diff --git a/package/skeleton-init-systemd/var.mount b/package/skeleton-init-systemd/factory/var.mount
similarity index 100%
rename from package/skeleton-init-systemd/var.mount
rename to package/skeleton-init-systemd/factory/var.mount
diff --git a/package/skeleton-init-systemd/overlayfs/prepare-var-overlay.service b/package/skeleton-init-systemd/overlayfs/prepare-var-overlay.service
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..281aa0efb5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/package/skeleton-init-systemd/overlayfs/prepare-var-overlay.service
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+[Unit]
+Description=Variable storage overlay setup
+ConditionPathIsSymbolicLink=!/var
+DefaultDependencies=no
+RequiresMountsFor=/run/buildroot/mounts/var
+
+[Service]
+Type=oneshot
+RemainAfterExit=yes
+ExecStart=/usr/bin/mkdir -p /run/buildroot/mounts/var/lower /run/buildroot/mounts/var/upper /run/buildroot/mounts/var/work
+
+# Ideally, we would like to use a systemd mount unit to manage the bind
+# mount. Unfortunately, that creates a circular dependency: such a unit
+# would have What=/var while var.mount has Where=/var so that introduces
+# an implicit dependency from that unit to var.mount, but var.mount
+# would have an explicit dependency to be ordered after that unit.
+# So we handle the bind mount manually.
+ExecStart=/usr/bin/mount -n -o bind,private /var /run/buildroot/mounts/var/lower
+ExecStop=/usr/bin/umount -l /run/buildroot/mounts/var/lower
diff --git a/package/skeleton-init-systemd/overlayfs/var.mount b/package/skeleton-init-systemd/overlayfs/var.mount
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..812e6ce7bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/package/skeleton-init-systemd/overlayfs/var.mount
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+[Unit]
+Description=Variable storage overlay
+Documentation=man:file-hierarchy(7)
+ConditionPathIsSymbolicLink=!/var
+DefaultDependencies=no
+After=prepare-var-overlay.service
+BindsTo=prepare-var-overlay.service
+
+[Mount]
+What=overlay_var
+Where=/var
+Type=overlay
+Options=lowerdir=/run/buildroot/mounts/var/lower,upperdir=/run/buildroot/mounts/var/upper,workdir=/run/buildroot/mounts/var/work,redirect_dir=on,index=on,xino=on
+LazyUnmount=true
diff --git a/package/skeleton-init-systemd/skeleton-init-systemd.mk b/package/skeleton-init-systemd/skeleton-init-systemd.mk
index fb15552f99..b312fe33e4 100644
--- a/package/skeleton-init-systemd/skeleton-init-systemd.mk
+++ b/package/skeleton-init-systemd/skeleton-init-systemd.mk
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ endef
 # a real (but empty) directory, and the "factory files" will be copied
 # back there by the tmpfiles.d mechanism.
 ifeq ($(BR2_INIT_SYSTEMD_VAR_FACTORY),y)
-define SKELETON_INIT_SYSTEMD_PRE_ROOTFS_VAR
+define SKELETON_INIT_SYSTEMD_PRE_ROOTFS_VAR_FACTORY
 	rm -rf $(TARGET_DIR)/usr/share/factory/var
 	mv $(TARGET_DIR)/var $(TARGET_DIR)/usr/share/factory/var
 	mkdir -p $(TARGET_DIR)/var
@@ -52,11 +52,30 @@ define SKELETON_INIT_SYSTEMD_PRE_ROOTFS_VAR
 			|| exit 1; \
 		fi; \
 	done >$(TARGET_DIR)/usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/00-buildroot-var.conf
-	$(INSTALL) -D -m 0644 $(SKELETON_INIT_SYSTEMD_PKGDIR)/var.mount \
+	$(INSTALL) -D -m 0644 $(SKELETON_INIT_SYSTEMD_PKGDIR)/factory/var.mount \
 		$(TARGET_DIR)/usr/lib/systemd/system/var.mount
 endef
-SKELETON_INIT_SYSTEMD_ROOTFS_PRE_CMD_HOOKS += SKELETON_INIT_SYSTEMD_PRE_ROOTFS_VAR
+SKELETON_INIT_SYSTEMD_ROOTFS_PRE_CMD_HOOKS += SKELETON_INIT_SYSTEMD_PRE_ROOTFS_VAR_FACTORY
 endif  # BR2_INIT_SYSTEMD_VAR_FACTORY
+
+ifeq ($(BR2_INIT_SYSTEMD_VAR_OVERLAYFS),y)
+
+define SKELETON_INIT_SYSTEMD_LINUX_CONFIG_FIXUPS
+	$(call KCONFIG_ENABLE_OPT,CONFIG_OVERLAY_FS)
+endef
+
+define SKELETON_INIT_SYSTEMD_PRE_ROOTFS_VAR_OVERLAYFS
+	$(INSTALL) -D -m 0644 \
+		$(SKELETON_INIT_SYSTEMD_PKGDIR)/overlayfs/prepare-var-overlay.service \
+		$(TARGET_DIR)/usr/lib/systemd/system/prepare-var-overlay.service
+	$(INSTALL) -D -m 0644 \
+		$(SKELETON_INIT_SYSTEMD_PKGDIR)/overlayfs/var.mount \
+		$(TARGET_DIR)/usr/lib/systemd/system/var.mount
+endef
+SKELETON_INIT_SYSTEMD_POST_INSTALL_TARGET_HOOKS += SKELETON_INIT_SYSTEMD_PRE_ROOTFS_VAR_OVERLAYFS
+
+endif  # BR2_INIT_SYSTEMD_VAR_OVERLAYFS
+
 endif  # BR2_TARGET_GENERIC_REMOUNT_ROOTFS_RW
 
 ifeq ($(BR2_INIT_SYSTEMD_POPULATE_TMPFILES),y)
diff --git a/system/Config.in b/system/Config.in
index c017d3797a..25485c2486 100644
--- a/system/Config.in
+++ b/system/Config.in
@@ -167,6 +167,14 @@ choice
 	  Select how Buildroot provides a read-write /var when the
 	  rootfs is not remounted read-write.
 
+	  Note: Buildroot uses a tmpfs, either as a mount point or as
+	  the upper of an overlayfs, so as to at least make the system
+	  bootable out of the box; mounting a filesystem from actual
+	  storage is left to the integration, as it is too specific and
+	  may need preparatory work like partitionning a device and/or
+	  formatting a filesystem first, which falls out of the scope
+	  of Buildroot.
+
 config BR2_INIT_SYSTEMD_VAR_FACTORY
 	bool "build a factory to populate a tmpfs"
 	help
@@ -179,17 +187,21 @@ config BR2_INIT_SYSTEMD_VAR_FACTORY
 	  It probably does not play very well with triggering a call
 	  to systemd-tmpfiles at build time (below).
 
-	  Note: Buildroot mounts a tmpfs on /var to at least make the
-	  system bootable out of the box; mounting a filesystem from
-	  actual storage is left to the integration, as it is too
-	  specific and may need preparatory work like partitionning a
-	  device and/or formatting a filesystem first, so that falls
-	  out of the scope of Buildroot.
-
 	  To use persistent storage, provide a systemd dropin for the
 	  var.mount unit, that overrides the What and Type, and possibly
 	  the Options and After, fields.
 
+config BR2_INIT_SYSTEMD_VAR_OVERLAYFS
+	bool "mount an overlayfs backed by a tmpfs"
+	select BR2_INIT_SYSTEMD_POPULATE_TMPFILES
+	help
+	  Mount an overlayfs on /var, with the upper as a tmpfs.
+
+	  To use a persistent storage, provide either a mount unit or a
+	  fstab line to mount it on /run/buildroot/mounts/var, e.g.
+
+	  /dev/sdc1    /run/buildroot/mounts/var    ext4    defaults
+
 config BR2_INIT_SYSTEMD_VAR_NONE
 	bool "do nothing"
 	help