diff --git a/libavformat/avformat.h b/libavformat/avformat.h
index 0ab11568811595681b5edf5fd5f94c6c37ce9d82..2b7d1669701a8e1bfc76cdda827114baeaaddda2 100644
--- a/libavformat/avformat.h
+++ b/libavformat/avformat.h
@@ -81,6 +81,9 @@
 #ifndef FF_API_FIRST_FORMAT
 #define FF_API_FIRST_FORMAT            (LIBAVFORMAT_VERSION_MAJOR < 53)
 #endif
+#ifndef FF_API_SYMVER
+#define FF_API_SYMVER                  (LIBAVFORMAT_VERSION_MAJOR < 53)
+#endif
 
 /**
  * I return the LIBAVFORMAT_VERSION_INT constant.  You got
diff --git a/libavformat/utils.c b/libavformat/utils.c
index be475cce7e03a5eeb9ce270d1b203220d966a62b..289b91ca7842e27ecfd11ab479d6d8592300c965 100644
--- a/libavformat/utils.c
+++ b/libavformat/utils.c
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ AVInputFormat *av_find_input_format(const char *short_name)
     return NULL;
 }
 
-#if LIBAVFORMAT_VERSION_MAJOR < 53 && CONFIG_SHARED && HAVE_SYMVER
+#if FF_API_SYMVER && CONFIG_SHARED && HAVE_SYMVER
 FF_SYMVER(void, av_destruct_packet_nofree, (AVPacket *pkt), "LIBAVFORMAT_52")
 {
     av_destruct_packet_nofree(pkt);