diff --git a/src/drivers/driver.h b/src/drivers/driver.h
index f28bd2b2c..d9c6fd9f5 100644
--- a/src/drivers/driver.h
+++ b/src/drivers/driver.h
@@ -2051,6 +2051,36 @@ enum wpa_drv_update_connect_params_mask {
 	WPA_DRV_UPDATE_AUTH_TYPE	= BIT(2),
 };
 
+/**
+ * struct external_auth - External authentication trigger parameters
+ *
+ * These are used across the external authentication request and event
+ * interfaces.
+ * @action: Action type / trigger for external authentication. Only significant
+ *	for the event interface.
+ * @bssid: BSSID of the peer with which the authentication has to happen. Used
+ *	by both the request and event interface.
+ * @ssid: SSID of the AP. Used by both the request and event interface.
+ * @ssid_len: SSID length in octets.
+ * @key_mgmt_suite: AKM suite of the respective authentication. Optional for
+ *	the request interface.
+ * @status: Status code, %WLAN_STATUS_SUCCESS for successful authentication,
+ *	use %WLAN_STATUS_UNSPECIFIED_FAILURE if wpa_supplicant cannot give
+ *	the real status code for failures. Used only for the request interface
+ *	from user space to the driver.
+ */
+struct external_auth {
+	enum {
+		EXT_AUTH_START,
+		EXT_AUTH_ABORT,
+	} action;
+	u8 bssid[ETH_ALEN];
+	u8 ssid[SSID_MAX_LEN];
+	size_t ssid_len;
+	unsigned int key_mgmt_suite;
+	u16 status;
+};
+
 /**
  * struct wpa_driver_ops - Driver interface API definition
  *
@@ -4012,6 +4042,16 @@ struct wpa_driver_ops {
 	int (*update_connect_params)(
 		void *priv, struct wpa_driver_associate_params *params,
 		enum wpa_drv_update_connect_params_mask mask);
+
+	/**
+	 * send_external_auth_status - Indicate the status of external
+	 * authentication processing to the host driver.
+	 * @priv: Private driver interface data
+	 * @params: Status of authentication processing.
+	 * Returns: 0 on success, -1 on failure
+	 */
+	int (*send_external_auth_status)(void *priv,
+					 struct external_auth *params);
 };
 
 /**
@@ -4507,6 +4547,16 @@ enum wpa_event_type {
 	 * performed before start operating on this channel.
 	 */
 	EVENT_DFS_PRE_CAC_EXPIRED,
+
+	/**
+	 * EVENT_EXTERNAL_AUTH - This event interface is used by host drivers
+	 * that do not define separate commands for authentication and
+	 * association (~WPA_DRIVER_FLAGS_SME) but offload the 802.11
+	 * authentication to wpa_supplicant. This event carries all the
+	 * necessary information from the host driver for the authentication to
+	 * happen.
+	 */
+	EVENT_EXTERNAL_AUTH,
 };
 
 
@@ -5309,6 +5359,9 @@ union wpa_event_data {
 			P2P_LO_STOPPED_REASON_NOT_SUPPORTED,
 		} reason_code;
 	} p2p_lo_stop;
+
+	/* For EVENT_EXTERNAL_AUTH */
+	struct external_auth external_auth;
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/drivers/driver_common.c b/src/drivers/driver_common.c
index 04643043e..33a6db346 100644
--- a/src/drivers/driver_common.c
+++ b/src/drivers/driver_common.c
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ const char * event_to_string(enum wpa_event_type event)
 	E2S(P2P_LO_STOP);
 	E2S(BEACON_LOSS);
 	E2S(DFS_PRE_CAC_EXPIRED);
+	E2S(EXTERNAL_AUTH);
 	}
 
 	return "UNKNOWN";
diff --git a/src/drivers/driver_nl80211.c b/src/drivers/driver_nl80211.c
index 9b3bde278..d6bf12160 100644
--- a/src/drivers/driver_nl80211.c
+++ b/src/drivers/driver_nl80211.c
@@ -2020,7 +2020,9 @@ static int nl80211_mgmt_subscribe_non_ap(struct i802_bss *bss)
 	wpa_printf(MSG_DEBUG, "nl80211: Subscribe to mgmt frames with non-AP "
 		   "handle %p", bss->nl_mgmt);
 
-	if (drv->nlmode == NL80211_IFTYPE_ADHOC) {
+	if (drv->nlmode == NL80211_IFTYPE_ADHOC ||
+	    ((drv->capa.flags & WPA_DRIVER_FLAGS_SAE) &&
+	     !(drv->capa.flags & WPA_DRIVER_FLAGS_SME))) {
 		u16 type = (WLAN_FC_TYPE_MGMT << 2) | (WLAN_FC_STYPE_AUTH << 4);
 
 		/* register for any AUTH message */
@@ -5368,6 +5370,11 @@ static int nl80211_connect_common(struct wpa_driver_nl80211_data *drv,
 	    nl80211_put_fils_connect_params(drv, params, msg) != 0)
 		return -1;
 
+	if ((params->auth_alg & WPA_AUTH_ALG_SAE) &&
+	    (!(drv->capa.flags & WPA_DRIVER_FLAGS_SME)) &&
+	    nla_put_flag(msg, NL80211_ATTR_EXTERNAL_AUTH_SUPPORT))
+		return -1;
+
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -10377,6 +10384,38 @@ fail:
 }
 
 
+static int nl80211_send_external_auth_status(void *priv,
+					     struct external_auth *params)
+{
+	struct i802_bss *bss = priv;
+	struct wpa_driver_nl80211_data *drv = bss->drv;
+	struct nl_msg *msg = NULL;
+	int ret = -1;
+
+	wpa_dbg(drv->ctx, MSG_DEBUG,
+		"nl80211: External auth status: %u", params->status);
+
+	msg = nl80211_drv_msg(drv, 0, NL80211_CMD_EXTERNAL_AUTH);
+	if (!msg ||
+	    nla_put_u16(msg, NL80211_ATTR_STATUS_CODE, params->status) ||
+	    nla_put(msg, NL80211_ATTR_SSID, params->ssid_len,
+		    params->ssid) ||
+	    nla_put(msg, NL80211_ATTR_BSSID, ETH_ALEN, params->bssid))
+		goto fail;
+	ret = send_and_recv_msgs(drv, msg, NULL, NULL);
+	msg = NULL;
+	if (ret) {
+		wpa_printf(MSG_DEBUG,
+			   "nl80211: External Auth status update failed: ret=%d (%s)",
+			   ret, strerror(-ret));
+		goto fail;
+	}
+fail:
+	nlmsg_free(msg);
+	return ret;
+}
+
+
 const struct wpa_driver_ops wpa_driver_nl80211_ops = {
 	.name = "nl80211",
 	.desc = "Linux nl80211/cfg80211",
@@ -10504,4 +10543,5 @@ const struct wpa_driver_ops wpa_driver_nl80211_ops = {
 	.configure_data_frame_filters = nl80211_configure_data_frame_filters,
 	.get_ext_capab = nl80211_get_ext_capab,
 	.update_connect_params = nl80211_update_connection_params,
+	.send_external_auth_status = nl80211_send_external_auth_status,
 };
diff --git a/src/drivers/driver_nl80211_event.c b/src/drivers/driver_nl80211_event.c
index 1b5be97c4..5591cebe8 100644
--- a/src/drivers/driver_nl80211_event.c
+++ b/src/drivers/driver_nl80211_event.c
@@ -131,6 +131,7 @@ static const char * nl80211_command_to_string(enum nl80211_commands cmd)
 	C2S(NL80211_CMD_SET_QOS_MAP)
 	C2S(NL80211_CMD_ADD_TX_TS)
 	C2S(NL80211_CMD_DEL_TX_TS)
+	C2S(NL80211_CMD_EXTERNAL_AUTH)
 	default:
 		return "NL80211_CMD_UNKNOWN";
 	}
@@ -2175,6 +2176,50 @@ static void nl80211_reg_change_event(struct wpa_driver_nl80211_data *drv,
 }
 
 
+static void nl80211_external_auth(struct wpa_driver_nl80211_data *drv,
+				  struct nlattr **tb)
+{
+	union wpa_event_data event;
+	enum nl80211_external_auth_action act;
+
+	if (!tb[NL80211_ATTR_AKM_SUITES] ||
+	    !tb[NL80211_ATTR_EXTERNAL_AUTH_ACTION] ||
+	    !tb[NL80211_ATTR_BSSID] ||
+	    !tb[NL80211_ATTR_SSID])
+		return;
+
+	os_memset(&event, 0, sizeof(event));
+	act = nla_get_u32(tb[NL80211_ATTR_EXTERNAL_AUTH_ACTION]);
+	switch (act) {
+	case NL80211_EXTERNAL_AUTH_START:
+		event.external_auth.action = EXT_AUTH_START;
+		break;
+	case NL80211_EXTERNAL_AUTH_ABORT:
+		event.external_auth.action = EXT_AUTH_ABORT;
+		break;
+	default:
+		return;
+	}
+
+	event.external_auth.key_mgmt_suite =
+		nla_get_u32(tb[NL80211_ATTR_AKM_SUITES]);
+
+	event.external_auth.ssid_len = nla_len(tb[NL80211_ATTR_SSID]);
+	if (event.external_auth.ssid_len > SSID_MAX_LEN)
+		return;
+	os_memcpy(event.external_auth.ssid, nla_data(tb[NL80211_ATTR_SSID]),
+		  event.external_auth.ssid_len);
+
+	os_memcpy(event.external_auth.bssid, nla_data(tb[NL80211_ATTR_BSSID]),
+		  ETH_ALEN);
+
+	wpa_printf(MSG_DEBUG,
+		   "nl80211: External auth action: %u, AKM: 0x%x",
+		   event.external_auth.action,
+		   event.external_auth.key_mgmt_suite);
+	wpa_supplicant_event(drv->ctx, EVENT_EXTERNAL_AUTH, &event);
+}
+
 static void do_process_drv_event(struct i802_bss *bss, int cmd,
 				 struct nlattr **tb)
 {
@@ -2373,6 +2418,9 @@ static void do_process_drv_event(struct i802_bss *bss, int cmd,
 	case NL80211_CMD_NEW_PEER_CANDIDATE:
 		nl80211_new_peer_candidate(drv, tb);
 		break;
+	case NL80211_CMD_EXTERNAL_AUTH:
+		nl80211_external_auth(drv, tb);
+		break;
 	default:
 		wpa_dbg(drv->ctx, MSG_DEBUG, "nl80211: Ignored unknown event "
 			"(cmd=%d)", cmd);