diff --git a/qemu/qemu.go b/qemu/qemu.go
index 3e6550f139..f05932af8d 100644
--- a/qemu/qemu.go
+++ b/qemu/qemu.go
@@ -429,7 +429,7 @@ func (fsdev FSDevice) QemuParams(config *Config) []string {
 	}
 	deviceParams = append(deviceParams, fmt.Sprintf(",fsdev=%s", fsdev.ID))
 	deviceParams = append(deviceParams, fmt.Sprintf(",mount_tag=%s", fsdev.MountTag))
-	if fsdev.Transport.isVirtioPCI(config) {
+	if fsdev.Transport.isVirtioPCI(config) && fsdev.ROMFile != "" {
 		deviceParams = append(deviceParams, fmt.Sprintf(",romfile=%s", fsdev.ROMFile))
 	}
 	if fsdev.Transport.isVirtioCCW(config) {
@@ -562,7 +562,7 @@ func (cdev CharDevice) QemuParams(config *Config) []string {
 	if cdev.Name != "" {
 		deviceParams = append(deviceParams, fmt.Sprintf(",name=%s", cdev.Name))
 	}
-	if cdev.Driver == VirtioSerial && cdev.Transport.isVirtioPCI(config) {
+	if cdev.Driver == VirtioSerial && cdev.Transport.isVirtioPCI(config) && cdev.ROMFile != "" {
 		deviceParams = append(deviceParams, fmt.Sprintf(",romfile=%s", cdev.ROMFile))
 	}
 
@@ -832,7 +832,7 @@ func (netdev NetDevice) QemuDeviceParams(config *Config) []string {
 		deviceParams = append(deviceParams, netdev.mqParameter(config))
 	}
 
-	if netdev.Transport.isVirtioPCI(config) {
+	if netdev.Transport.isVirtioPCI(config) && netdev.ROMFile != "" {
 		deviceParams = append(deviceParams, fmt.Sprintf(",romfile=%s", netdev.ROMFile))
 	}
 
@@ -965,7 +965,7 @@ func (dev SerialDevice) QemuParams(config *Config) []string {
 		deviceParams = append(deviceParams, fmt.Sprintf(",%s", s))
 	}
 	deviceParams = append(deviceParams, fmt.Sprintf(",id=%s", dev.ID))
-	if dev.Transport.isVirtioPCI(config) {
+	if dev.Transport.isVirtioPCI(config) && dev.ROMFile != "" {
 		deviceParams = append(deviceParams, fmt.Sprintf(",romfile=%s", dev.ROMFile))
 		if dev.Driver == VirtioSerial && dev.MaxPorts != 0 {
 			deviceParams = append(deviceParams, fmt.Sprintf(",max_ports=%d", dev.MaxPorts))
@@ -1096,7 +1096,7 @@ func (blkdev BlockDevice) QemuParams(config *Config) []string {
 		deviceParams = append(deviceParams, ",config-wce=off")
 	}
 
-	if blkdev.Transport.isVirtioPCI(config) {
+	if blkdev.Transport.isVirtioPCI(config) && blkdev.ROMFile != "" {
 		deviceParams = append(deviceParams, fmt.Sprintf(",romfile=%s", blkdev.ROMFile))
 	}
 
@@ -1341,7 +1341,7 @@ func (vhostuserDev VhostUserDevice) QemuParams(config *Config) []string {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	if vhostuserDev.Transport.isVirtioPCI(config) {
+	if vhostuserDev.Transport.isVirtioPCI(config) && vhostuserDev.ROMFile != "" {
 		devParams = append(devParams, fmt.Sprintf("romfile=%s", vhostuserDev.ROMFile))
 	}
 
@@ -1531,7 +1531,9 @@ func (vfioDev VFIODevice) QemuParams(config *Config) []string {
 		if vfioDev.DeviceID != "" {
 			deviceParams = append(deviceParams, fmt.Sprintf(",x-pci-device-id=%s", vfioDev.DeviceID))
 		}
-		deviceParams = append(deviceParams, fmt.Sprintf(",romfile=%s", vfioDev.ROMFile))
+		if vfioDev.ROMFile != "" {
+			deviceParams = append(deviceParams, fmt.Sprintf(",romfile=%s", vfioDev.ROMFile))
+		}
 	}
 
 	if vfioDev.Bus != "" {
@@ -1616,7 +1618,7 @@ func (scsiCon SCSIController) QemuParams(config *Config) []string {
 	if scsiCon.IOThread != "" {
 		devParams = append(devParams, fmt.Sprintf("iothread=%s", scsiCon.IOThread))
 	}
-	if scsiCon.Transport.isVirtioPCI(config) {
+	if scsiCon.Transport.isVirtioPCI(config) && scsiCon.ROMFile != "" {
 		devParams = append(devParams, fmt.Sprintf("romfile=%s", scsiCon.ROMFile))
 	}
 
@@ -1722,7 +1724,7 @@ func (bridgeDev BridgeDevice) QemuParams(config *Config) []string {
 	}
 
 	var transport VirtioTransport
-	if transport.isVirtioPCI(config) {
+	if transport.isVirtioPCI(config) && bridgeDev.ROMFile != "" {
 		deviceParam = append(deviceParam, fmt.Sprintf(",romfile=%s", bridgeDev.ROMFile))
 	}
 
@@ -1801,7 +1803,7 @@ func (vsock VSOCKDevice) QemuParams(config *Config) []string {
 	deviceParams = append(deviceParams, fmt.Sprintf(",id=%s", vsock.ID))
 	deviceParams = append(deviceParams, fmt.Sprintf(",%s=%d", VSOCKGuestCID, vsock.ContextID))
 
-	if vsock.Transport.isVirtioPCI(config) {
+	if vsock.Transport.isVirtioPCI(config) && vsock.ROMFile != "" {
 		deviceParams = append(deviceParams, fmt.Sprintf(",romfile=%s", vsock.ROMFile))
 	}
 
@@ -1874,7 +1876,7 @@ func (v RngDevice) QemuParams(config *Config) []string {
 	deviceParams = append(deviceParams, v.deviceName(config))
 	deviceParams = append(deviceParams, "rng="+v.ID)
 
-	if v.Transport.isVirtioPCI(config) {
+	if v.Transport.isVirtioPCI(config) && v.ROMFile != "" {
 		deviceParams = append(deviceParams, fmt.Sprintf("romfile=%s", v.ROMFile))
 	}
 
@@ -1951,7 +1953,7 @@ func (b BalloonDevice) QemuParams(config *Config) []string {
 		deviceParams = append(deviceParams, "id="+b.ID)
 	}
 
-	if b.Transport.isVirtioPCI(config) {
+	if b.Transport.isVirtioPCI(config) && b.ROMFile != "" {
 		deviceParams = append(deviceParams, fmt.Sprintf("romfile=%s", b.ROMFile))
 	}
 
diff --git a/qemu/qemu_arch_base_test.go b/qemu/qemu_arch_base_test.go
index a5f26b8233..0bc34004e3 100644
--- a/qemu/qemu_arch_base_test.go
+++ b/qemu/qemu_arch_base_test.go
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ var (
 	deviceVFIOString               = "-device vfio-pci,host=02:10.0,x-pci-vendor-id=0x1234,x-pci-device-id=0x5678,romfile=efi-virtio.rom"
 	devicePCIeRootPortSimpleString = "-device pcie-root-port,id=rp1,bus=pcie.0,chassis=0x00,slot=0x00,multifunction=off"
 	devicePCIeRootPortFullString   = "-device pcie-root-port,id=rp2,bus=pcie.0,chassis=0x0,slot=0x1,addr=0x2,multifunction=on,bus-reserve=0x3,pref64-reserve=16G,mem-reserve=1G,io-reserve=512M,romfile=efi-virtio.rom"
-	deviceVFIOPCIeSimpleString     = "-device vfio-pci,host=02:00.0,romfile=,bus=rp0"
+	deviceVFIOPCIeSimpleString     = "-device vfio-pci,host=02:00.0,bus=rp0"
 	deviceVFIOPCIeFullString       = "-device vfio-pci,host=02:00.0,x-pci-vendor-id=0x10de,x-pci-device-id=0x15f8,romfile=efi-virtio.rom,bus=rp1"
 	deviceSCSIControllerStr        = "-device virtio-scsi-pci,id=foo,disable-modern=false,romfile=efi-virtio.rom"
 	deviceSCSIControllerBusAddrStr = "-device virtio-scsi-pci,id=foo,bus=pci.0,addr=00:04.0,disable-modern=true,iothread=iothread1,romfile=efi-virtio.rom"