diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 454786554a..2a75143041 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ BUG FIXES:
   `<NAME>_CONNECT_SERVICE_PORT` weren't being set when the upstream annotation was used. [[GH-549](https://github.com/hashicorp/consul-k8s/issues/549)]
 * Connect: Fix a bug with leaving around ACL tokens after a service has been deregistered. [[GH-571](https://github.com/hashicorp/consul-k8s/issues/540)]
 * CRDs: Fix ProxyDefaults and ServiceDefaults resources not syncing with Consul < 1.10.0 [[GH-1023](https://github.com/hashicorp/consul-helm/issues/1023)]
+* Connect: Skip service registration for duplicate services only on Kubernetes. [[GH-581](https://github.com/hashicorp/consul-k8s/pull/581)]
 
 ## 0.26.0 (June 22, 2021)
 
diff --git a/connect-inject/endpoints_controller.go b/connect-inject/endpoints_controller.go
index 3f47fe03a9..693b0a25a8 100644
--- a/connect-inject/endpoints_controller.go
+++ b/connect-inject/endpoints_controller.go
@@ -235,13 +235,13 @@ func (r *EndpointsController) registerServicesAndHealthCheck(ctx context.Context
 					return err
 				}
 				for _, service := range services {
-					if service.ServiceMeta[MetaKeyKubeNS] != serviceEndpoints.Namespace {
+					if existingNS, ok := service.ServiceMeta[MetaKeyKubeNS]; ok && existingNS != serviceEndpoints.Namespace {
 						// Log but don't return an error because we don't want to reconcile this endpoints object again.
 						r.Log.Info("Skipping service registration because a service with the same name "+
 							"but a different Kubernetes namespace is already registered with Consul",
 							"name", serviceRegistration.Name,
 							MetaKeyKubeNS, serviceEndpoints.Namespace,
-							"existing-k8s-namespace", service.ServiceMeta[MetaKeyKubeNS])
+							"existing-k8s-namespace", existingNS)
 						return nil
 					}
 				}
diff --git a/connect-inject/endpoints_controller_test.go b/connect-inject/endpoints_controller_test.go
index e1b41b3c8d..0afeb2aada 100644
--- a/connect-inject/endpoints_controller_test.go
+++ b/connect-inject/endpoints_controller_test.go
@@ -4657,94 +4657,79 @@ func TestCreateServiceRegistrations_withTransparentProxy(t *testing.T) {
 func TestRegisterServicesAndHealthCheck_skipsWhenDuplicateServiceFound(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
-	cases := map[string]struct {
-		consulServiceMeta map[string]string
-	}{
-		"different k8s namespace meta": {
-			consulServiceMeta: map[string]string{MetaKeyKubeNS: "some-other-ns"},
-		},
-		"no k8s namespace meta": {
-			consulServiceMeta: nil,
-		},
-	}
-
-	for name, c := range cases {
-		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			nodeName := "test-node"
-			consul, err := testutil.NewTestServerConfigT(t, func(c *testutil.TestServerConfig) {
-				c.NodeName = nodeName
-			})
-			require.NoError(t, err)
-			defer consul.Stop()
+	nodeName := "test-node"
+	consul, err := testutil.NewTestServerConfigT(t, func(c *testutil.TestServerConfig) {
+		c.NodeName = nodeName
+	})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	defer consul.Stop()
 
-			consul.WaitForServiceIntentions(t)
-			httpAddr := consul.HTTPAddr
-			clientConfig := &api.Config{
-				Address: httpAddr,
-			}
-			consulClient, err := api.NewClient(clientConfig)
-			require.NoError(t, err)
-			addr := strings.Split(httpAddr, ":")
-			consulPort := addr[1]
+	consul.WaitForServiceIntentions(t)
+	httpAddr := consul.HTTPAddr
+	clientConfig := &api.Config{
+		Address: httpAddr,
+	}
+	consulClient, err := api.NewClient(clientConfig)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	addr := strings.Split(httpAddr, ":")
+	consulPort := addr[1]
 
-			existingService := &api.AgentServiceRegistration{
-				ID:      "test-service",
-				Name:    "test-service",
-				Port:    1234,
-				Address: "1.2.3.4",
-				Meta:    c.consulServiceMeta,
-			}
-			err = consulClient.Agent().ServiceRegister(existingService)
-			require.NoError(t, err)
-			pod := createPod("test-pod", "1.1.1.1", true, true)
+	existingService := &api.AgentServiceRegistration{
+		ID:      "test-service",
+		Name:    "test-service",
+		Port:    1234,
+		Address: "1.2.3.4",
+		Meta:    map[string]string{MetaKeyKubeNS: "some-other-ns"},
+	}
+	err = consulClient.Agent().ServiceRegister(existingService)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	pod := createPod("test-pod", "1.1.1.1", true, true)
 
-			endpointsAddress := corev1.EndpointAddress{
-				IP:       "1.2.3.4",
-				NodeName: &nodeName,
-				TargetRef: &corev1.ObjectReference{
-					Kind:      "Pod",
-					Name:      pod.Name,
-					Namespace: pod.Namespace,
-				},
-			}
-			endpoints := &corev1.Endpoints{
-				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-					Name:      "test-service",
-					Namespace: "default",
-				},
-				Subsets: []corev1.EndpointSubset{
-					{
-						Addresses: []corev1.EndpointAddress{endpointsAddress},
-					},
-				},
-			}
-			ns := &corev1.Namespace{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "default"}}
-			fakeClient := fake.NewClientBuilder().WithRuntimeObjects(ns, pod, endpoints).Build()
+	endpointsAddress := corev1.EndpointAddress{
+		IP:       "1.2.3.4",
+		NodeName: &nodeName,
+		TargetRef: &corev1.ObjectReference{
+			Kind:      "Pod",
+			Name:      pod.Name,
+			Namespace: pod.Namespace,
+		},
+	}
+	endpoints := &corev1.Endpoints{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name:      "test-service",
+			Namespace: "default",
+		},
+		Subsets: []corev1.EndpointSubset{
+			{
+				Addresses: []corev1.EndpointAddress{endpointsAddress},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	ns := &corev1.Namespace{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "default"}}
+	fakeClient := fake.NewClientBuilder().WithRuntimeObjects(ns, pod, endpoints).Build()
 
-			ep := &EndpointsController{
-				Log:                   logrtest.TestLogger{T: t},
-				ConsulClient:          consulClient,
-				ConsulPort:            consulPort,
-				ConsulScheme:          "http",
-				ConsulClientCfg:       clientConfig,
-				AllowK8sNamespacesSet: mapset.NewSetWith("*"),
-				DenyK8sNamespacesSet:  mapset.NewSetWith(),
-				Client:                fakeClient,
-			}
+	ep := &EndpointsController{
+		Log:                   logrtest.TestLogger{T: t},
+		ConsulClient:          consulClient,
+		ConsulPort:            consulPort,
+		ConsulScheme:          "http",
+		ConsulClientCfg:       clientConfig,
+		AllowK8sNamespacesSet: mapset.NewSetWith("*"),
+		DenyK8sNamespacesSet:  mapset.NewSetWith(),
+		Client:                fakeClient,
+	}
 
-			err = ep.registerServicesAndHealthCheck(context.Background(), *endpoints, endpointsAddress, api.HealthPassing, make(map[string]bool))
-			require.NoError(t, err)
+	err = ep.registerServicesAndHealthCheck(context.Background(), *endpoints, endpointsAddress, api.HealthPassing, make(map[string]bool))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
 
-			// Check that the service is not registered with Consul.
-			_, _, err = consulClient.Agent().Service("test-pod-test-service", nil)
-			require.Error(t, err)
-			require.Contains(t, err.Error(), "Unexpected response code: 404 (unknown service ID")
+	// Check that the service is not registered with Consul.
+	_, _, err = consulClient.Agent().Service("test-pod-test-service", nil)
+	require.Error(t, err)
+	require.Contains(t, err.Error(), "Unexpected response code: 404 (unknown service ID")
 
-			_, _, err = consulClient.Agent().Service("test-pod-test-service-sidecar-proxy", nil)
-			require.Error(t, err)
-			require.Contains(t, err.Error(), "Unexpected response code: 404 (unknown service ID")
-		})
-	}
+	_, _, err = consulClient.Agent().Service("test-pod-test-service-sidecar-proxy", nil)
+	require.Error(t, err)
+	require.Contains(t, err.Error(), "Unexpected response code: 404 (unknown service ID")
 }
 
 func TestGetTokenMetaFromDescription(t *testing.T) {