diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/perl5/overload_null_runme.pl b/Examples/test-suite/perl5/overload_null_runme.pl
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7cc5090de
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/perl5/overload_null_runme.pl
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+use strict;
+use warnings;
+use Test::More tests => 24;
+BEGIN { use_ok('overload_null') }
+require_ok('overload_null');
+
+my $o = new overload_null::Overload();
+my $x = new overload_null::X();
+
+is(1, $o->byval1($x));
+is(2, $o->byval1(undef));
+
+is(3, $o->byval2(undef));
+is(4, $o->byval2($x));
+
+is(5, $o->byref1($x));
+is(6, $o->byref1(undef));
+
+is(7, $o->byref2(undef));
+is(8, $o->byref2($x));
+
+is(9, $o->byconstref1($x));
+is(10, $o->byconstref1(undef));
+
+is(11, $o->byconstref2(undef));
+is(12, $o->byconstref2($x));
+
+# const pointer references
+is(13, $o->byval1cpr($x));
+is(14, $o->byval1cpr(undef));
+
+is(15, $o->byval2cpr(undef));
+is(16, $o->byval2cpr($x));
+
+# forward class declaration
+is(17, $o->byval1forwardptr($x));
+is(18, $o->byval1forwardptr(undef));
+
+is(19, $o->byval2forwardptr(undef));
+is(20, $o->byval2forwardptr($x));
+
+is(21, $o->byval1forwardref($x));
+
+is(22, $o->byval2forwardref($x));
diff --git a/Lib/perl5/perlrun.swg b/Lib/perl5/perlrun.swg
index 02714c451..b04002f5d 100644
--- a/Lib/perl5/perlrun.swg
+++ b/Lib/perl5/perlrun.swg
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ SWIG_Perl_ConvertPtrAndOwn(SWIG_MAYBE_PERL_OBJECT SV *sv, void **ptr, swig_type_
     voidptr = INT2PTR(void *,tmp);
   } else if (! SvOK(sv)) {            /* Check for undef */
     *(ptr) = (void *) 0;
-    return SWIG_OK;
+    return (flags & SWIG_POINTER_NO_NULL) ? SWIG_NullReferenceError : SWIG_OK;
   } else if (SvTYPE(sv) == SVt_RV) {  /* Check for NULL pointer */
     if (!SvROK(sv)) {
       /* In Perl 5.12 and later, SVt_RV == SVt_IV, so sv could be a valid integer value.  */