diff --git a/drivers/net/i40e/i40e_vf_representor.c b/drivers/net/i40e/i40e_vf_representor.c
index 24751d13c..a377c1064 100644
--- a/drivers/net/i40e/i40e_vf_representor.c
+++ b/drivers/net/i40e/i40e_vf_representor.c
@@ -504,6 +504,7 @@ i40e_vf_representor_init(struct rte_eth_dev *ethdev, void *init_params)
 	}
 
 	ethdev->data->dev_flags |= RTE_ETH_DEV_REPRESENTOR;
+	ethdev->data->representor_id = representor->vf_id;
 
 	/* Setting the number queues allocated to the VF */
 	ethdev->data->nb_rx_queues = vf->vsi->nb_qps;
diff --git a/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_vf_representor.c b/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_vf_representor.c
index b0fbbc49f..26e2af4f8 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_vf_representor.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_vf_representor.c
@@ -192,6 +192,7 @@ ixgbe_vf_representor_init(struct rte_eth_dev *ethdev, void *init_params)
 		return -ENODEV;
 
 	ethdev->data->dev_flags |= RTE_ETH_DEV_REPRESENTOR;
+	ethdev->data->representor_id = representor->vf_id;
 
 	/* Set representor device ops */
 	ethdev->dev_ops = &ixgbe_vf_representor_dev_ops;
diff --git a/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5.c b/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5.c
index cf258345f..de8bab342 100644
--- a/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5.c
+++ b/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5.c
@@ -1075,8 +1075,10 @@ mlx5_dev_spawn(struct rte_device *dpdk_dev,
 		err = ENOMEM;
 		goto error;
 	}
-	if (priv->representor)
+	if (priv->representor) {
 		eth_dev->data->dev_flags |= RTE_ETH_DEV_REPRESENTOR;
+		eth_dev->data->representor_id = priv->representor_id;
+	}
 	eth_dev->data->dev_private = priv;
 	priv->dev_data = eth_dev->data;
 	eth_dev->data->mac_addrs = priv->mac;
diff --git a/lib/librte_ethdev/rte_class_eth.c b/lib/librte_ethdev/rte_class_eth.c
index 58fed694b..fca7fe4d4 100644
--- a/lib/librte_ethdev/rte_class_eth.c
+++ b/lib/librte_ethdev/rte_class_eth.c
@@ -12,13 +12,16 @@
 
 #include "rte_ethdev.h"
 #include "rte_ethdev_core.h"
+#include "rte_ethdev_driver.h"
 #include "ethdev_private.h"
 
 enum eth_params {
+	RTE_ETH_PARAM_REPRESENTOR,
 	RTE_ETH_PARAM_MAX,
 };
 
 static const char * const eth_params_keys[] = {
+	[RTE_ETH_PARAM_REPRESENTOR] = "representor",
 	[RTE_ETH_PARAM_MAX] = NULL,
 };
 
@@ -33,10 +36,44 @@ struct eth_dev_match_arg {
 		.kvlist = (k), \
 	})
 
+static int
+eth_representor_cmp(const char *key __rte_unused,
+		const char *value, void *opaque)
+{
+	int ret;
+	char *values;
+	const struct rte_eth_dev_data *data = opaque;
+	struct rte_eth_devargs representors;
+	uint16_t index;
+
+	if ((data->dev_flags & RTE_ETH_DEV_REPRESENTOR) == 0)
+		return -1; /* not a representor port */
+
+	/* Parse devargs representor values. */
+	values = strdup(value);
+	if (values == NULL)
+		return -1;
+	memset(&representors, 0, sizeof(representors));
+	ret = rte_eth_devargs_parse_list(values,
+			rte_eth_devargs_parse_representor_ports,
+			&representors);
+	free(values);
+	if (ret != 0)
+		return -1; /* invalid devargs value */
+
+	/* Return 0 if representor id is matching one of the values. */
+	for (index = 0; index < representors.nb_representor_ports; index++)
+		if (data->representor_id ==
+				representors.representor_ports[index])
+			return 0;
+	return -1; /* no match */
+}
+
 static int
 eth_dev_match(const struct rte_eth_dev *edev,
 	      const void *_arg)
 {
+	int ret;
 	const struct eth_dev_match_arg *arg = _arg;
 	const struct rte_kvargs *kvlist = arg->kvlist;
 
@@ -47,6 +84,13 @@ eth_dev_match(const struct rte_eth_dev *edev,
 	if (kvlist == NULL)
 		/* Empty string matches everything. */
 		return 0;
+
+	ret = rte_kvargs_process(kvlist,
+			eth_params_keys[RTE_ETH_PARAM_REPRESENTOR],
+			eth_representor_cmp, edev->data);
+	if (ret != 0)
+		return -1;
+
 	return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/librte_ethdev/rte_ethdev_core.h b/lib/librte_ethdev/rte_ethdev_core.h
index 33d12b3a2..ac67fde28 100644
--- a/lib/librte_ethdev/rte_ethdev_core.h
+++ b/lib/librte_ethdev/rte_ethdev_core.h
@@ -613,6 +613,8 @@ struct rte_eth_dev_data {
 	struct rte_vlan_filter_conf vlan_filter_conf;
 	/**< VLAN filter configuration. */
 	struct rte_eth_dev_owner owner; /**< The port owner. */
+	uint16_t representor_id;
+	/**< switch specific identifier - valid if RTE_ETH_DEV_REPRESENTOR */
 } __rte_cache_aligned;
 
 /**
