diff --git a/lib/internal/vfs/providers/real.js b/lib/internal/vfs/providers/real.js
index 2f25f582244c..de18cda14941 100644
--- a/lib/internal/vfs/providers/real.js
+++ b/lib/internal/vfs/providers/real.js
@@ -458,12 +458,16 @@ class RealFSProvider extends VirtualProvider {
 
   mkdirSync(vfsPath, options) {
     const realPath = this.#resolvePath(vfsPath);
-    return fs.mkdirSync(realPath, options);
+    const created = fs.mkdirSync(realPath, options);
+    if (created === undefined) return undefined;
+    return this.#resolvedToVfsPath(created, vfsPath, 'mkdir');
   }
 
   async mkdir(vfsPath, options) {
     const realPath = this.#resolvePath(vfsPath);
-    return fs.promises.mkdir(realPath, options);
+    const created = await fs.promises.mkdir(realPath, options);
+    if (created === undefined) return undefined;
+    return this.#resolvedToVfsPath(created, vfsPath, 'mkdir');
   }
 
   rmdirSync(vfsPath) {
@@ -566,7 +570,13 @@ class RealFSProvider extends VirtualProvider {
   // because fs.realpathSync (a JS impl) preserves case but fs.promises.realpath
   // (native) canonicalizes the drive letter and other components.
   #resolvedToVfsPath(resolved, vfsPath, syscall) {
-    const rel = path.relative(this.#rootPath, resolved);
+    // Both sides are put in the Windows long-path form first, because the
+    // native bindings answer in it (\\?\C:\dir) and path.relative() reads
+    // that as a different root than a plain rootPath, which would make every
+    // comparison look like an escape. A no-op elsewhere, and idempotent, so
+    // a rootPath already in that form is covered too.
+    const rel = path.relative(path.toNamespacedPath(this.#rootPath),
+                              path.toNamespacedPath(resolved));
     if (rel === '') return '/';
     if (rel === '..' ||
         StringPrototypeStartsWith(rel, '..' + path.sep) ||
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-vfs-real-provider-promises.js b/test/parallel/test-vfs-real-provider-promises.js
index 932a30fd086d..a7e8d3f7d6d1 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-vfs-real-provider-promises.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-vfs-real-provider-promises.js
@@ -35,6 +35,19 @@ const myVfs = vfs.create(new vfs.RealFSProvider(root));
   assert.deepStrictEqual(entries.sort(), ['sub']);
   await myVfs.promises.rmdir('/d/sub');
 
+  // Recursive mkdir returns the first directory created, as a VFS-relative
+  // path (never the backing-directory path), matching MemoryProvider.
+  const createdSub = await myVfs.promises.mkdir('/d/sub', { recursive: true });
+  assert.strictEqual(createdSub, '/d/sub');
+  assert.strictEqual(await myVfs.promises.mkdir('/d/sub', { recursive: true }),
+                     undefined);
+  const created = await myVfs.promises.mkdir('/d/deep/nested', { recursive: true });
+  assert.strictEqual(created, '/d/deep');
+  assert.strictEqual(myVfs.existsSync(created), true);
+  await myVfs.promises.rmdir('/d/sub');
+  await myVfs.promises.rmdir('/d/deep/nested');
+  await myVfs.promises.rmdir('/d/deep');
+
   // rename
   await myVfs.promises.writeFile('/old.txt', 'x');
   await myVfs.promises.rename('/old.txt', '/new.txt');
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-vfs-real-provider.js b/test/parallel/test-vfs-real-provider.js
index a54181d8f6dc..9a6077cd9d6f 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-vfs-real-provider.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-vfs-real-provider.js
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 // test-vfs-real-provider-handle.js, and symlinks/path-escape live in
 // test-vfs-real-provider-symlinks.js.
 
-require('../common');
+const common = require('../common');
 const tmpdir = require('../common/tmpdir');
 const assert = require('assert');
 const fs = require('fs');
@@ -106,6 +106,49 @@ fs.mkdirSync(testDir, { recursive: true });
   fs.rmdirSync(path.join(testDir, 'deep/nested/dir'));
   fs.rmdirSync(path.join(testDir, 'deep/nested'));
   fs.rmdirSync(path.join(testDir, 'deep'));
+
+  // Recursive mkdir returns the first directory created, as a VFS-relative
+  // path (never the backing-directory path), matching MemoryProvider.
+  const created = realVfs.mkdirSync('/returned/nested/dir', { recursive: true });
+  assert.strictEqual(created, '/returned');
+  assert.strictEqual(realVfs.existsSync(created), true);
+  assert.strictEqual(
+    realVfs.mkdirSync('/returned/nested/dir', { recursive: true }),
+    undefined,
+  );
+  assert.strictEqual(realVfs.mkdirSync('/returned/new-dir'),
+                     undefined);
+  fs.rmdirSync(path.join(testDir, 'returned/nested/dir'));
+  fs.rmdirSync(path.join(testDir, 'returned/nested'));
+  fs.rmdirSync(path.join(testDir, 'returned/new-dir'));
+  fs.rmdirSync(path.join(testDir, 'returned'));
+}
+
+// Mounted recursive mkdir returns a path that exists on the real filesystem.
+{
+  const realVfs = vfs.create(new vfs.RealFSProvider(testDir));
+  const mountPoint = realVfs.mount();
+  try {
+    const created = realVfs.mkdirSync(path.join(mountPoint, 'm/nested/dir'),
+                                      { recursive: true });
+    assert.strictEqual(created, path.join(mountPoint, 'm'));
+    assert.strictEqual(fs.existsSync(created), true);
+  } finally {
+    realVfs.unmount();
+    fs.rmSync(path.join(testDir, 'm'), { recursive: true, force: true });
+  }
+}
+
+// Recursive mkdir works when the root is given in the Windows long-path
+// form, which is what the native bindings hand back: the returned path must
+// still be translated relative to the root, not rejected as an escape.
+if (common.isWindows) {
+  const longVfs = vfs.create(new vfs.RealFSProvider(
+    path.toNamespacedPath(testDir)));
+  const created = longVfs.mkdirSync('/long/deep/dir', { recursive: true });
+  assert.strictEqual(created, '/long');
+  assert.strictEqual(longVfs.existsSync('/long/deep/dir'), true);
+  fs.rmSync(path.join(testDir, 'long'), { recursive: true, force: true });
 }
 
 // unlink