diff --git a/include/mbedtls/rsa.h b/include/mbedtls/rsa.h
index 3f453f684e..2c2af3f96e 100644
--- a/include/mbedtls/rsa.h
+++ b/include/mbedtls/rsa.h
@@ -1080,8 +1080,6 @@ int mbedtls_rsa_rsassa_pss_verify( mbedtls_rsa_context *ctx,
  * \note           The \p hash_id in the RSA context is ignored.
  *
  * \param ctx      The initialized RSA public key context to use.
- * \param mode     The mode of operation. This must be either
- *                 #MBEDTLS_RSA_PUBLIC or #MBEDTLS_RSA_PRIVATE.
  * \param md_alg   The message-digest algorithm used to hash the original data.
  *                 Use #MBEDTLS_MD_NONE for signing raw data.
  * \param hashlen  The length of the message digest.
@@ -1102,7 +1100,6 @@ int mbedtls_rsa_rsassa_pss_verify( mbedtls_rsa_context *ctx,
  * \return         An \c MBEDTLS_ERR_RSA_XXX error code on failure.
  */
 int mbedtls_rsa_rsassa_pss_verify_ext( mbedtls_rsa_context *ctx,
-                               int mode,
                                mbedtls_md_type_t md_alg,
                                unsigned int hashlen,
                                const unsigned char *hash,
diff --git a/library/pk.c b/library/pk.c
index 65a4d0c0f4..06021e26c0 100644
--- a/library/pk.c
+++ b/library/pk.c
@@ -367,11 +367,10 @@ int mbedtls_pk_verify_ext( mbedtls_pk_type_t type, const void *options,
             return( MBEDTLS_ERR_RSA_VERIFY_FAILED );
 
         ret = mbedtls_rsa_rsassa_pss_verify_ext( mbedtls_pk_rsa( *ctx ),
-                MBEDTLS_RSA_PUBLIC,
-                md_alg, (unsigned int) hash_len, hash,
-                pss_opts->mgf1_hash_id,
-                pss_opts->expected_salt_len,
-                sig );
+                                                 md_alg, (unsigned int) hash_len, hash,
+                                                 pss_opts->mgf1_hash_id,
+                                                 pss_opts->expected_salt_len,
+                                                 sig );
         if( ret != 0 )
             return( ret );
 
diff --git a/library/rsa.c b/library/rsa.c
index db684c8faa..14eb9205c7 100644
--- a/library/rsa.c
+++ b/library/rsa.c
@@ -2147,7 +2147,6 @@ int mbedtls_rsa_pkcs1_sign( mbedtls_rsa_context *ctx,
  * Implementation of the PKCS#1 v2.1 RSASSA-PSS-VERIFY function
  */
 int mbedtls_rsa_rsassa_pss_verify_ext( mbedtls_rsa_context *ctx,
-                               int mode,
                                mbedtls_md_type_t md_alg,
                                unsigned int hashlen,
                                const unsigned char *hash,
@@ -2168,24 +2167,17 @@ int mbedtls_rsa_rsassa_pss_verify_ext( mbedtls_rsa_context *ctx,
     unsigned char buf[MBEDTLS_MPI_MAX_SIZE];
 
     RSA_VALIDATE_RET( ctx != NULL );
-    RSA_VALIDATE_RET( mode == MBEDTLS_RSA_PRIVATE ||
-                      mode == MBEDTLS_RSA_PUBLIC );
     RSA_VALIDATE_RET( sig != NULL );
     RSA_VALIDATE_RET( ( md_alg  == MBEDTLS_MD_NONE &&
                         hashlen == 0 ) ||
                       hash != NULL );
 
-    if( mode == MBEDTLS_RSA_PRIVATE && ctx->padding != MBEDTLS_RSA_PKCS_V21 )
-        return( MBEDTLS_ERR_RSA_BAD_INPUT_DATA );
-
     siglen = ctx->len;
 
     if( siglen < 16 || siglen > sizeof( buf ) )
         return( MBEDTLS_ERR_RSA_BAD_INPUT_DATA );
 
-    ret = ( mode == MBEDTLS_RSA_PUBLIC )
-          ? mbedtls_rsa_public(  ctx, sig, buf )
-          : mbedtls_rsa_private( ctx, NULL, NULL, sig, buf );
+    ret = mbedtls_rsa_public(  ctx, sig, buf );
 
     if( ret != 0 )
         return( ret );
@@ -2312,7 +2304,6 @@ int mbedtls_rsa_rsassa_pss_verify( mbedtls_rsa_context *ctx,
                              : md_alg;
 
     return( mbedtls_rsa_rsassa_pss_verify_ext( ctx,
-                                               MBEDTLS_RSA_PUBLIC,
                                                md_alg, hashlen, hash,
                                                mgf1_hash_id,
                                                MBEDTLS_RSA_SALT_LEN_ANY,
diff --git a/tests/suites/test_suite_pkcs1_v21.function b/tests/suites/test_suite_pkcs1_v21.function
index c52edcb891..8f22f20943 100644
--- a/tests/suites/test_suite_pkcs1_v21.function
+++ b/tests/suites/test_suite_pkcs1_v21.function
@@ -248,10 +248,9 @@ void pkcs1_rsassa_pss_verify_ext( int mod, data_t * input_N, data_t * input_E,
                                            hash_len, hash_result,
                                            result_str->x ) == result_simple );
 
-    TEST_ASSERT( mbedtls_rsa_rsassa_pss_verify_ext( &ctx, MBEDTLS_RSA_PUBLIC,
-                                        msg_digest_id, hash_len, hash_result,
-                                        mgf_hash, salt_len,
-                                        result_str->x ) == result_full );
+    TEST_ASSERT( mbedtls_rsa_rsassa_pss_verify_ext( &ctx, msg_digest_id, hash_len,
+                                                    hash_result, mgf_hash, salt_len,
+                                                    result_str->x ) == result_full );
 
 exit:
     mbedtls_mpi_free( &N ); mbedtls_mpi_free( &E );
diff --git a/tests/suites/test_suite_rsa.function b/tests/suites/test_suite_rsa.function
index b822ed9ead..442e857ed7 100644
--- a/tests/suites/test_suite_rsa.function
+++ b/tests/suites/test_suite_rsa.function
@@ -334,26 +334,22 @@ void rsa_invalid_param( )
 
     TEST_INVALID_PARAM_RET( MBEDTLS_ERR_RSA_BAD_INPUT_DATA,
                             mbedtls_rsa_rsassa_pss_verify_ext( NULL,
-                                                               MBEDTLS_RSA_PUBLIC,
                                                                0, sizeof( buf ),
                                                                buf,
                                                                0, 0,
                                                                buf ) );
     TEST_INVALID_PARAM_RET( MBEDTLS_ERR_RSA_BAD_INPUT_DATA,
                             mbedtls_rsa_rsassa_pss_verify_ext( &ctx,
-                                                               MBEDTLS_RSA_PUBLIC,
                                                                0, sizeof( buf ),
                                                                NULL, 0, 0,
                                                                buf ) );
     TEST_INVALID_PARAM_RET( MBEDTLS_ERR_RSA_BAD_INPUT_DATA,
                             mbedtls_rsa_rsassa_pss_verify_ext( &ctx,
-                                                               MBEDTLS_RSA_PUBLIC,
                                                                0, sizeof( buf ),
                                                                buf, 0, 0,
                                                                NULL ) );
     TEST_INVALID_PARAM_RET( MBEDTLS_ERR_RSA_BAD_INPUT_DATA,
                             mbedtls_rsa_rsassa_pss_verify_ext( &ctx,
-                                                               MBEDTLS_RSA_PUBLIC,
                                                                MBEDTLS_MD_SHA1,
                                                                0, NULL,
                                                                0, 0,