diff --git a/pkg/tcpip/stack/nic.go b/pkg/tcpip/stack/nic.go
index 3cd5fec71..230ee0697 100644
--- a/pkg/tcpip/stack/nic.go
+++ b/pkg/tcpip/stack/nic.go
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 package stack
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"log"
 	"reflect"
 	"sort"
@@ -1259,9 +1260,24 @@ func (n *NIC) DeliverNetworkPacket(linkEP LinkEndpoint, remote, local tcpip.Link
 
 func (n *NIC) forwardPacket(r *Route, protocol tcpip.NetworkProtocolNumber, pkt tcpip.PacketBuffer) {
 	// TODO(b/143425874) Decrease the TTL field in forwarded packets.
-	pkt.Header = buffer.NewPrependableFromView(pkt.Data.First())
+
+	firstData := pkt.Data.First()
 	pkt.Data.RemoveFirst()
 
+	if linkHeaderLen := int(n.linkEP.MaxHeaderLength()); linkHeaderLen == 0 {
+		pkt.Header = buffer.NewPrependableFromView(firstData)
+	} else {
+		firstDataLen := len(firstData)
+
+		// pkt.Header should have enough capacity to hold n.linkEP's headers.
+		pkt.Header = buffer.NewPrependable(firstDataLen + linkHeaderLen)
+
+		// TODO(b/151227689): avoid copying the packet when forwarding
+		if n := copy(pkt.Header.Prepend(firstDataLen), firstData); n != firstDataLen {
+			panic(fmt.Sprintf("copied %d bytes, expected %d", n, firstDataLen))
+		}
+	}
+
 	if err := n.linkEP.WritePacket(r, nil /* gso */, protocol, pkt); err != nil {
 		r.Stats().IP.OutgoingPacketErrors.Increment()
 		return
diff --git a/pkg/tcpip/stack/stack_test.go b/pkg/tcpip/stack/stack_test.go
index e15db40fb..9515426d6 100644
--- a/pkg/tcpip/stack/stack_test.go
+++ b/pkg/tcpip/stack/stack_test.go
@@ -2240,56 +2240,84 @@ func TestNICStats(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestNICForwarding(t *testing.T) {
-	// Create a stack with the fake network protocol, two NICs, each with
-	// an address.
-	s := stack.New(stack.Options{
-		NetworkProtocols: []stack.NetworkProtocol{fakeNetFactory()},
-	})
-	s.SetForwarding(true)
+	const nicID1 = 1
+	const nicID2 = 2
+	const dstAddr = tcpip.Address("\x03")
 
-	ep1 := channel.New(10, defaultMTU, "")
-	if err := s.CreateNIC(1, ep1); err != nil {
-		t.Fatal("CreateNIC #1 failed:", err)
-	}
-	if err := s.AddAddress(1, fakeNetNumber, "\x01"); err != nil {
-		t.Fatal("AddAddress #1 failed:", err)
+	tests := []struct {
+		name      string
+		headerLen uint16
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "Zero header length",
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "Non-zero header length",
+			headerLen: 16,
+		},
 	}
 
-	ep2 := channel.New(10, defaultMTU, "")
-	if err := s.CreateNIC(2, ep2); err != nil {
-		t.Fatal("CreateNIC #2 failed:", err)
-	}
-	if err := s.AddAddress(2, fakeNetNumber, "\x02"); err != nil {
-		t.Fatal("AddAddress #2 failed:", err)
-	}
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			s := stack.New(stack.Options{
+				NetworkProtocols: []stack.NetworkProtocol{fakeNetFactory()},
+			})
+			s.SetForwarding(true)
 
-	// Route all packets to address 3 to NIC 2.
-	{
-		subnet, err := tcpip.NewSubnet("\x03", "\xff")
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatal(err)
-		}
-		s.SetRouteTable([]tcpip.Route{{Destination: subnet, Gateway: "\x00", NIC: 2}})
-	}
+			ep1 := channel.New(10, defaultMTU, "")
+			if err := s.CreateNIC(nicID1, ep1); err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("CreateNIC(%d, _): %s", nicID1, err)
+			}
+			if err := s.AddAddress(nicID1, fakeNetNumber, "\x01"); err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("AddAddress(%d, %d, 0x01): %s", nicID1, fakeNetNumber, err)
+			}
 
-	// Send a packet to address 3.
-	buf := buffer.NewView(30)
-	buf[0] = 3
-	ep1.InjectInbound(fakeNetNumber, tcpip.PacketBuffer{
-		Data: buf.ToVectorisedView(),
-	})
+			ep2 := channelLinkWithHeaderLength{
+				Endpoint:     channel.New(10, defaultMTU, ""),
+				headerLength: test.headerLen,
+			}
+			if err := s.CreateNIC(nicID2, &ep2); err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("CreateNIC(%d, _): %s", nicID2, err)
+			}
+			if err := s.AddAddress(nicID2, fakeNetNumber, "\x02"); err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("AddAddress(%d, %d, 0x02): %s", nicID2, fakeNetNumber, err)
+			}
 
-	if _, ok := ep2.Read(); !ok {
-		t.Fatal("Packet not forwarded")
-	}
+			// Route all packets to dstAddr to NIC 2.
+			{
+				subnet, err := tcpip.NewSubnet(dstAddr, "\xff")
+				if err != nil {
+					t.Fatal(err)
+				}
+				s.SetRouteTable([]tcpip.Route{{Destination: subnet, Gateway: "\x00", NIC: nicID2}})
+			}
 
-	// Test that forwarding increments Tx stats correctly.
-	if got, want := s.NICInfo()[2].Stats.Tx.Packets.Value(), uint64(1); got != want {
-		t.Errorf("got Tx.Packets.Value() = %d, want = %d", got, want)
-	}
+			// Send a packet to dstAddr.
+			buf := buffer.NewView(30)
+			buf[0] = dstAddr[0]
+			ep1.InjectInbound(fakeNetNumber, tcpip.PacketBuffer{
+				Data: buf.ToVectorisedView(),
+			})
 
-	if got, want := s.NICInfo()[2].Stats.Tx.Bytes.Value(), uint64(len(buf)); got != want {
-		t.Errorf("got Tx.Bytes.Value() = %d, want = %d", got, want)
+			pkt, ok := ep2.Read()
+			if !ok {
+				t.Fatal("packet not forwarded")
+			}
+
+			// Test that the link's MaxHeaderLength is honoured.
+			if capacity, want := pkt.Pkt.Header.AvailableLength(), int(test.headerLen); capacity != want {
+				t.Errorf("got Header.AvailableLength() = %d, want = %d", capacity, want)
+			}
+
+			// Test that forwarding increments Tx stats correctly.
+			if got, want := s.NICInfo()[nicID2].Stats.Tx.Packets.Value(), uint64(1); got != want {
+				t.Errorf("got Tx.Packets.Value() = %d, want = %d", got, want)
+			}
+
+			if got, want := s.NICInfo()[nicID2].Stats.Tx.Bytes.Value(), uint64(len(buf)); got != want {
+				t.Errorf("got Tx.Bytes.Value() = %d, want = %d", got, want)
+			}
+		})
 	}
 }