diff --git a/clients/common/nm-meta-setting-desc.c b/clients/common/nm-meta-setting-desc.c
index d6aa4fedf..63bcc99df 100644
--- a/clients/common/nm-meta-setting-desc.c
+++ b/clients/common/nm-meta-setting-desc.c
@@ -6123,6 +6123,12 @@ static const NMMetaPropertyInfo *const property_infos_OVS_BRIDGE[] = {
 	PROPERTY_INFO_WITH_DESC (NM_SETTING_OVS_BRIDGE_STP_ENABLE,
 		.property_type =                &_pt_gobject_bool,
 	),
+	PROPERTY_INFO_WITH_DESC (NM_SETTING_OVS_BRIDGE_DATAPATH_TYPE,
+		.property_type =                &_pt_gobject_string,
+		.property_typ_data = DEFINE_PROPERTY_TYP_DATA (
+			.values_static =            NM_MAKE_STRV ("system", "netdev"),
+		),
+	),
 	NULL
 };
 
diff --git a/clients/common/settings-docs.h.in b/clients/common/settings-docs.h.in
index 5316f11cc..af32e827f 100644
--- a/clients/common/settings-docs.h.in
+++ b/clients/common/settings-docs.h.in
@@ -256,6 +256,7 @@
 #define DESCRIBE_DOC_NM_SETTING_MACVLAN_PROMISCUOUS N_("Whether the interface should be put in promiscuous mode.")
 #define DESCRIBE_DOC_NM_SETTING_MACVLAN_TAP N_("Whether the interface should be a MACVTAP.")
 #define DESCRIBE_DOC_NM_SETTING_MATCH_INTERFACE_NAME N_("A list of interface names to match. Each element is a shell wildcard pattern.  When an element is prefixed with exclamation mark (!) the condition is inverted. A candidate interface name is considered matching when both these conditions are satisfied: (a) any of the elements not prefixed with '!' matches or there aren't such elements; (b) none of the elements prefixed with '!' match.")
+#define DESCRIBE_DOC_NM_SETTING_OVS_BRIDGE_DATAPATH_TYPE N_("The data path type. One of \"system\", \"netdev\" or empty.")
 #define DESCRIBE_DOC_NM_SETTING_OVS_BRIDGE_FAIL_MODE N_("The bridge failure mode. One of \"secure\", \"standalone\" or empty.")
 #define DESCRIBE_DOC_NM_SETTING_OVS_BRIDGE_MCAST_SNOOPING_ENABLE N_("Enable or disable multicast snooping.")
 #define DESCRIBE_DOC_NM_SETTING_OVS_BRIDGE_RSTP_ENABLE N_("Enable or disable RSTP.")
diff --git a/libnm-core/nm-setting-ovs-bridge.c b/libnm-core/nm-setting-ovs-bridge.c
index 4a6c19765..473bdb94a 100644
--- a/libnm-core/nm-setting-ovs-bridge.c
+++ b/libnm-core/nm-setting-ovs-bridge.c
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ NM_GOBJECT_PROPERTIES_DEFINE_BASE (
 	PROP_MCAST_SNOOPING_ENABLE,
 	PROP_RSTP_ENABLE,
 	PROP_STP_ENABLE,
+	PROP_DATAPATH_TYPE,
 );
 
 /**
@@ -51,6 +52,7 @@ struct _NMSettingOvsBridge {
 	NMSetting parent;
 
 	char *fail_mode;
+	char *datapath_type;
 	gboolean mcast_snooping_enable;
 	gboolean rstp_enable;
 	gboolean stp_enable;
@@ -128,6 +130,22 @@ nm_setting_ovs_bridge_get_stp_enable (NMSettingOvsBridge *self)
 	return self->stp_enable;
 }
 
+/**
+ * nm_setting_ovs_bridge_get_datapath_type:
+ * @self: the #NMSettingOvsBridge
+ *
+ * Returns: the #NMSettingOvsBridge:datapath_type property of the setting
+ *
+ * Since: 1.20
+ **/
+const char *
+nm_setting_ovs_bridge_get_datapath_type (NMSettingOvsBridge *self)
+{
+	g_return_val_if_fail (NM_IS_SETTING_OVS_BRIDGE (self), NULL);
+
+	return self->datapath_type;
+}
+
 /*****************************************************************************/
 
 static int
@@ -172,6 +190,16 @@ verify (NMSetting *setting, NMConnection *connection, GError **error)
 		return FALSE;
 	}
 
+	if (!NM_IN_STRSET (self->datapath_type, "system", "netdev", NULL)) {
+		g_set_error (error,
+		             NM_CONNECTION_ERROR,
+		             NM_CONNECTION_ERROR_INVALID_PROPERTY,
+		             _("'%s' is not valid"),
+		             self->datapath_type);
+		g_prefix_error (error, "%s.%s: ", NM_SETTING_OVS_BRIDGE_SETTING_NAME, NM_SETTING_OVS_BRIDGE_DATAPATH_TYPE);
+		return FALSE;
+	}
+
 	return TRUE;
 }
 
@@ -196,6 +224,9 @@ get_property (GObject *object, guint prop_id,
 	case PROP_STP_ENABLE:
 		g_value_set_boolean (value, self->stp_enable);
 		break;
+	case PROP_DATAPATH_TYPE:
+		g_value_set_string (value, self->datapath_type);
+		break;
 	default:
 		G_OBJECT_WARN_INVALID_PROPERTY_ID (object, prop_id, pspec);
 		break;
@@ -222,6 +253,10 @@ set_property (GObject *object, guint prop_id,
 	case PROP_STP_ENABLE:
 		self->stp_enable = g_value_get_boolean (value);
 		break;
+	case PROP_DATAPATH_TYPE:
+		g_free (self->datapath_type);
+		self->datapath_type = g_value_dup_string (value);
+		break;
 	default:
 		G_OBJECT_WARN_INVALID_PROPERTY_ID (object, prop_id, pspec);
 		break;
@@ -256,6 +291,7 @@ finalize (GObject *object)
 	NMSettingOvsBridge *self = NM_SETTING_OVS_BRIDGE (object);
 
 	g_free (self->fail_mode);
+	g_free (self->datapath_type);
 
 	G_OBJECT_CLASS (nm_setting_ovs_bridge_parent_class)->finalize (object);
 }
@@ -329,6 +365,20 @@ nm_setting_ovs_bridge_class_init (NMSettingOvsBridgeClass *klass)
 	                          G_PARAM_CONSTRUCT |
 	                          G_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS);
 
+	/**
+	 * NMSettingOvsBridge:datapath-type:
+	 *
+	 * The data path type. One of "system", "netdev" or empty.
+	 *
+	 * Since: 1.20
+	 **/
+	obj_properties[PROP_DATAPATH_TYPE] =
+	    g_param_spec_string (NM_SETTING_OVS_BRIDGE_DATAPATH_TYPE, "", "",
+	                         NULL,
+	                         G_PARAM_READWRITE |
+	                         NM_SETTING_PARAM_INFERRABLE |
+	                         G_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS);
+
 	g_object_class_install_properties (object_class, _PROPERTY_ENUMS_LAST, obj_properties);
 
 	_nm_setting_class_commit (setting_class, NM_META_SETTING_TYPE_OVS_BRIDGE);
diff --git a/libnm-core/nm-setting-ovs-bridge.h b/libnm-core/nm-setting-ovs-bridge.h
index d4837e58a..b9f92c065 100644
--- a/libnm-core/nm-setting-ovs-bridge.h
+++ b/libnm-core/nm-setting-ovs-bridge.h
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ G_BEGIN_DECLS
 #define NM_SETTING_OVS_BRIDGE_MCAST_SNOOPING_ENABLE "mcast-snooping-enable"
 #define NM_SETTING_OVS_BRIDGE_RSTP_ENABLE           "rstp-enable"
 #define NM_SETTING_OVS_BRIDGE_STP_ENABLE            "stp-enable"
+#define NM_SETTING_OVS_BRIDGE_DATAPATH_TYPE         "datapath-type"
 
 typedef struct _NMSettingOvsBridgeClass NMSettingOvsBridgeClass;
 
@@ -57,6 +58,8 @@ NM_AVAILABLE_IN_1_10
 gboolean    nm_setting_ovs_bridge_get_rstp_enable           (NMSettingOvsBridge *self);
 NM_AVAILABLE_IN_1_10
 gboolean    nm_setting_ovs_bridge_get_stp_enable            (NMSettingOvsBridge *self);
+NM_AVAILABLE_IN_1_20
+const char *nm_setting_ovs_bridge_get_datapath_type         (NMSettingOvsBridge *self);
 
 G_END_DECLS
 
diff --git a/src/devices/ovs/nm-ovsdb.c b/src/devices/ovs/nm-ovsdb.c
index b6d82db35..e5de466c7 100644
--- a/src/devices/ovs/nm-ovsdb.c
+++ b/src/devices/ovs/nm-ovsdb.c
@@ -445,6 +445,7 @@ _insert_bridge (json_t *params, NMConnection *bridge, json_t *new_ports)
 	gboolean mcast_snooping_enable = FALSE;
 	gboolean rstp_enable = FALSE;
 	gboolean stp_enable = FALSE;
+	const char *datapath_type = NULL;
 	json_t *row;
 
 	s_ovs_bridge = nm_connection_get_setting_ovs_bridge (bridge);
@@ -456,6 +457,7 @@ _insert_bridge (json_t *params, NMConnection *bridge, json_t *new_ports)
 		mcast_snooping_enable = nm_setting_ovs_bridge_get_mcast_snooping_enable (s_ovs_bridge);
 		rstp_enable = nm_setting_ovs_bridge_get_rstp_enable (s_ovs_bridge);
 		stp_enable = nm_setting_ovs_bridge_get_stp_enable (s_ovs_bridge);
+		datapath_type = nm_setting_ovs_bridge_get_datapath_type (s_ovs_bridge);
 	}
 
 	if (fail_mode)
@@ -466,6 +468,8 @@ _insert_bridge (json_t *params, NMConnection *bridge, json_t *new_ports)
 		json_object_set_new (row, "rstp_enable", json_boolean (rstp_enable));
 	if (stp_enable)
 		json_object_set_new (row, "stp_enable", json_boolean (stp_enable));
+	if (datapath_type)
+		json_object_set_new (row, "datapath_type", json_string (datapath_type));
 
 	json_object_set_new (row, "name", json_string (nm_connection_get_interface_name (bridge)));
 	json_object_set_new (row, "ports", json_pack ("[s, O]", "set", new_ports));