diff --git a/internal/provider/kubernetes/controller.go b/internal/provider/kubernetes/controller.go
index 92e54d692c2d..ab65bdc79b8a 100644
--- a/internal/provider/kubernetes/controller.go
+++ b/internal/provider/kubernetes/controller.go
@@ -1031,9 +1031,9 @@ func (r *gatewayAPIReconciler) removeFinalizer(ctx context.Context, obj client.O
 		}
 		return nil
 	case *egv1a1.EnvoyProxy:
-		if slice.ContainsString(objType.Finalizers, gatewayClassFinalizer) {
+		if slice.ContainsString(objType.Finalizers, envoyProxyFinalizer) {
 			base := client.MergeFrom(objType.DeepCopy())
-			objType.Finalizers = slice.RemoveString(objType.Finalizers, gatewayClassFinalizer)
+			objType.Finalizers = slice.RemoveString(objType.Finalizers, envoyProxyFinalizer)
 			if err := r.client.Patch(ctx, objType, base); err != nil {
 				return fmt.Errorf("failed to add finalizer to Envoy Proxy %s: %w", objType.Name, err)
 			}
@@ -1057,9 +1057,9 @@ func (r *gatewayAPIReconciler) addFinalizer(ctx context.Context, obj client.Obje
 		}
 		return nil
 	case *egv1a1.EnvoyProxy:
-		if !slice.ContainsString(objType.Finalizers, gatewayClassFinalizer) {
+		if !slice.ContainsString(objType.Finalizers, envoyProxyFinalizer) {
 			base := client.MergeFrom(objType.DeepCopy())
-			objType.Finalizers = append(objType.Finalizers, gatewayClassFinalizer)
+			objType.Finalizers = append(objType.Finalizers, envoyProxyFinalizer)
 			if err := r.client.Patch(ctx, objType, base); err != nil {
 				return fmt.Errorf("failed to add finalizer to Envoy Proxy %s: %w", objType.Name, err)
 			}
diff --git a/internal/provider/kubernetes/controller_test.go b/internal/provider/kubernetes/controller_test.go
index 19e2830cadda..a45d37f5573f 100644
--- a/internal/provider/kubernetes/controller_test.go
+++ b/internal/provider/kubernetes/controller_test.go
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ func TestAddEnvoyProxyFinalizer(t *testing.T) {
 					Name: "test",
 				},
 			},
-			expect: []string{gatewayClassFinalizer},
+			expect: []string{envoyProxyFinalizer},
 		},
 		{
 			name: "envoyproxy with a different finalizer",
@@ -109,17 +109,17 @@ func TestAddEnvoyProxyFinalizer(t *testing.T) {
 					Finalizers: []string{"fooFinalizer"},
 				},
 			},
-			expect: []string{"fooFinalizer", gatewayClassFinalizer},
+			expect: []string{"fooFinalizer", envoyProxyFinalizer},
 		},
 		{
 			name: "envoyproxy with existing gatewayclass finalizer",
 			ep: &egv1a1.EnvoyProxy{
 				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
 					Name:       "test-ep",
-					Finalizers: []string{gatewayClassFinalizer},
+					Finalizers: []string{envoyProxyFinalizer},
 				},
 			},
-			expect: []string{gatewayClassFinalizer},
+			expect: []string{envoyProxyFinalizer},
 		},
 	}
 	// Create the reconciler.
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ func TestRemoveEnvoyProxyFinalizer(t *testing.T) {
 			ep: &egv1a1.EnvoyProxy{
 				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
 					Name:       "test-ep",
-					Finalizers: []string{gatewayClassFinalizer},
+					Finalizers: []string{envoyProxyFinalizer},
 				},
 			},
 			expect: nil,
diff --git a/internal/provider/kubernetes/helpers.go b/internal/provider/kubernetes/helpers.go
index 847bdc352613..a5ac5883a3f4 100644
--- a/internal/provider/kubernetes/helpers.go
+++ b/internal/provider/kubernetes/helpers.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 
 const (
 	gatewayClassFinalizer = gwapiv1.GatewayClassFinalizerGatewaysExist
+	envoyProxyFinalizer   = "gatewayclass-exists-finalizer.gateway.envoyproxy.github.com"
 )
 
 type ObjectKindNamespacedName struct {
diff --git a/internal/provider/kubernetes/kubernetes_test.go b/internal/provider/kubernetes/kubernetes_test.go
index b91244f4c459..2d43f9806d06 100644
--- a/internal/provider/kubernetes/kubernetes_test.go
+++ b/internal/provider/kubernetes/kubernetes_test.go
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ func testGatewayClassWithParamRef(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, provider *P
 	// Ensure the envoyproxy has not been finalized.
 	require.Eventually(t, func() bool {
 		err := cli.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Name: ep.Name, Namespace: testNs}, ep)
-		return err == nil && !slices.Contains(ep.Finalizers, gatewayClassFinalizer)
+		return err == nil && !slices.Contains(ep.Finalizers, envoyProxyFinalizer)
 	}, defaultWait, defaultTick)
 
 	// Ensure the gateway class has not been finalized.
@@ -343,7 +343,7 @@ func testGatewayClassWithParamRef(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, provider *P
 	// Ensure the envoyproxy has been finalized.
 	require.Eventually(t, func() bool {
 		err := cli.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Name: ep.Name, Namespace: testNs}, ep)
-		return err == nil && slices.Contains(ep.Finalizers, gatewayClassFinalizer)
+		return err == nil && slices.Contains(ep.Finalizers, envoyProxyFinalizer)
 	}, defaultWait, defaultTick)
 
 	//Ensure that envoyproxy finalizer will be removed when GatewayClass stops referencing it
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ func testGatewayClassWithParamRef(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, provider *P
 	require.NoError(t, cli.Update(ctx, gc))
 	require.Eventually(t, func() bool {
 		err := cli.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Name: ep.Name, Namespace: testNs}, ep)
-		return err == nil && !slices.Contains(ep.Finalizers, gatewayClassFinalizer)
+		return err == nil && !slices.Contains(ep.Finalizers, envoyProxyFinalizer)
 	}, defaultWait, defaultTick)
 }