diff --git a/mlir/lib/Dialect/SPIRV/IR/SPIRVOps.cpp b/mlir/lib/Dialect/SPIRV/IR/SPIRVOps.cpp
--- a/mlir/lib/Dialect/SPIRV/IR/SPIRVOps.cpp
+++ b/mlir/lib/Dialect/SPIRV/IR/SPIRVOps.cpp
@@ -2672,6 +2672,9 @@
 }
 
 LogicalResult spirv::GlobalVariableOp::verify() {
+  if (!getType().isa<spirv::PointerType>())
+    return emitOpError("result must be of a !spv.ptr type");
+
   // SPIR-V spec: "Storage Class is the Storage Class of the memory holding the
   // object. It cannot be Generic. It must be the same as the Storage Class
   // operand of the Result Type."
diff --git a/mlir/test/Dialect/SPIRV/IR/structure-ops.mlir b/mlir/test/Dialect/SPIRV/IR/structure-ops.mlir
--- a/mlir/test/Dialect/SPIRV/IR/structure-ops.mlir
+++ b/mlir/test/Dialect/SPIRV/IR/structure-ops.mlir
@@ -369,6 +369,13 @@
 
 // -----
 
+spirv.module Logical GLSL450 {
+  // expected-error @+1 {{result must be of a !spv.ptr type}}
+  "spirv.GlobalVariable"() {sym_name = "var0", type = none} : () -> ()
+}
+
+// -----
+
 spirv.module Logical GLSL450 {
   // expected-error @+1 {{op initializer must be result of a spirv.SpecConstant or spirv.GlobalVariable op}}
   spirv.GlobalVariable @var0 initializer(@var1) : !spirv.ptr<f32, Private>