diff --git a/dialect.go b/dialect.go
index abda163ea..0dbacd11e 100644
--- a/dialect.go
+++ b/dialect.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 // SQLDialect abstracts the details of specific SQL dialects
 // for goose's few SQL specific statements
 type SQLDialect interface {
+	versionTableExistsSQL() string // sql string to check if the version table exists
 	createVersionTableSQL() string // sql string to create the db version table
 	insertVersionSQL() string      // sql string to insert the initial version table row
 	deleteVersionSQL() string      // sql string to delete version
@@ -55,6 +56,11 @@ func SetDialect(d string) error {
 // PostgresDialect struct.
 type PostgresDialect struct{}
 
+func (pg PostgresDialect) versionTableExistsSQL() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf(`SELECT 1 FROM information_schema.tables WHERE table_name = '%s';`,
+		TableName())
+}
+
 func (pg PostgresDialect) createVersionTableSQL() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf(`CREATE TABLE %s (
             	id serial NOT NULL,
@@ -78,7 +84,7 @@ func (pg PostgresDialect) dbVersionQuery(db *sql.DB) (*sql.Rows, error) {
 	return rows, err
 }
 
-func (m PostgresDialect) migrationSQL() string {
+func (pg PostgresDialect) migrationSQL() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("SELECT tstamp, is_applied FROM %s WHERE version_id=$1 ORDER BY tstamp DESC LIMIT 1", TableName())
 }
 
@@ -93,6 +99,11 @@ func (pg PostgresDialect) deleteVersionSQL() string {
 // MySQLDialect struct.
 type MySQLDialect struct{}
 
+func (m MySQLDialect) versionTableExistsSQL() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf(`SELECT 1 FROM information_schema.tables WHERE table_name = '%s';`,
+		TableName())
+}
+
 func (m MySQLDialect) createVersionTableSQL() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf(`CREATE TABLE %s (
                 id serial NOT NULL,
@@ -131,6 +142,11 @@ func (m MySQLDialect) deleteVersionSQL() string {
 // SqlServerDialect struct.
 type SqlServerDialect struct{}
 
+func (m SqlServerDialect) versionTableExistsSQL() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf(`SELECT 1 FROM information_schema.tables WHERE table_name = '%s';`,
+		TableName())
+}
+
 func (m SqlServerDialect) createVersionTableSQL() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf(`CREATE TABLE %s (
                 id INT NOT NULL IDENTITY(1,1) PRIMARY KEY,
@@ -181,6 +197,11 @@ func (m SqlServerDialect) deleteVersionSQL() string {
 // Sqlite3Dialect struct.
 type Sqlite3Dialect struct{}
 
+func (m Sqlite3Dialect) versionTableExistsSQL() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf(`SELECT 1 FROM sqlite_master WHERE type='table' AND name='%s';`,
+		TableName())
+}
+
 func (m Sqlite3Dialect) createVersionTableSQL() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf(`CREATE TABLE %s (
                 id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
@@ -218,6 +239,11 @@ func (m Sqlite3Dialect) deleteVersionSQL() string {
 // RedshiftDialect struct.
 type RedshiftDialect struct{}
 
+func (rs RedshiftDialect) versionTableExistsSQL() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf(`SELECT 1 FROM information_schema.tables WHERE table_name = '%s';`,
+		TableName())
+}
+
 func (rs RedshiftDialect) createVersionTableSQL() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf(`CREATE TABLE %s (
             	id integer NOT NULL identity(1, 1),
@@ -241,7 +267,7 @@ func (rs RedshiftDialect) dbVersionQuery(db *sql.DB) (*sql.Rows, error) {
 	return rows, err
 }
 
-func (m RedshiftDialect) migrationSQL() string {
+func (rs RedshiftDialect) migrationSQL() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("SELECT tstamp, is_applied FROM %s WHERE version_id=$1 ORDER BY tstamp DESC LIMIT 1", TableName())
 }
 
@@ -256,6 +282,11 @@ func (rs RedshiftDialect) deleteVersionSQL() string {
 // TiDBDialect struct.
 type TiDBDialect struct{}
 
+func (m TiDBDialect) versionTableExistsSQL() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf(`SELECT 1 FROM information_schema.tables WHERE table_name = '%s';`,
+		TableName())
+}
+
 func (m TiDBDialect) createVersionTableSQL() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf(`CREATE TABLE %s (
                 id BIGINT UNSIGNED NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT UNIQUE,
@@ -294,6 +325,11 @@ func (m TiDBDialect) deleteVersionSQL() string {
 // ClickHouseDialect struct.
 type ClickHouseDialect struct{}
 
+func (m ClickHouseDialect) versionTableExistsSQL() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf(`SELECT 1 FROM information_schema.tables WHERE table_name = '%s';`,
+		TableName())
+}
+
 func (m ClickHouseDialect) createVersionTableSQL() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf(`CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS %s (
       version_id Int64,
@@ -332,6 +368,11 @@ func (m ClickHouseDialect) deleteVersionSQL() string {
 // VerticaDialect struct.
 type VerticaDialect struct{}
 
+func (v VerticaDialect) versionTableExistsSQL() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf(`SELECT 1 FROM v_catalog.tables WHERE table_name ILIKE '%s';`,
+		TableName())
+}
+
 func (v VerticaDialect) createVersionTableSQL() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf(`CREATE TABLE %s (
                 id identity(1,1) NOT NULL,
@@ -355,7 +396,7 @@ func (v VerticaDialect) dbVersionQuery(db *sql.DB) (*sql.Rows, error) {
 	return rows, err
 }
 
-func (m VerticaDialect) migrationSQL() string {
+func (v VerticaDialect) migrationSQL() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("SELECT tstamp, is_applied FROM %s WHERE version_id=? ORDER BY tstamp DESC LIMIT 1", TableName())
 }
 
diff --git a/migrate.go b/migrate.go
index c92f7a8a2..7c6b368ad 100644
--- a/migrate.go
+++ b/migrate.go
@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@ var (
 	ErrNoCurrentVersion = errors.New("no current version found")
 	// ErrNoNextVersion when the next migration version is not found.
 	ErrNoNextVersion = errors.New("no next version found")
+	// ErrVersionTableMissing when the goose version table is missing.
+	ErrVersionTableMissing = errors.New("version table doesn't exists")
+
 	// MaxVersion is the maximum allowed version.
 	MaxVersion int64 = math.MaxInt64
 
@@ -289,9 +292,9 @@ func versionFilter(v, current, target int64) bool {
 // EnsureDBVersion retrieves the current version for this DB.
 // Create and initialize the DB version table if it doesn't exist.
 func EnsureDBVersion(db *sql.DB) (int64, error) {
-	rows, err := GetDialect().dbVersionQuery(db)
+	rows, err := dbVersionQuery(db)
 	if err != nil {
-		return 0, createVersionTable(db)
+		return 0, createVersionTableIfMissing(db, err)
 	}
 	defer rows.Close()
 
@@ -335,6 +338,34 @@ func EnsureDBVersion(db *sql.DB) (int64, error) {
 	return 0, ErrNoNextVersion
 }
 
+// dbVersionQuery query to check if the versions table exists and if so, query the versions table.
+// If the versions table does not exist, return an ErrVersionTableMissing error.
+func dbVersionQuery(db *sql.DB) (*sql.Rows, error) {
+	d := GetDialect()
+
+	rows, err := db.Query(d.versionTableExistsSQL())
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	defer rows.Close()
+
+	if !rows.Next() {
+		return nil, ErrVersionTableMissing
+	}
+
+	return d.dbVersionQuery(db)
+}
+
+// createVersionTableIfMissing creates the version table if the error is ErrVersionTableMissing.
+// Otherwise, returns the original error.
+func createVersionTableIfMissing(db *sql.DB, err error) error {
+	if !errors.Is(err, ErrVersionTableMissing) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to query db versions: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	return createVersionTable(db)
+}
+
 // Create the db version table
 // and insert the initial 0 value into it
 func createVersionTable(db *sql.DB) error {
diff --git a/reset.go b/reset.go
index 258841fad..65ae043cd 100644
--- a/reset.go
+++ b/reset.go
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ func Reset(db *sql.DB, dir string, opts ...OptionsFunc) error {
 }
 
 func dbMigrationsStatus(db *sql.DB) (map[int64]bool, error) {
-	rows, err := GetDialect().dbVersionQuery(db)
+	rows, err := dbVersionQuery(db)
 	if err != nil {
 		return map[int64]bool{}, nil
 	}
diff --git a/up.go b/up.go
index 1d668e38c..600511d85 100644
--- a/up.go
+++ b/up.go
@@ -223,9 +223,9 @@ func UpByOne(db *sql.DB, dir string, opts ...OptionsFunc) error {
 // listAllDBVersions returns a list of all migrations, ordered ascending.
 // TODO(mf): fairly cheap, but a nice-to-have is pagination support.
 func listAllDBVersions(db *sql.DB) (Migrations, error) {
-	rows, err := GetDialect().dbVersionQuery(db)
+	rows, err := dbVersionQuery(db)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, createVersionTable(db)
+		return nil, createVersionTableIfMissing(db, err)
 	}
 	var all Migrations
 	for rows.Next() {