diff --git a/internal/controllers/routerinterface/reconcile.go b/internal/controllers/routerinterface/reconcile.go
index 61a950410..4a9125615 100644
--- a/internal/controllers/routerinterface/reconcile.go
+++ b/internal/controllers/routerinterface/reconcile.go
@@ -90,7 +90,34 @@ func (r *orcRouterInterfaceReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.R
 	// so that we can clear the finalizer
 	if router.Status.ID == nil || (!orcv1alpha1.IsAvailable(router) && router.GetDeletionTimestamp().IsZero()) {
 		log.V(logging.Verbose).Info("Not reconciling interfaces for not-Available router")
-		return ctrl.Result{}, nil
+
+		// The router exists but is not yet Available. Update status on associated
+		// RouterInterfaces so users can see they are blocked on the Router,
+		// matching the NotFound path above.
+		routerInterfaces, err := routerDependency.GetObjectsForDependency(ctx, r.client, router)
+		if err != nil {
+			return ctrl.Result{}, fmt.Errorf("fetching router interfaces: %w", err)
+		}
+
+		if len(routerInterfaces) == 0 {
+			return ctrl.Result{}, nil
+		}
+
+		var osResource *osclients.PortExt
+
+		var reconcileStatus progress.ReconcileStatus
+		for i := range routerInterfaces {
+			routerInterface := &routerInterfaces[i]
+			log = log.WithValues("name", routerInterface.Name)
+
+			var ifReconcileStatus progress.ReconcileStatus
+			ifReconcileStatus = progress.WaitingOnObject("Router", req.Name, progress.WaitingOnReady)
+			ifReconcileStatus = ifReconcileStatus.WithReconcileStatus(r.updateStatus(ctx, routerInterface, osResource, ifReconcileStatus))
+
+			reconcileStatus = reconcileStatus.WithReconcileStatus(ifReconcileStatus)
+		}
+
+		return reconcileStatus.Return(log)
 	}
 
 	routerInterfaces, err := routerDependency.GetObjectsForDependency(ctx, r.client, router)
diff --git a/internal/controllers/routerinterface/tests/routerinterface-router-not-ready/00-assert.yaml b/internal/controllers/routerinterface/tests/routerinterface-router-not-ready/00-assert.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dab17b18b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/controllers/routerinterface/tests/routerinterface-router-not-ready/00-assert.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+---
+apiVersion: openstack.k-orc.cloud/v1alpha1
+kind: Router
+metadata:
+  name: routerinterface-router-not-ready
+status:
+  conditions:
+    - type: Available
+      message: Waiting for Network/routerinterface-router-not-ready-pending to be created
+      status: "False"
+      reason: Progressing
+    - type: Progressing
+      message: Waiting for Network/routerinterface-router-not-ready-pending to be created
+      status: "True"
+      reason: Progressing
diff --git a/internal/controllers/routerinterface/tests/routerinterface-router-not-ready/00-create-dependencies.yaml b/internal/controllers/routerinterface/tests/routerinterface-router-not-ready/00-create-dependencies.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c45f73503
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/controllers/routerinterface/tests/routerinterface-router-not-ready/00-create-dependencies.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+---
+apiVersion: openstack.k-orc.cloud/v1alpha1
+kind: Network
+metadata:
+  name: routerinterface-router-not-ready
+spec:
+  cloudCredentialsRef:
+    cloudName: openstack
+    secretName: openstack-clouds
+  managementPolicy: managed
+  resource: {}
+---
+apiVersion: openstack.k-orc.cloud/v1alpha1
+kind: Subnet
+metadata:
+  name: routerinterface-router-not-ready
+spec:
+  cloudCredentialsRef:
+    cloudName: openstack
+    secretName: openstack-clouds
+  managementPolicy: managed
+  resource:
+    networkRef: routerinterface-router-not-ready
+    ipVersion: 4
+    cidr: 192.168.156.0/24
+---
+# Router exists but stays not Available while waiting on a missing network.
+apiVersion: openstack.k-orc.cloud/v1alpha1
+kind: Router
+metadata:
+  name: routerinterface-router-not-ready
+spec:
+  cloudCredentialsRef:
+    cloudName: openstack
+    secretName: openstack-clouds
+  managementPolicy: managed
+  resource:
+    externalGateways:
+    - networkRef: routerinterface-router-not-ready-pending
diff --git a/internal/controllers/routerinterface/tests/routerinterface-router-not-ready/00-secret.yaml b/internal/controllers/routerinterface/tests/routerinterface-router-not-ready/00-secret.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f0fb63e85
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/controllers/routerinterface/tests/routerinterface-router-not-ready/00-secret.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+apiVersion: kuttl.dev/v1beta1
+kind: TestStep
+commands:
+  - command: kubectl create secret generic openstack-clouds --from-file=clouds.yaml=${E2E_KUTTL_OSCLOUDS} ${E2E_KUTTL_CACERT_OPT}
+    namespaced: true
diff --git a/internal/controllers/routerinterface/tests/routerinterface-router-not-ready/01-assert.yaml b/internal/controllers/routerinterface/tests/routerinterface-router-not-ready/01-assert.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b6c56ec67
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/controllers/routerinterface/tests/routerinterface-router-not-ready/01-assert.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+---
+apiVersion: openstack.k-orc.cloud/v1alpha1
+kind: RouterInterface
+metadata:
+  name: routerinterface-router-not-ready
+status:
+  conditions:
+    - type: Available
+      message: Waiting for Router/routerinterface-router-not-ready to be ready
+      status: "False"
+      reason: Progressing
+    - type: Progressing
+      message: Waiting for Router/routerinterface-router-not-ready to be ready
+      status: "True"
+      reason: Progressing
diff --git a/internal/controllers/routerinterface/tests/routerinterface-router-not-ready/01-create-resource.yaml b/internal/controllers/routerinterface/tests/routerinterface-router-not-ready/01-create-resource.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..67d1754fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/controllers/routerinterface/tests/routerinterface-router-not-ready/01-create-resource.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+---
+apiVersion: openstack.k-orc.cloud/v1alpha1
+kind: RouterInterface
+metadata:
+  name: routerinterface-router-not-ready
+spec:
+  type: Subnet
+  routerRef: routerinterface-router-not-ready
+  subnetRef: routerinterface-router-not-ready
diff --git a/internal/controllers/routerinterface/tests/routerinterface-router-not-ready/README.md b/internal/controllers/routerinterface/tests/routerinterface-router-not-ready/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d0aaa0eb5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/controllers/routerinterface/tests/routerinterface-router-not-ready/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+# RouterInterface status when Router is not Available
+
+## Step 00
+
+Create a Network, Subnet, and a Router which exists but is not Available (the
+Router is waiting on a missing external network). Verify that the Router is
+waiting for its dependency.
+
+## Step 01
+
+Create a RouterInterface referencing that Router. Verify that the
+RouterInterface status reports that it is waiting for the Router to be ready,
+rather than leaving status empty.
+
+## Reference
+
+https://github.com/k-orc/openstack-resource-controller/issues/838