diff --git a/vrtManager/instance.py b/vrtManager/instance.py
index f5e11259..39803ae5 100644
--- a/vrtManager/instance.py
+++ b/vrtManager/instance.py
@@ -117,6 +117,10 @@ class wvmInstances(wvmConnect):
                     mode.append(label)
 
         dom = conn.instance
+        # libvirt keeps snapshot metadata on the source host: shared disks do
+        # not carry it to the destination.
+        if dom.snapshotNum(0):
+            raise util.OperationError("A VM with snapshots cannot be migrated")
         if state == 5:
             self.refuse_local_state(dom.XMLDesc(0))
         definitions = {dom.XMLDesc(0)}
@@ -283,8 +287,6 @@ class wvmInstances(wvmConnect):
         first (RHEL-145770) and tracks the fix as RHEL-156800; RHEL/Rocky 9.8
         with libvirt 11.10.0-12.el9_8 is affected. When supported hosts all
         have the fix, offline migration can go back to dom.migrate."""
-        if dom.snapshotNum(0):
-            raise util.OperationError("A VM with snapshots cannot be migrated")
         if dom.hasManagedSaveImage(0):
             raise util.OperationError("A VM with a saved state cannot be migrated")
         for lookup, key in ((self.wvm.lookupByUUIDString, dom.UUIDString()), (self.wvm.lookupByName, dom.name())):
diff --git a/vrtManager/tests/test_migration.py b/vrtManager/tests/test_migration.py
index 729b11ee..8e46fcb2 100644
--- a/vrtManager/tests/test_migration.py
+++ b/vrtManager/tests/test_migration.py
@@ -237,7 +237,6 @@ class ShutOffMigrationTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def test_refused_before_anything_changes(self):
         cases = {
-            "snapshots": (FakeHost(), {"snapshots": 2}),
             "saved state": (FakeHost(), {"saved": True}),
             "same uuid on the destination": (FakeHost(existing={"u-1"}), {}),
             "same name on the destination": (FakeHost(existing={"vm"}), {}),
@@ -300,6 +299,18 @@ class MigrationModeTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
                     destination().moveto(source, "vm", unsafe=False, **{"live": False, "offline": False, **request})
                 self.assertEqual(source.instance.calls, [])
 
+    def test_a_vm_with_snapshots_is_refused_in_every_state(self):
+        """libvirt keeps snapshot metadata on the source host; a migration
+        does not carry it, even with shared disks."""
+        for state, request in ((1, {"live": True}), (1, {}), (3, {}), (5, {})):
+            with self.subTest(state=state, request=request):
+                host = FakeHost()
+                source = FakeSource(state, snapshots=1)
+                with self.assertRaisesRegex(util.OperationError, "A VM with snapshots cannot be migrated"):
+                    destination(host).moveto(source, "vm", unsafe=False, **{"live": False, "offline": False, **request})
+                self.assertEqual(source.instance.calls, [])
+                self.assertEqual(host.defined, [])
+
     def test_modes(self):
         live, unsafe = libvirt.VIR_MIGRATE_LIVE, libvirt.VIR_MIGRATE_UNSAFE
         converge, compressed = libvirt.VIR_MIGRATE_AUTO_CONVERGE, libvirt.VIR_MIGRATE_COMPRESSED