diff --git a/builtin/submodule--helper.c b/builtin/submodule--helper.c
index 2873b2780e..fc10ace5a8 100644
--- a/builtin/submodule--helper.c
+++ b/builtin/submodule--helper.c
@@ -1703,10 +1703,6 @@ static int clone_submodule(const struct module_clone_data *clone_data,
 		clone_data_path = to_free = xstrfmt("%s/%s", repo_get_work_tree(the_repository),
 						    clone_data->path);
 
-	if (validate_submodule_git_dir(sm_gitdir, clone_data->name) < 0)
-		die(_("refusing to create/use '%s' in another submodule's "
-		      "git dir"), sm_gitdir);
-
 	if (!file_exists(sm_gitdir)) {
 		if (clone_data->require_init && !stat(clone_data_path, &st) &&
 		    !is_empty_dir(clone_data_path))
diff --git a/submodule.c b/submodule.c
index 35c55155f7..d937911fbc 100644
--- a/submodule.c
+++ b/submodule.c
@@ -2172,11 +2172,6 @@ int submodule_move_head(const char *path, const char *super_prefix,
 			struct strbuf gitdir = STRBUF_INIT;
 			submodule_name_to_gitdir(&gitdir, the_repository,
 						 sub->name);
-			if (validate_submodule_git_dir(gitdir.buf,
-						       sub->name) < 0)
-				die(_("refusing to create/use '%s' in another "
-				      "submodule's git dir"),
-				    gitdir.buf);
 			connect_work_tree_and_git_dir(path, gitdir.buf, 0);
 			strbuf_release(&gitdir);
 
@@ -2355,9 +2350,6 @@ static void relocate_single_git_dir_into_superproject(const char *path,
 		die(_("could not lookup name for submodule '%s'"), path);
 
 	submodule_name_to_gitdir(&new_gitdir, the_repository, sub->name);
-	if (validate_submodule_git_dir(new_gitdir.buf, sub->name) < 0)
-		die(_("refusing to move '%s' into an existing git dir"),
-		    real_old_git_dir);
 	if (safe_create_leading_directories_const(the_repository, new_gitdir.buf) < 0)
 		die(_("could not create directory '%s'"), new_gitdir.buf);
 	real_new_git_dir = real_pathdup(new_gitdir.buf, 1);
@@ -2606,4 +2598,8 @@ void submodule_name_to_gitdir(struct strbuf *buf, struct repository *r,
 	 */
 	repo_git_path_append(r, buf, "modules/");
 	strbuf_addstr(buf, submodule_name);
+
+	if (validate_submodule_git_dir(buf->buf, submodule_name) < 0)
+		die(_("refusing to create/use '%s' in another submodule's "
+		      "git dir"), buf->buf);
 }