diff --git a/interfaces/forms.py b/interfaces/forms.py
index 7ef2b2d0..c62f1816 100644
--- a/interfaces/forms.py
+++ b/interfaces/forms.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import ipaddress
 import re
 
 from django import forms
@@ -57,29 +58,28 @@ class AddInterface(forms.Form):
 
     def clean_ipv6_addr(self):
         ipv6_addr = self.cleaned_data["ipv6_addr"]
-        have_symbol = re.match("^[0-9a-f./:]+|^$", ipv6_addr)
-        if not have_symbol:
-            raise forms.ValidationError(
-                _("The IPv6 address must not contain any special characters")
-            )
-        elif len(ipv6_addr) > 100:
-            raise forms.ValidationError(
-                _("The IPv6 address must not exceed 100 characters")
-            )
-        return ipv6_addr
+        if not ipv6_addr:
+            return ipv6_addr
+        try:
+            # Always address/prefix, as the interface XML needs both
+            return str(ipaddress.IPv6Interface(ipv6_addr))
+        except ValueError:
+            raise forms.ValidationError(_("The IPv6 address is not valid (e.g. 2001:db8::10/64)"))
 
     def clean_ipv6_gw(self):
         ipv6_gw = self.cleaned_data["ipv6_gw"]
-        have_symbol = re.match("^[0-9a-f./:]+|^$", ipv6_gw)
-        if not have_symbol:
-            raise forms.ValidationError(
-                _("The IPv6 gateway must not contain any special characters")
-            )
-        elif len(ipv6_gw) > 100:
-            raise forms.ValidationError(
-                _("The IPv6 gateway must not exceed 100 characters")
-            )
-        return ipv6_gw
+        if not ipv6_gw:
+            return ipv6_gw
+        try:
+            return str(ipaddress.IPv6Address(ipv6_gw))
+        except ValueError:
+            raise forms.ValidationError(_("The IPv6 gateway is not valid"))
+
+    def clean(self):
+        cleaned = super().clean()
+        if cleaned.get("ipv6_type") == "static" and not cleaned.get("ipv6_addr") and "ipv6_addr" not in self.errors:
+            self.add_error("ipv6_addr", _("A static IPv6 configuration needs an address"))
+        return cleaned
 
     def clean_name(self):
         name = self.cleaned_data["name"]
diff --git a/interfaces/templates/create_iface_block.html b/interfaces/templates/create_iface_block.html
index dbd15551..aad6c07d 100644
--- a/interfaces/templates/create_iface_block.html
+++ b/interfaces/templates/create_iface_block.html
@@ -122,13 +122,13 @@
                                     <div class="row static_ipv6_form_group">
                                         <label class="col-sm-3 col-form-label">{% trans "IPv6 Address" %}</label>
                                         <div class="col-sm-6">
-                                            <input type="text" class="form-control" name="ipv6_addr" maxlength="100" pattern="[0-9a-f\:\/]+|^$">
+                                            <input type="text" class="form-control" name="ipv6_addr" maxlength="100" pattern="[0-9a-fA-F\:\/]+|^$">
                                         </div>
                                     </div>
                                     <div class="row static_ipv6_form_group">
                                         <label class="col-sm-3 col-form-label">{% trans "IPv6 Gateway" %}</label>
                                         <div class="col-sm-6">
-                                            <input type="text" class="form-control" name="ipv6_gw" maxlength="100" pattern="[0-9a-f\:]+|^$">
+                                            <input type="text" class="form-control" name="ipv6_gw" maxlength="100" pattern="[0-9a-fA-F\:]+|^$">
                                         </div>
                                     </div>
                                 </div>
diff --git a/interfaces/test_forms.py b/interfaces/test_forms.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e1bea3c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/interfaces/test_forms.py
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+"""Host interface form: IPv6 values are validated before they go into the interface XML."""
+
+from unittest.mock import MagicMock
+
+from django.test import SimpleTestCase
+from lxml import etree
+from vrtManager.interface import wvmInterfaces
+
+from interfaces.forms import AddInterface
+
+BASE = {
+    "name": "br1", "itype": "bridge", "start_mode": "onboot", "netdev": "eth1",
+    "ipv4_type": "static", "ipv4_addr": "192.0.2.10/24", "ipv4_gw": "192.0.2.1",
+    "ipv6_type": "static", "stp": "on", "delay": 0,
+}
+
+
+def form(**ipv6):
+    return AddInterface(data={**BASE, **ipv6})
+
+
+class Ipv6FormTestCase(SimpleTestCase):
+    def test_valid_addresses_are_normalized(self):
+        f = form(ipv6_addr="2001:DB8::10/64", ipv6_gw="2001:DB8::1")
+        self.assertTrue(f.is_valid(), f.errors)
+        self.assertEqual(f.cleaned_data["ipv6_addr"], "2001:db8::10/64")
+        self.assertEqual(f.cleaned_data["ipv6_gw"], "2001:db8::1")
+
+    def test_address_without_prefix_gets_one(self):
+        f = form(ipv6_addr="2001:db8::10", ipv6_gw="")
+        self.assertTrue(f.is_valid(), f.errors)
+        self.assertEqual(f.cleaned_data["ipv6_addr"], "2001:db8::10/128")
+
+    def test_values_that_only_start_like_an_address_are_rejected(self):
+        for field, value in (
+            ("ipv6_addr", "2001:db8::10/64'/><evil/>"),
+            ("ipv6_gw", "2001:db8::1'/><evil/>"),
+            ("ipv6_addr", "2001:db8::zz/64"),
+            ("ipv6_addr", "192.0.2.10/24"),
+        ):
+            with self.subTest(field=field, value=value):
+                f = form(**{"ipv6_addr": "2001:db8::10/64", "ipv6_gw": "", field: value})
+                self.assertFalse(f.is_valid())
+                self.assertIn(field, f.errors)
+
+    def test_static_needs_an_address(self):
+        f = form(ipv6_addr="", ipv6_gw="")
+        self.assertFalse(f.is_valid())
+        self.assertIn("ipv6_addr", f.errors)
+
+    def test_dhcp_needs_no_address(self):
+        self.assertTrue(form(ipv6_type="dhcp", ipv6_addr="", ipv6_gw="").is_valid())
+
+
+class Ipv6XmlTestCase(SimpleTestCase):
+    def xml(self, gw):
+        conn = wvmInterfaces.__new__(wvmInterfaces)
+        conn.define_iface = MagicMock()
+        conn.get_iface = MagicMock()
+        conn.create_iface("br1", "bridge", "onboot", "eth1", "none", "", "", "static", "2001:db8::10/64", gw, "on", 0)
+        return etree.fromstring(conn.define_iface.call_args[0][0])
+
+    def test_static_address_with_gateway(self):
+        proto = self.xml("2001:db8::1").find("protocol[@family='ipv6']")
+        self.assertEqual(proto.find("ip").attrib, {"address": "2001:db8::10", "prefix": "64"})
+        self.assertEqual(proto.find("route").get("gateway"), "2001:db8::1")
+
+    def test_no_empty_route_without_gateway(self):
+        self.assertIsNone(self.xml("").find("protocol[@family='ipv6']/route"))
diff --git a/vrtManager/interface.py b/vrtManager/interface.py
index 9dbecf64..52d40704 100644
--- a/vrtManager/interface.py
+++ b/vrtManager/interface.py
@@ -44,9 +44,10 @@ class wvmInterfaces(wvmConnect):
         if ipv6_type == "static":
             address, prefix = ipv6_addr.split("/")
             xml += f"""<protocol family='ipv6'>
-                        <ip address='{address}' prefix='{prefix}'/>
-                        <route gateway='{ipv6_gw}'/>
-                      </protocol>"""
+                        <ip address='{address}' prefix='{prefix}'/>"""
+            if ipv6_gw:
+                xml += f"""<route gateway='{ipv6_gw}'/>"""
+            xml += """</protocol>"""
         if itype == "bridge":
             xml += f"""<bridge stp='{stp}' delay='{delay}'>
                         <interface name='{netdev}' type='ethernet'/>