diff --git a/arch/arm64/Kconfig b/arch/arm64/Kconfig
index 05e17351e4f3..ed48fd42ab33 100644
--- a/arch/arm64/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/arm64/Kconfig
@@ -1215,7 +1215,6 @@ config ARM64_TAGGED_ADDR_ABI
 menuconfig COMPAT
 	bool "Kernel support for 32-bit EL0"
 	depends on ARM64_4K_PAGES || EXPERT
-	select COMPAT_BINFMT_ELF if BINFMT_ELF
 	select HAVE_UID16
 	select OLD_SIGSUSPEND3
 	select COMPAT_OLD_SIGACTION
diff --git a/arch/mips/Kconfig b/arch/mips/Kconfig
index a46423f1cabc..f29ec95e3458 100644
--- a/arch/mips/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/mips/Kconfig
@@ -3278,7 +3278,6 @@ config MIPS32_O32
 	select ARCH_WANT_OLD_COMPAT_IPC
 	select COMPAT
 	select MIPS32_COMPAT
-	select COMPAT_BINFMT_ELF
 	select SYSVIPC_COMPAT if SYSVIPC
 	help
 	  Select this option if you want to run o32 binaries.  These are pure
@@ -3292,7 +3291,6 @@ config MIPS32_N32
 	depends on 64BIT
 	select ARCH_WANT_COMPAT_IPC_PARSE_VERSION
 	select COMPAT
-	select COMPAT_BINFMT_ELF
 	select MIPS32_COMPAT
 	select SYSVIPC_COMPAT if SYSVIPC
 	help
diff --git a/arch/parisc/Kconfig b/arch/parisc/Kconfig
index 78b17621ee4a..26daf57b9df6 100644
--- a/arch/parisc/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/parisc/Kconfig
@@ -336,7 +336,6 @@ source "kernel/Kconfig.hz"
 config COMPAT
 	def_bool y
 	depends on 64BIT
-	select COMPAT_BINFMT_ELF if BINFMT_ELF
 
 config SYSVIPC_COMPAT
 	def_bool y
diff --git a/arch/powerpc/Kconfig b/arch/powerpc/Kconfig
index 107bb4319e0e..d26a89cd8908 100644
--- a/arch/powerpc/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/powerpc/Kconfig
@@ -282,7 +282,6 @@ config COMPAT
 	bool "Enable support for 32bit binaries"
 	depends on PPC64
 	default y if !CPU_LITTLE_ENDIAN
-	select COMPAT_BINFMT_ELF
 	select ARCH_WANT_OLD_COMPAT_IPC
 	select COMPAT_OLD_SIGACTION
 
diff --git a/arch/s390/Kconfig b/arch/s390/Kconfig
index e84bdd15150b..73b61fe7231e 100644
--- a/arch/s390/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/s390/Kconfig
@@ -423,7 +423,6 @@ config 64BIT
 config COMPAT
 	def_bool y
 	prompt "Kernel support for 31 bit emulation"
-	select COMPAT_BINFMT_ELF if BINFMT_ELF
 	select ARCH_WANT_OLD_COMPAT_IPC
 	select COMPAT_OLD_SIGACTION
 	select HAVE_UID16
diff --git a/arch/sparc/Kconfig b/arch/sparc/Kconfig
index c9c34dc52b7d..1a2b5649d267 100644
--- a/arch/sparc/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/sparc/Kconfig
@@ -494,7 +494,6 @@ config COMPAT
 	bool
 	depends on SPARC64
 	default y
-	select COMPAT_BINFMT_ELF
 	select HAVE_UID16
 	select ARCH_WANT_OLD_COMPAT_IPC
 	select COMPAT_OLD_SIGACTION
diff --git a/arch/x86/Kconfig b/arch/x86/Kconfig
index a2182d22b5fa..6d130d1c440b 100644
--- a/arch/x86/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/x86/Kconfig
@@ -2899,7 +2899,6 @@ config COMPAT_32
 config COMPAT
 	def_bool y
 	depends on IA32_EMULATION || X86_X32
-	select COMPAT_BINFMT_ELF if BINFMT_ELF
 
 if COMPAT
 config COMPAT_FOR_U64_ALIGNMENT
diff --git a/fs/Kconfig.binfmt b/fs/Kconfig.binfmt
index 885da6d983b4..b32f5df68ae9 100644
--- a/fs/Kconfig.binfmt
+++ b/fs/Kconfig.binfmt
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ config BINFMT_ELF
 	  latest version).
 
 config COMPAT_BINFMT_ELF
-	bool
+	def_bool y
 	depends on COMPAT && BINFMT_ELF
 	select ELFCORE