diff --git a/package/linux-headers/Config.in.host b/package/linux-headers/Config.in.host
index c3b530a2b8..6f46ace4aa 100644
--- a/package/linux-headers/Config.in.host
+++ b/package/linux-headers/Config.in.host
@@ -438,3 +438,13 @@ config BR2_DEFAULT_KERNEL_HEADERS
 	default "custom"	if BR2_KERNEL_HEADERS_CUSTOM_TARBALL
 	default BR2_KERNEL_HEADERS_CUSTOM_REPO_VERSION \
 		if BR2_KERNEL_HEADERS_CUSTOM_GIT
+
+config BR2_PACKAGE_HOST_LINUX_HEADERS_LICENSE_FILES
+	string "Kernel headers license files" if BR2_KERNEL_HEADERS_VERSION || \
+		BR2_KERNEL_HEADERS_CUSTOM_TARBALL || \
+		BR2_KERNEL_HEADERS_CUSTOM_GIT
+	default BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_LICENSE_FILES if BR2_KERNEL_HEADERS_AS_KERNEL
+	default "COPYING LICENSES/preferred/GPL-2.0 LICENSES/exceptions/Linux-syscall-note"
+	help
+	  A space-separated list of license files related to the Linux
+	  kernel headers.
diff --git a/package/linux-headers/linux-headers.mk b/package/linux-headers/linux-headers.mk
index b4b5a5b47d..15724090ce 100644
--- a/package/linux-headers/linux-headers.mk
+++ b/package/linux-headers/linux-headers.mk
@@ -111,12 +111,7 @@ endif
 LINUX_HEADERS_DL_SUBDIR = linux
 
 LINUX_HEADERS_LICENSE = GPL-2.0
-ifeq ($(BR2_KERNEL_HEADERS_LATEST),y)
-LINUX_HEADERS_LICENSE_FILES = \
-	COPYING \
-	LICENSES/preferred/GPL-2.0 \
-	LICENSES/exceptions/Linux-syscall-note
-endif
+LINUX_HEADERS_LICENSE_FILES = $(call qstrip,$(BR2_PACKAGE_HOST_LINUX_HEADERS_LICENSE_FILES))
 LINUX_HEADERS_CPE_ID_VENDOR = linux
 LINUX_HEADERS_CPE_ID_PRODUCT = linux_kernel