctx *ctx, vm_paddr_t gaddr, size_t len);
diff --git a/lib/libvmmapi/vmmapi.c b/lib/libvmmapi/vmmapi.c
--- a/lib/libvmmapi/vmmapi.c
+++ b/lib/libvmmapi/vmmapi.c
@@ -140,16 +140,21 @@
 	return (NULL);
 }
 
-void
+int
 vm_destroy(struct vmctx *vm)
 {
+	int dummy, error = 0;
+
 	assert(vm != NULL);
 
 	if (vm->fd >= 0)
-		close(vm->fd);
-	DESTROY(vm->name);
+		error = ioctl(vm->fd, VM_DESTROY, &dummy);
 
-	free(vm);
+	if (error == 0) {
+		close(vm->fd);
+		free(vm);
+	}
+	return (error);
 }
 
 int
@@ -1694,7 +1699,8 @@
 	    VM_ACTIVATE_CPU, VM_GET_CPUS, VM_SUSPEND_CPU, VM_RESUME_CPU,
 	    VM_SET_INTINFO, VM_GET_INTINFO,
 	    VM_RTC_WRITE, VM_RTC_READ, VM_RTC_SETTIME, VM_RTC_GETTIME,
-	    VM_RESTART_INSTRUCTION, VM_SET_TOPOLOGY, VM_GET_TOPOLOGY };
+	    VM_RESTART_INSTRUCTION, VM_SET_TOPOLOGY, VM_GET_TOPOLOGY,
+	    VM_DESTROY };
 
 	if (len == NULL) {
 		cmds = malloc(sizeof(vm_ioctl_cmds));
diff --git a/sys/amd64/include/vmm_dev.h b/sys/amd64/include/vmm_dev.h
--- a/sys/amd64/include/vmm_dev.h
+++ b/sys/amd64/include/vmm_dev.h
@@ -344,7 +344,8 @@
 	/* checkpoint */
 	IOCNUM_SNAPSHOT_REQ = 113,
 
-	IOCNUM_RESTORE_TIME = 115
+	IOCNUM_RESTORE_TIME = 115,
+	IOCNUM_DESTROY = 116,
 };
 
 #define	VM_RUN		\
@@ -475,4 +476,6 @@
 	_IOWR('v', IOCNUM_SNAPSHOT_REQ, struct vm_snapshot_meta)
 #define VM_RESTORE_TIME \
 	_IOWR('v', IOCNUM_RESTORE_TIME, int)
+#define VM_DESTROY \
+	_IOWR('v', IOCNUM_DESTROY, int)
 #endif
diff --git a/sys/amd64/vmm/vmm_dev.c b/sys/amd64/vmm/vmm_dev.c
--- a/sys/amd64/vmm/vmm_dev.c
+++ b/sys/amd64/vmm/vmm_dev.c
@@ -99,6 +99,7 @@
 static int vmm_priv_check(struct ucred *ucred);
 static int devmem_create_cdev(const char *vmname, int id, char *devmem);
 static void devmem_destroy(void *arg);
+static void vmmdev_destroy(void *arg);
 
 static int
 vmm_priv_check(struct ucred *ucred)
@@ -353,6 +354,52 @@
 	return (error);
 }
 
+static int
+vmm_destroy(struct vmmdev_softc *sc)
+{
+	struct devmem_softc *dsc;
+	struct cdev *cdev;
+	int error;
+
+	mtx_lock(&vmmdev_mtx);
+	if (sc == NULL || sc->cdev == NULL) {
+		mtx_unlock(&vmmdev_mtx);
+		error = EINVAL;
+		goto out;
+	}
+
+	/*
+	 * The 'cdev' will be destroyed asynchronously when 'si_threadcount'
+	 * goes down to 0 so we should not do it again in the callback.
+	 *
+	 * Setting 'sc->cdev' to NULL is also used to indicate that the VM
+	 * is scheduled for destruction.
+	 */
+	cdev = sc->cdev;
+	sc->cdev = NULL;
+	mtx_unlock(&vmmdev_mtx);
+
+	/*
+	 * Schedule all cdevs to be destroyed:
+	 *
+	 * - any new operations on the 'cdev' will return an error (ENXIO).
+	 *
+	 * - when the 'si_threadcount' dwindles down to zero the 'cdev' will
+	 *   be destroyed and the callback will be invoked in a taskqueue
+	 *   context.
+	 *
+	 * - the 'devmem' cdevs are destroyed before the virtual machine 'cdev'
+	 */
+	SLIST_FOREACH(dsc, &sc->devmem, link) {
+		KASSERT(dsc->cdev != NULL, ("devmem cdev already destroyed"));
+		destroy_dev_sched_cb(dsc->cdev, devmem_destroy, dsc);
+	}
+	destroy_dev_sched_cb(cdev, vmmdev_destroy, sc);
+	error = 0;
+out:
+	return (error);
+}
+
 static int
 vmmdev_ioctl(struct cdev *cdev, u_long cmd, caddr_t data, int fflag,
 	     struct thread *td)
@@ -879,6 +926,9 @@
 		error = vm_restore_time(sc->vm);
 		break;
 #endif
+	case VM_DESTROY:
+		error = vmm_destroy(sc);
+		break;
 	default:
 		error = ENOTTY;
 		break;
@@ -1001,9 +1051,7 @@
 static int
 sysctl_vmm_destroy(SYSCTL_HANDLER_ARGS)
 {
-	struct devmem_softc *dsc;
 	struct vmmdev_softc *sc;
-	struct cdev *cdev;
 	char *buf;
 	int error, buflen;
 
@@ -1020,41 +1068,9 @@
 
 	mtx_lock(&vmmdev_mtx);
 	sc = vmmdev_lookup(buf);
-	if (sc == NULL || sc->cdev == NULL) {
-		mtx_unlock(&vmmdev_mtx);
-		error = EINVAL;
-		goto out;
-	}
-
-	/*
-	 * The 'cdev' will be destroyed asynchronously when 'si_threadcount'
-	 * goes down to 0 so we should not do it again in the callback.
-	 *
-	 * Setting 'sc->cdev' to NULL is also used to indicate that the VM
-	 * is scheduled for destruction.
-	 */
-	cdev = sc->cdev;
-	sc->cdev = NULL;		
 	mtx_unlock(&vmmdev_mtx);
 
-	/*
-	 * Schedule all cdevs to be destroyed:
-	 *
-	 * - any new operations on the 'cdev' will return an error (ENXIO).
-	 *
-	 * - when the 'si_threadcount' dwindles down to zero the 'cdev' will
-	 *   be destroyed and the callback will be invoked in a taskqueue
-	 *   context.
-	 *
-	 * - the 'devmem' cdevs are destroyed before the virtual machine 'cdev'
-	 */
-	SLIST_FOREACH(dsc, &sc->devmem, link) {
-		KASSERT(dsc->cdev != NULL, ("devmem cdev already destroyed"));
-		destroy_dev_sched_cb(dsc->cdev, devmem_destroy, dsc);
-	}
-	destroy_dev_sched_cb(cdev, vmmdev_destroy, sc);
-	error = 0;
-
+	error = vmm_destroy(sc);
 out:
 	free(buf, M_VMMDEV);
 	return (error);