diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 59f944a..3916f34 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ Changes between 0.2.0 and 0.2.1  [xx XXX xxxx]
   *) The mifare_desfire_error_lookup() and mifare_desfire_get_last_error()
      functions were removed and replaced by the freefare_strerror(),
      freefare_strerror_r() and freefare_perror() functions.
+  *) New function mifare_desfire_last_picc_error().
   *) Blok numbers in ISO14443-4 blocks are incremented according to the
      specification.
 
diff --git a/libfreefare/freefare.h b/libfreefare/freefare.h
index f93d4a5..95bb605 100644
--- a/libfreefare/freefare.h
+++ b/libfreefare/freefare.h
@@ -244,6 +244,8 @@ typedef struct mifare_desfire_aid *MifareDESFireAID;
 MifareDESFireAID mifare_desfire_aid_new (uint32_t aid);
 MifareDESFireAID mifare_desfire_aid_new_with_mad_aid (MadAid mad_aid, uint8_t n);
 
+uint8_t		 mifare_desfire_last_picc_error (MifareTag tag);
+
 struct mifare_desfire_key;
 typedef struct mifare_desfire_key *MifareDESFireKey;
 
diff --git a/libfreefare/freefare_error.3 b/libfreefare/freefare_error.3
index d71858a..12c4a08 100644
--- a/libfreefare/freefare_error.3
+++ b/libfreefare/freefare_error.3
@@ -27,7 +27,8 @@
 .Sh NAME
 .Nm freefare_strerror ,
 .Nm freefare_strerror_r ,
-.Nm freefare_perror
+.Nm freefare_perror ,
+.Nm mifare_desfire_last_picc_error
 .Nd Error Reporting Functions.
 .\"  _     _ _
 .\" | |   (_) |__  _ __ __ _ _ __ _   _
@@ -51,6 +52,8 @@ Mifare card manipulation library (libfreefare, \-lfreefare)
 .Fn freefare_strerror_r "MifareTag tag" "char *buffer" "size_t len"
 .Ft "void"
 .Fn freefare_strerror "MifareTag tag" "char *string"
+.Ft uint8_t
+.Fm mifare_desfire_last_picc_error "MifareTag tag"
 .\"  ____                      _       _   _
 .\" |  _ \  ___  ___  ___ _ __(_)_ __ | |_(_) ___  _ __
 .\" | | | |/ _ \/ __|/ __| '__| | '_ \| __| |/ _ \| '_ \
@@ -79,6 +82,11 @@ The
 function displays the last PCD or PICC error encounred using
 .Vt tag
 to stderr.
+.Pp
+The
+.Fn mifare_desfire_last_picc_error
+function returns the error code returned by the last command run on
+.Vt tag .
 .\"  ____      _                                 _
 .\" |  _ \ ___| |_ _   _ _ __ _ __   __   ____ _| |_   _  ___  ___
 .\" | |_) / _ \ __| | | | '__| '_ \  \ \ / / _` | | | | |/ _ \/ __|
@@ -87,9 +95,13 @@ to stderr.
 .\"
 .Sh RETURN VALUES
 .Fn freefare_strerror
-returns the error message, while
+returns the error message,
 .Fn freefare_strerror_r
-returns 0 on success, -1 on failure.
+returns 0 on success, -1 on failure, and
+.Fn mifare_desfire_last_picc_error
+returns an error code or 0 if no error is known or
+.Vt tag
+is not a Mifare DESFire target.
 .\"  ____                    _
 .\" / ___|  ___  ___    __ _| |___  ___
 .\" \___ \ / _ \/ _ \  / _` | / __|/ _ \
diff --git a/libfreefare/mifare_desfire_error.c b/libfreefare/mifare_desfire_error.c
index bf5fa2a..61f86c4 100644
--- a/libfreefare/mifare_desfire_error.c
+++ b/libfreefare/mifare_desfire_error.c
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@
 
 #include <freefare.h>
 
+#include "freefare_internal.h"
+
 #define EM(e) { e, #e }
 
 static struct error_message {
@@ -67,3 +69,12 @@ mifare_desfire_error_lookup (uint8_t code)
 
     return "Invalid error code";
 }
+
+uint8_t
+mifare_desfire_last_picc_error (MifareTag tag)
+{
+    if (tag->tag_info->type != DESFIRE)
+	return 0;
+
+    return MIFARE_DESFIRE (tag)->last_picc_error;
+}
diff --git a/test/test_mifare_desfire.c b/test/test_mifare_desfire.c
index d706839..74ed32d 100644
--- a/test/test_mifare_desfire.c
+++ b/test/test_mifare_desfire.c
@@ -33,8 +33,8 @@ uint8_t key_data_3des[16] = { 'C', 'a', 'r', 'd', ' ', 'M', 'a', 's', 't', 'e',
 
 #define cut_assert_success(last_command) \
     do { \
-	if ((res < 0) || (MIFARE_DESFIRE (tag)->last_picc_error != OPERATION_OK)) { \
-	    cut_fail ("%s returned %d, error: %s, errno: %s\n", last_command, res, mifare_desfire_error_lookup (MIFARE_DESFIRE (tag)->last_picc_error), strerror (errno)); \
+	if ((res < 0) || (mifare_desfire_last_picc_error (tag) != OPERATION_OK)) { \
+	    cut_fail ("%s returned %d, error: %s, errno: %s\n", last_command, res, mifare_desfire_error_lookup (mifare_desfire_last_picc_error (tag)), strerror (errno)); \
 	} \
     } while (0)
 
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ test_mifare_desfire (void)
     // Try to overwrute the file
     res = mifare_desfire_write_data (tag, std_data_file_id, 20, 5, (char *)"Test!");
     cut_assert_equal_int (-1, res, cut_message ("Wrong return value"));
-    cut_assert_equal_int (PERMISSION_ERROR, MIFARE_DESFIRE (tag)->last_picc_error, cut_message ("Wrong PICC error"));
+    cut_assert_equal_int (PERMISSION_ERROR, mifare_desfire_last_picc_error (tag), cut_message ("Wrong PICC error"));
 
     int32_t expected_value = 0;
     for (int transaction = 0; transaction < 15; transaction++) {
@@ -507,7 +507,7 @@ test_mifare_desfire (void)
 		sprintf (data_buffer3, "Test invalid write");
 		res = mifare_desfire_write_record (tag, 1, 0, strlen (data_buffer3), data_buffer3);
 		cut_assert_equal_int (-1, res, cut_message ("error code"));
-		cut_assert_equal_int (PERMISSION_ERROR, MIFARE_DESFIRE (tag)->last_picc_error, cut_message ("PICC error"));
+		cut_assert_equal_int (PERMISSION_ERROR, mifare_desfire_last_picc_error (tag), cut_message ("PICC error"));
 
 		// The prebious failure has aborted the transaction, so clear
 		// record again.
@@ -798,18 +798,18 @@ test_mifare_desfire (void)
     /* We should not be able to list applications now */
     res = mifare_desfire_get_application_ids (tag, &aids, &aid_count);
     cut_assert_equal_int (-1, res, cut_message ("Wrong return value"));
-    cut_assert_equal_int (AUTHENTICATION_ERROR, MIFARE_DESFIRE (tag)->last_picc_error, cut_message ("Wrong PICC error"));
+    cut_assert_equal_int (AUTHENTICATION_ERROR, mifare_desfire_last_picc_error (tag), cut_message ("Wrong PICC error"));
 
     /* Deleting an application should not be possible */
     res = mifare_desfire_delete_application (tag, aid_c);
     cut_assert_equal_int (-1, res, cut_message ("Wrong return value"));
-    cut_assert_equal_int (AUTHENTICATION_ERROR, MIFARE_DESFIRE (tag)->last_picc_error, cut_message ("Wrong PICC error"));
+    cut_assert_equal_int (AUTHENTICATION_ERROR, mifare_desfire_last_picc_error (tag), cut_message ("Wrong PICC error"));
 
     /* Creating an application should also be forbidden */
     MifareDESFireAID aid_d = mifare_desfire_aid_new (0x00DDDDDD);
     res = mifare_desfire_create_application (tag, aid_d, 0xEF, 0);
     cut_assert_equal_int (-1, res, cut_message ("Wrong return value"));
-    cut_assert_equal_int (AUTHENTICATION_ERROR, MIFARE_DESFIRE (tag)->last_picc_error, cut_message ("Wrong PICC error"));
+    cut_assert_equal_int (AUTHENTICATION_ERROR, mifare_desfire_last_picc_error (tag), cut_message ("Wrong PICC error"));
 
     /*
      * Now we retry authenticated with the master key.