diff --git a/lib/nvmf/ctrlr_bdev.c b/lib/nvmf/ctrlr_bdev.c
index b1951403b9..7e1ce19555 100644
--- a/lib/nvmf/ctrlr_bdev.c
+++ b/lib/nvmf/ctrlr_bdev.c
@@ -838,28 +838,45 @@ nvmf_bdev_ctrlr_zcopy_start(struct spdk_bdev *bdev,
 			    struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
 			    struct spdk_nvmf_request *req)
 {
+	struct spdk_nvme_cpl *rsp = &req->rsp->nvme_cpl;
 	uint64_t bdev_num_blocks = spdk_bdev_get_num_blocks(bdev);
 	uint32_t block_size = spdk_bdev_get_block_size(bdev);
 	uint64_t start_lba;
 	uint64_t num_blocks;
+	int rc;
 
 	nvmf_bdev_ctrlr_get_rw_params(&req->cmd->nvme_cmd, &start_lba, &num_blocks);
 
 	if (spdk_unlikely(!nvmf_bdev_ctrlr_lba_in_range(bdev_num_blocks, start_lba, num_blocks))) {
 		SPDK_ERRLOG("end of media\n");
-		return -ENXIO;
+		rsp->status.sct = SPDK_NVME_SCT_GENERIC;
+		rsp->status.sc = SPDK_NVME_SC_LBA_OUT_OF_RANGE;
+		return SPDK_NVMF_REQUEST_EXEC_STATUS_COMPLETE;
 	}
 
 	if (spdk_unlikely(num_blocks * block_size > req->length)) {
 		SPDK_ERRLOG("Read NLB %" PRIu64 " * block size %" PRIu32 " > SGL length %" PRIu32 "\n",
 			    num_blocks, block_size, req->length);
-		return -ENXIO;
+		rsp->status.sct = SPDK_NVME_SCT_GENERIC;
+		rsp->status.sc = SPDK_NVME_SC_DATA_SGL_LENGTH_INVALID;
+		return SPDK_NVMF_REQUEST_EXEC_STATUS_COMPLETE;
 	}
 
 	bool populate = (req->cmd->nvme_cmd.opc == SPDK_NVME_OPC_READ) ? true : false;
 
-	return spdk_bdev_zcopy_start(desc, ch, req->iov, req->iovcnt, start_lba,
-				     num_blocks, populate, nvmf_bdev_ctrlr_zcopy_start_complete, req);
+	rc = spdk_bdev_zcopy_start(desc, ch, req->iov, req->iovcnt, start_lba,
+				   num_blocks, populate, nvmf_bdev_ctrlr_zcopy_start_complete, req);
+	if (spdk_unlikely(rc != 0)) {
+		if (rc == -ENOMEM) {
+			nvmf_bdev_ctrl_queue_io(req, bdev, ch, nvmf_ctrlr_process_io_cmd_resubmit, req);
+			return SPDK_NVMF_REQUEST_EXEC_STATUS_ASYNCHRONOUS;
+		}
+		rsp->status.sct = SPDK_NVME_SCT_GENERIC;
+		rsp->status.sc = SPDK_NVME_SC_INTERNAL_DEVICE_ERROR;
+		return SPDK_NVMF_REQUEST_EXEC_STATUS_COMPLETE;
+	}
+
+	return SPDK_NVMF_REQUEST_EXEC_STATUS_ASYNCHRONOUS;
 }
 
 static void
@@ -887,5 +904,12 @@ nvmf_bdev_ctrlr_zcopy_end_complete(struct spdk_bdev_io *bdev_io, bool success,
 int
 nvmf_bdev_ctrlr_zcopy_end(struct spdk_nvmf_request *req, bool commit)
 {
-	return spdk_bdev_zcopy_end(req->zcopy_bdev_io, commit, nvmf_bdev_ctrlr_zcopy_end_complete, req);
+	int rc __attribute__((unused));
+
+	rc = spdk_bdev_zcopy_end(req->zcopy_bdev_io, commit, nvmf_bdev_ctrlr_zcopy_end_complete, req);
+
+	/* The only way spdk_bdev_zcopy_end() can fail is if we pass a bdev_io type that isn't ZCOPY */
+	assert(rc == 0);
+
+	return SPDK_NVMF_REQUEST_EXEC_STATUS_ASYNCHRONOUS;
 }
diff --git a/lib/nvmf/nvmf_internal.h b/lib/nvmf/nvmf_internal.h
index c49e41088d..56b7bb181c 100644
--- a/lib/nvmf/nvmf_internal.h
+++ b/lib/nvmf/nvmf_internal.h
@@ -483,8 +483,10 @@ nvmf_qpair_is_admin_queue(struct spdk_nvmf_qpair *qpair)
  * \param ch The \ref spdk_io_channel
  * \param req The \ref spdk_nvmf_request passed to the bdev for processing
  *
- * \return 0 upon success
- * \return <0 if the zcopy operation could not be started
+ * \return SPDK_NVMF_REQUEST_EXEC_STATUS_COMPLETE if the command was completed immediately or
+ *         SPDK_NVMF_REQUEST_EXEC_STATUS_ASYNCHRONOUS if the command was submitted and will be
+ *         completed asynchronously.  Asynchronous completions are notified through
+ *         spdk_nvmf_request_complete().
  */
 int nvmf_bdev_ctrlr_zcopy_start(struct spdk_bdev *bdev,
 				struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc,
@@ -497,8 +499,10 @@ int nvmf_bdev_ctrlr_zcopy_start(struct spdk_bdev *bdev,
  * \param req The NVMe-oF request
  * \param commit Flag indicating whether the buffers should be committed
  *
- * \return 0 upon success
- * \return <0 on error
+ * \return SPDK_NVMF_REQUEST_EXEC_STATUS_COMPLETE if the command was completed immediately or
+ *         SPDK_NVMF_REQUEST_EXEC_STATUS_ASYNCHRONOUS if the command was submitted and will be
+ *         completed asynchronously.  Asynchronous completions are notified through
+ *         spdk_nvmf_request_complete().
  */
 int nvmf_bdev_ctrlr_zcopy_end(struct spdk_nvmf_request *req, bool commit);
 
diff --git a/test/unit/lib/nvmf/ctrlr_bdev.c/ctrlr_bdev_ut.c b/test/unit/lib/nvmf/ctrlr_bdev.c/ctrlr_bdev_ut.c
index 9601503022..235ce7115c 100644
--- a/test/unit/lib/nvmf/ctrlr_bdev.c/ctrlr_bdev_ut.c
+++ b/test/unit/lib/nvmf/ctrlr_bdev.c/ctrlr_bdev_ut.c
@@ -606,7 +606,9 @@ test_nvmf_bdev_ctrlr_zcopy_start(void)
 
 	rc = nvmf_bdev_ctrlr_zcopy_start(&bdev, desc, &ch, &write_req);
 
-	CU_ASSERT(rc == 0);
+	CU_ASSERT_EQUAL(rc, SPDK_NVMF_REQUEST_EXEC_STATUS_ASYNCHRONOUS);
+	CU_ASSERT_EQUAL(write_rsp.nvme_cpl.status.sct, SPDK_NVME_SCT_GENERIC);
+	CU_ASSERT_EQUAL(write_rsp.nvme_cpl.status.sc, SPDK_NVME_SC_SUCCESS);
 
 	/* 2. SPDK_NVME_SC_LBA_OUT_OF_RANGE */
 	write_cmd.cdw10 = 1;	/* SLBA: CDW10 and CDW11 */
@@ -615,7 +617,9 @@ test_nvmf_bdev_ctrlr_zcopy_start(void)
 
 	rc = nvmf_bdev_ctrlr_zcopy_start(&bdev, desc, &ch, &write_req);
 
-	CU_ASSERT(rc < 0);
+	CU_ASSERT_EQUAL(rc, SPDK_NVMF_REQUEST_EXEC_STATUS_COMPLETE);
+	CU_ASSERT_EQUAL(write_rsp.nvme_cpl.status.sct, SPDK_NVME_SCT_GENERIC);
+	CU_ASSERT_EQUAL(write_rsp.nvme_cpl.status.sc, SPDK_NVME_SC_LBA_OUT_OF_RANGE);
 
 	/* 3. SPDK_NVME_SC_DATA_SGL_LENGTH_INVALID */
 	write_cmd.cdw10 = 1;	/* SLBA: CDW10 and CDW11 */
@@ -624,7 +628,9 @@ test_nvmf_bdev_ctrlr_zcopy_start(void)
 
 	rc = nvmf_bdev_ctrlr_zcopy_start(&bdev, desc, &ch, &write_req);
 
-	CU_ASSERT(rc < 0);
+	CU_ASSERT_EQUAL(rc, SPDK_NVMF_REQUEST_EXEC_STATUS_COMPLETE);
+	CU_ASSERT_EQUAL(write_rsp.nvme_cpl.status.sct, SPDK_NVME_SCT_GENERIC);
+	CU_ASSERT_EQUAL(write_rsp.nvme_cpl.status.sc, SPDK_NVME_SC_DATA_SGL_LENGTH_INVALID);
 }
 
 static void