diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/app/phases/certs/certs.go b/cmd/kubeadm/app/phases/certs/certs.go
index 094f4303375..fb3f372e1cf 100644
--- a/cmd/kubeadm/app/phases/certs/certs.go
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/app/phases/certs/certs.go
@@ -286,6 +286,7 @@ type certKeyLocation struct {
 
 // SharedCertificateExists verifies if the shared certificates - the certificates that must be
 // equal across control-plane nodes: ca.key, ca.crt, sa.key, sa.pub + etcd/ca.key, etcd/ca.crt if local/stacked etcd
+// Missing keys are non-fatal and produce warnings.
 func SharedCertificateExists(cfg *kubeadmapi.ClusterConfiguration) (bool, error) {
 
 	if err := validateCACertAndKey(certKeyLocation{cfg.CertificatesDir, kubeadmconstants.CACertAndKeyBaseName, "", "CA"}); err != nil {
@@ -373,7 +374,7 @@ func validateCACert(l certKeyLocation) error {
 }
 
 // validateCACertAndKey tries to load a x509 certificate and private key from pkiDir,
-// and validates that the cert is a CA
+// and validates that the cert is a CA. Failure to load the key produces a warning.
 func validateCACertAndKey(l certKeyLocation) error {
 	if err := validateCACert(l); err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -381,7 +382,7 @@ func validateCACertAndKey(l certKeyLocation) error {
 
 	_, err := pkiutil.TryLoadKeyFromDisk(l.pkiDir, l.caBaseName)
 	if err != nil {
-		return errors.Wrapf(err, "failure loading key for %s", l.uxName)
+		klog.Warningf("assuming external key for %s: %v", l.uxName, err)
 	}
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/app/phases/certs/certs_test.go b/cmd/kubeadm/app/phases/certs/certs_test.go
index c1c43e3e9b8..e0e9436a4e4 100644
--- a/cmd/kubeadm/app/phases/certs/certs_test.go
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/app/phases/certs/certs_test.go
@@ -401,6 +401,19 @@ func TestSharedCertificateExists(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			expectedError: true,
 		},
+		{
+			name: "missing ca.key",
+			files: certstestutil.PKIFiles{
+				"ca.crt":             caCert,
+				"front-proxy-ca.crt": caCert,
+				"front-proxy-ca.key": caKey,
+				"sa.pub":             publicKey,
+				"sa.key":             key,
+				"etcd/ca.crt":        caCert,
+				"etcd/ca.key":        caKey,
+			},
+			expectedError: false,
+		},
 		{
 			name: "missing sa.key",
 			files: certstestutil.PKIFiles{
@@ -642,7 +655,7 @@ func TestValidateMethods(t *testing.T) {
 			name:            "validateCACertAndKey (key missing)",
 			validateFunc:    validateCACertAndKey,
 			loc:             certKeyLocation{caBaseName: "ca", baseName: "", uxName: "CA"},
-			expectedSuccess: false,
+			expectedSuccess: true,
 		},
 		{
 			name: "validateSignedCert",
@@ -666,6 +679,15 @@ func TestValidateMethods(t *testing.T) {
 			loc:             certKeyLocation{baseName: "sa", uxName: "service account"},
 			expectedSuccess: true,
 		},
+		{
+			name: "validatePrivatePublicKey (missing key)",
+			files: certstestutil.PKIFiles{
+				"sa.pub": key.Public(),
+			},
+			validateFunc:    validatePrivatePublicKey,
+			loc:             certKeyLocation{baseName: "sa", uxName: "service account"},
+			expectedSuccess: false,
+		},
 	}
 
 	for _, test := range tests {
diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/app/phases/kubeconfig/kubeconfig.go b/cmd/kubeadm/app/phases/kubeconfig/kubeconfig.go
index 51bd42eec2b..008265481d8 100644
--- a/cmd/kubeadm/app/phases/kubeconfig/kubeconfig.go
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/app/phases/kubeconfig/kubeconfig.go
@@ -67,15 +67,31 @@ type kubeConfigSpec struct {
 // CreateJoinControlPlaneKubeConfigFiles will create and write to disk the kubeconfig files required by kubeadm
 // join --control-plane workflow, plus the admin kubeconfig file used by the administrator and kubeadm itself; the
 // kubelet.conf file must not be created because it will be created and signed by the kubelet TLS bootstrap process.
-// If any kubeconfig files already exists, it used only if evaluated equal; otherwise an error is returned.
+// When not using external CA mode, if a kubeconfig file already exists it is used only if evaluated equal,
+// otherwise an error is returned. For external CA mode, the creation of kubeconfig files is skipped.
 func CreateJoinControlPlaneKubeConfigFiles(outDir string, cfg *kubeadmapi.InitConfiguration) error {
-	return createKubeConfigFiles(
-		outDir,
-		cfg,
+	var externaCA bool
+	caKeyPath := filepath.Join(cfg.CertificatesDir, kubeadmconstants.CAKeyName)
+	if _, err := os.Stat(caKeyPath); os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		externaCA = true
+	}
+
+	files := []string{
 		kubeadmconstants.AdminKubeConfigFileName,
 		kubeadmconstants.ControllerManagerKubeConfigFileName,
 		kubeadmconstants.SchedulerKubeConfigFileName,
-	)
+	}
+
+	for _, file := range files {
+		if externaCA {
+			fmt.Printf("[kubeconfig] External CA mode: Using user provided %s\n", file)
+			continue
+		}
+		if err := createKubeConfigFiles(outDir, cfg, file); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
 }
 
 // CreateKubeConfigFile creates a kubeconfig file.