diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/common.go b/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/common.go
index dd4340360118a..f417a39fba1d1 100644
--- a/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/common.go
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/common.go
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ func MarshalKubeadmConfigObject(obj runtime.Object, gv schema.GroupVersion) ([]b
 
 // validateSupportedVersion checks if the supplied GroupVersion is not on the lists of old unsupported or deprecated GVs.
 // If it is, an error is returned.
-func validateSupportedVersion(gv schema.GroupVersion, allowDeprecated, allowExperimental bool) error {
+func validateSupportedVersion(gvk schema.GroupVersionKind, allowDeprecated, allowExperimental bool) error {
 	// The support matrix will look something like this now and in the future:
 	// v1.10 and earlier: v1alpha1
 	// v1.11: v1alpha1 read-only, writes only v1alpha2 config
@@ -91,18 +91,18 @@ func validateSupportedVersion(gv schema.GroupVersion, allowDeprecated, allowExpe
 		"kubeadm.k8s.io/v1beta3": {},
 	}
 
-	gvString := gv.String()
+	gvString := gvk.GroupVersion().String()
 
 	if useKubeadmVersion := oldKnownAPIVersions[gvString]; useKubeadmVersion != "" {
-		return errors.Errorf("your configuration file uses an old API spec: %q. Please use kubeadm %s instead and run 'kubeadm config migrate --old-config old.yaml --new-config new.yaml', which will write the new, similar spec using a newer API version.", gv.String(), useKubeadmVersion)
+		return errors.Errorf("your configuration file uses an old API spec: %q (kind: %q). Please use kubeadm %s instead and run 'kubeadm config migrate --old-config old.yaml --new-config new.yaml', which will write the new, similar spec using a newer API version.", gvString, gvk.Kind, useKubeadmVersion)
 	}
 
 	if _, present := deprecatedAPIVersions[gvString]; present && !allowDeprecated {
-		klog.Warningf("your configuration file uses a deprecated API spec: %q. Please use 'kubeadm config migrate --old-config old.yaml --new-config new.yaml', which will write the new, similar spec using a newer API version.", gv.String())
+		klog.Warningf("your configuration file uses a deprecated API spec: %q (kind: %q). Please use 'kubeadm config migrate --old-config old.yaml --new-config new.yaml', which will write the new, similar spec using a newer API version.", gvString, gvk.Kind)
 	}
 
 	if _, present := experimentalAPIVersions[gvString]; present && !allowExperimental {
-		return errors.Errorf("experimental API spec: %q is not allowed. You can use the --%s flag if the command supports it.", gv, options.AllowExperimentalAPI)
+		return errors.Errorf("experimental API spec: %q (kind: %q) is not allowed. You can use the --%s flag if the command supports it.", gvString, gvk.Kind, options.AllowExperimentalAPI)
 	}
 
 	return nil
@@ -225,7 +225,7 @@ func validateKnownGVKs(gvks []schema.GroupVersionKind) error {
 
 		// Skip legacy known GVs so that they don't return errors.
 		// This makes the function return errors only for GVs that where never known.
-		if err := validateSupportedVersion(gvk.GroupVersion(), true, true); err != nil {
+		if err := validateSupportedVersion(gvk, true, true); err != nil {
 			continue
 		}
 
diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/common_test.go b/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/common_test.go
index c17d7a7ea7e6a..538c03e096213 100644
--- a/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/common_test.go
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/common_test.go
@@ -43,69 +43,77 @@ const KubeadmGroupName = "kubeadm.k8s.io"
 
 func TestValidateSupportedVersion(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
-		gv                schema.GroupVersion
+		gvk               schema.GroupVersionKind
 		allowDeprecated   bool
 		allowExperimental bool
 		expectedErr       bool
 	}{
 		{
-			gv: schema.GroupVersion{
+			gvk: schema.GroupVersionKind{
 				Group:   KubeadmGroupName,
 				Version: "v1alpha1",
+				Kind:    "InitConfiguration",
 			},
 			expectedErr: true,
 		},
 		{
-			gv: schema.GroupVersion{
+			gvk: schema.GroupVersionKind{
 				Group:   KubeadmGroupName,
 				Version: "v1alpha2",
+				Kind:    "InitConfiguration",
 			},
 			expectedErr: true,
 		},
 		{
-			gv: schema.GroupVersion{
+			gvk: schema.GroupVersionKind{
 				Group:   KubeadmGroupName,
 				Version: "v1alpha3",
+				Kind:    "InitConfiguration",
 			},
 			expectedErr: true,
 		},
 		{
-			gv: schema.GroupVersion{
+			gvk: schema.GroupVersionKind{
 				Group:   KubeadmGroupName,
 				Version: "v1beta1",
+				Kind:    "InitConfiguration",
 			},
 			expectedErr: true,
 		},
 		{
-			gv: schema.GroupVersion{
+			gvk: schema.GroupVersionKind{
 				Group:   KubeadmGroupName,
 				Version: "v1beta2",
+				Kind:    "InitConfiguration",
 			},
 			expectedErr: true,
 		},
 		{
-			gv: schema.GroupVersion{
+			gvk: schema.GroupVersionKind{
 				Group:   KubeadmGroupName,
 				Version: "v1beta3",
+				Kind:    "ClusterConfiguration",
 			},
 		},
 		{
-			gv: schema.GroupVersion{
+			gvk: schema.GroupVersionKind{
 				Group:   "foo.k8s.io",
 				Version: "v1",
+				Kind:    "InitConfiguration",
 			},
 		},
 		{
-			gv: schema.GroupVersion{
+			gvk: schema.GroupVersionKind{
 				Group:   KubeadmGroupName,
 				Version: "v1beta4",
+				Kind:    "ResetConfiguration",
 			},
 		},
 	}
 
 	for _, rt := range tests {
-		t.Run(fmt.Sprintf("%s/allowDeprecated:%t", rt.gv, rt.allowDeprecated), func(t *testing.T) {
-			err := validateSupportedVersion(rt.gv, rt.allowDeprecated, rt.allowExperimental)
+		t.Run(fmt.Sprintf("%s/allowDeprecated:%t", rt.gvk.GroupVersion(), rt.allowDeprecated), func(t *testing.T) {
+			err := validateSupportedVersion(rt.gvk, rt.allowDeprecated, rt.allowExperimental)
 			if rt.expectedErr && err == nil {
 				t.Error("unexpected success")
 			} else if !rt.expectedErr && err != nil {
diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/initconfiguration.go b/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/initconfiguration.go
index 8d2af14e39439..1566b8b1b5fea 100644
--- a/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/initconfiguration.go
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/initconfiguration.go
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ func documentMapToInitConfiguration(gvkmap kubeadmapi.DocumentMap, allowDeprecat
 		fileContent := gvkmap[gvk]
 
 		// first, check if this GVK is supported and possibly not deprecated
-		if err := validateSupportedVersion(gvk.GroupVersion(), allowDeprecated, allowExperimental); err != nil {
+		if err := validateSupportedVersion(gvk, allowDeprecated, allowExperimental); err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 
diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/joinconfiguration.go b/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/joinconfiguration.go
index 1f2bc099cb6ca..6aa4f4c5b7444 100644
--- a/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/joinconfiguration.go
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/joinconfiguration.go
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ func documentMapToJoinConfiguration(gvkmap kubeadmapi.DocumentMap, allowDeprecat
 		}
 
 		// check if this version is supported and possibly not deprecated
-		if err := validateSupportedVersion(gvk.GroupVersion(), allowDeprecated, allowExperimental); err != nil {
+		if err := validateSupportedVersion(gvk, allowDeprecated, allowExperimental); err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 
diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/resetconfiguration.go b/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/resetconfiguration.go
index 63994ff193960..06616bc18e3e0 100644
--- a/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/resetconfiguration.go
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/resetconfiguration.go
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ func documentMapToResetConfiguration(gvkmap kubeadmapi.DocumentMap, allowDepreca
 		}
 
 		// check if this version is supported and possibly not deprecated
-		if err := validateSupportedVersion(gvk.GroupVersion(), allowDeprecated, allowExperimental); err != nil {
+		if err := validateSupportedVersion(gvk, allowDeprecated, allowExperimental); err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 
diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/upgradeconfiguration.go b/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/upgradeconfiguration.go
index 09ac4753e221f..d35a884164167 100644
--- a/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/upgradeconfiguration.go
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config/upgradeconfiguration.go
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ func documentMapToUpgradeConfiguration(gvkmap kubeadmapi.DocumentMap, allowDepre
 
 	for gvk, bytes := range gvkmap {
 		// check if this version is supported and possibly not deprecated
-		if err := validateSupportedVersion(gvk.GroupVersion(), allowDeprecated, true); err != nil {
+		if err := validateSupportedVersion(gvk, allowDeprecated, true); err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}