diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/cloud-provider/controllers/node/node_controller.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/cloud-provider/controllers/node/node_controller.go
index 4cdd4ce05c3..c7141a8fe4e 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/cloud-provider/controllers/node/node_controller.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/cloud-provider/controllers/node/node_controller.go
@@ -688,29 +688,6 @@ func excludeCloudTaint(taints []v1.Taint) []v1.Taint {
 	return newTaints
 }
 
-// ensureNodeExistsByProviderID checks if the instance exists by the provider id,
-// If provider id in spec is empty it calls instanceId with node name to get provider id
-func ensureNodeExistsByProviderID(ctx context.Context, instances cloudprovider.Instances, node *v1.Node) (bool, error) {
-	providerID := node.Spec.ProviderID
-	if providerID == "" {
-		var err error
-		providerID, err = instances.InstanceID(ctx, types.NodeName(node.Name))
-		if err != nil {
-			if err == cloudprovider.InstanceNotFound {
-				return false, nil
-			}
-			return false, err
-		}
-
-		if providerID == "" {
-			klog.Warningf("Cannot find valid providerID for node name %q, assuming non existence", node.Name)
-			return false, nil
-		}
-	}
-
-	return instances.InstanceExistsByProviderID(ctx, providerID)
-}
-
 func getNodeAddressesByProviderIDOrName(ctx context.Context, instances cloudprovider.Instances, providerID, nodeName string) ([]v1.NodeAddress, error) {
 	nodeAddresses, err := instances.NodeAddressesByProviderID(ctx, providerID)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/cloud-provider/controllers/node/node_controller_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/cloud-provider/controllers/node/node_controller_test.go
index e377fd50708..75d8e021295 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/cloud-provider/controllers/node/node_controller_test.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/cloud-provider/controllers/node/node_controller_test.go
@@ -44,128 +44,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 )
 
-func TestEnsureNodeExistsByProviderID(t *testing.T) {
-
-	testCases := []struct {
-		testName           string
-		node               *v1.Node
-		expectedCalls      []string
-		expectedNodeExists bool
-		hasInstanceID      bool
-		existsByProviderID bool
-		nodeNameErr        error
-		providerIDErr      error
-	}{
-		{
-			testName:           "node exists by provider id",
-			existsByProviderID: true,
-			providerIDErr:      nil,
-			hasInstanceID:      true,
-			nodeNameErr:        errors.New("unimplemented"),
-			expectedCalls:      []string{"instance-exists-by-provider-id"},
-			expectedNodeExists: true,
-			node: &v1.Node{
-				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-					Name: "node0",
-				},
-				Spec: v1.NodeSpec{
-					ProviderID: "node0",
-				},
-			},
-		},
-		{
-			testName:           "does not exist by provider id",
-			existsByProviderID: false,
-			providerIDErr:      nil,
-			hasInstanceID:      true,
-			nodeNameErr:        errors.New("unimplemented"),
-			expectedCalls:      []string{"instance-exists-by-provider-id"},
-			expectedNodeExists: false,
-			node: &v1.Node{
-				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-					Name: "node0",
-				},
-				Spec: v1.NodeSpec{
-					ProviderID: "node0",
-				},
-			},
-		},
-		{
-			testName:           "exists by instance id",
-			existsByProviderID: true,
-			providerIDErr:      nil,
-			hasInstanceID:      true,
-			nodeNameErr:        nil,
-			expectedCalls:      []string{"instance-id", "instance-exists-by-provider-id"},
-			expectedNodeExists: true,
-			node: &v1.Node{
-				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-					Name: "node0",
-				},
-			},
-		},
-		{
-			testName:           "does not exist by no instance id",
-			existsByProviderID: true,
-			providerIDErr:      nil,
-			hasInstanceID:      false,
-			nodeNameErr:        cloudprovider.InstanceNotFound,
-			expectedCalls:      []string{"instance-id"},
-			expectedNodeExists: false,
-			node: &v1.Node{
-				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-					Name: "node0",
-				},
-			},
-		},
-		{
-			testName:           "provider id returns error",
-			existsByProviderID: false,
-			providerIDErr:      errors.New("unimplemented"),
-			hasInstanceID:      true,
-			nodeNameErr:        cloudprovider.InstanceNotFound,
-			expectedCalls:      []string{"instance-exists-by-provider-id"},
-			expectedNodeExists: false,
-			node: &v1.Node{
-				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-					Name: "node0",
-				},
-				Spec: v1.NodeSpec{
-					ProviderID: "node0",
-				},
-			},
-		},
-	}
-
-	for _, tc := range testCases {
-		t.Run(tc.testName, func(t *testing.T) {
-			fc := &fakecloud.Cloud{
-				ExistsByProviderID: tc.existsByProviderID,
-				Err:                tc.nodeNameErr,
-				ErrByProviderID:    tc.providerIDErr,
-			}
-
-			if tc.hasInstanceID {
-				fc.ExtID = map[types.NodeName]string{
-					types.NodeName(tc.node.Name): "provider-id://a",
-				}
-			}
-
-			instances, _ := fc.Instances()
-			exists, err := ensureNodeExistsByProviderID(context.TODO(), instances, tc.node)
-			assert.Equal(t, err, tc.providerIDErr)
-
-			assert.EqualValues(t, tc.expectedCalls, fc.Calls,
-				"expected cloud provider methods `%v` to be called but `%v` was called ",
-				tc.expectedCalls, fc.Calls)
-
-			assert.Equal(t, tc.expectedNodeExists, exists,
-				"expected exists to be `%t` but got `%t`",
-				tc.existsByProviderID, exists)
-		})
-	}
-}
-
 func Test_syncNode(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		name         string