diff --git a/Include/internal/pycore_object.h b/Include/internal/pycore_object.h
index 79c1c44ae72d60..001be56fab8207 100644
--- a/Include/internal/pycore_object.h
+++ b/Include/internal/pycore_object.h
@@ -30,6 +30,55 @@ _PyType_HasFeature(PyTypeObject *type, unsigned long feature) {
 extern void _PyType_InitCache(PyInterpreterState *interp);
 
 
+/* Immortal Objects
+ *
+ * An "immortal" object is one for which Py_DECREF() will never try
+ * to deallocate it.
+ *
+ * At the moment this API is strictly internal.  However, if it proves
+ * helpful for extension authors we may move it to the public API. */
+
+#define _Py_IMMORTAL_OBJECTS 1
+
+/* The implementation-independent API is only the following functions: */
+PyAPI_FUNC(int) _PyObject_IsImmortal(PyObject *);
+PyAPI_FUNC(void) _PyObject_SetImmortal(PyObject *);
+
+/* In the actual implementation we set the refcount to some positive
+ * value that we would never expect to be reachable through use of
+ * Py_INCREF() in a program.
+ *
+ * The only parts that should be used directly are the two
+ * _Py*Object_HEAD_IMMORTAL_INIT() macros.
+ */
+
+/* _PyObject_IMMORTAL_BIT is the bit in the refcount value (Py_ssize_t)
+ * that we use to mark an object as immortal.  It shouldn't ever be
+ * part of the public API.
+ *
+ * The GC bit-shifts refcounts left by two, and after that shift we still
+ * need this to be >> 0, so leave three high zero bits (the sign bit and
+ * room for a shift of two.) */
+#define _PyObject_IMMORTAL_BIT (1LL << (8 * sizeof(Py_ssize_t) - 4))
+
+/* _PyObject_IMMORTAL_INIT_REFCNT is the initial value we use for
+ * immortal objects.  It shouldn't ever be part of the public API.
+ *
+ * We leave plenty of room to preserve _PyObject_IMMORTAL_BIT. */
+#define _PyObject_IMMORTAL_INIT_REFCNT \
+    (_PyObject_IMMORTAL_BIT + (_PyObject_IMMORTAL_BIT / 2))
+
+/* These macros are drop-in replacements for the corresponding
+ * Py*Object_HEAD_INIT() macros.  They will probably become
+ * part of the public API. */
+#define _PyObject_HEAD_IMMORTAL_INIT(type) \
+    { _PyObject_EXTRA_INIT _PyObject_IMMORTAL_INIT_REFCNT, type },
+#define _PyVarObject_HEAD_IMMORTAL_INIT(type, size) \
+    { PyObject_HEAD_IMMORTAL_INIT(type) size },
+
+/* end Immortal Objects */
+
+
 /* Inline functions trading binary compatibility for speed:
    _PyObject_Init() is the fast version of PyObject_Init(), and
    _PyObject_InitVar() is the fast version of PyObject_InitVar().
diff --git a/Include/object.h b/Include/object.h
index 14545839341f4a..c2f626bf4f93b0 100644
--- a/Include/object.h
+++ b/Include/object.h
@@ -141,9 +141,7 @@ static inline int _Py_IS_TYPE(const PyObject *ob, const PyTypeObject *type) {
 #define Py_IS_TYPE(ob, type) _Py_IS_TYPE(_PyObject_CAST_CONST(ob), type)
 
 
-static inline void _Py_SET_REFCNT(PyObject *ob, Py_ssize_t refcnt) {
-    ob->ob_refcnt = refcnt;
-}
+PyAPI_FUNC(void) _Py_SET_REFCNT(PyObject *ob, Py_ssize_t refcnt);
 #define Py_SET_REFCNT(ob, refcnt) _Py_SET_REFCNT(_PyObject_CAST(ob), refcnt)
 
 
@@ -427,6 +425,10 @@ PyAPI_FUNC(void) _Py_NegativeRefcount(const char *filename, int lineno,
 
 PyAPI_FUNC(void) _Py_Dealloc(PyObject *);
 
+#ifdef Py_IMMORTAL_CONST_REFCOUNTS
+static inline int _py_is_immortal(PyObject *);  // forward
+#endif
+
 static inline void _Py_INCREF(PyObject *op)
 {
 #ifdef Py_REF_DEBUG
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core and Builtins/2021-03-11-13-03-15.bpo-40255._1LfiG.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core and Builtins/2021-03-11-13-03-15.bpo-40255._1LfiG.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..d7236aa94278ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core and Builtins/2021-03-11-13-03-15.bpo-40255._1LfiG.rst	
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+There is now internal support for "immortal" objects (with a "private"
+C-API).  Those are objects that will never be deleted, like the
+singletons and static types.  This will benefit the C-API and
+subinterpreters.  For now the API is currently intended only
+for internal use.
diff --git a/Objects/object.c b/Objects/object.c
index 0a8621b3503b31..2ff92779d5ac8a 100644
--- a/Objects/object.c
+++ b/Objects/object.c
@@ -136,6 +136,30 @@ Py_DecRef(PyObject *o)
     Py_XDECREF(o);
 }
 
+void
+_Py_SET_REFCNT(PyObject *ob, Py_ssize_t refcnt) {
+    if (_PyObject_IsImmortal(ob)) {
+        // XXX It may be worth emitting a warning here.
+        return;
+    }
+    ob->ob_refcnt = refcnt;
+}
+
+int
+_PyObject_IsImmortal(PyObject *ob)
+{
+    if ((ob->ob_refcnt & _PyObject_IMMORTAL_BIT) == 0) {
+        return 0;
+    }
+    return 1;
+}
+
+void
+_PyObject_SetImmortal(PyObject *ob)
+{
+    ob->ob_refcnt = _PyObject_IMMORTAL_INIT_REFCNT;
+}
+
 PyObject *
 PyObject_Init(PyObject *op, PyTypeObject *tp)
 {
@@ -1728,11 +1752,14 @@ _PyTypes_Init(void)
         return status;
     }
 
+    // XXX We can stop calling _PyObject_SetImmortal() once we change
+    // all the static types to use PyVarObject_HEAD_IMMORTAL_INIT.
 #define INIT_TYPE(TYPE, NAME) \
     do { \
         if (PyType_Ready(TYPE) < 0) { \
             return _PyStatus_ERR("Can't initialize " NAME " type"); \
         } \
+        _PyObject_SetImmortal((PyObject *)TYPE); \
     } while (0)
 
     INIT_TYPE(&PyBaseObject_Type, "object");
@@ -1807,10 +1834,19 @@ _PyTypes_Init(void)
 #undef INIT_TYPE
 }
 
+/* _Py_NewReference() is called in the following situations:
+ *  - for newly allocatoed objects, via _PyObject_Init()
+ *  - when resizing immutable objects (bytes, unicode, tuple)
+ *  - when "allocating" from a freelist
+ *  - when resurrecting an object
+ */
 
 void
 _Py_NewReference(PyObject *op)
 {
+    // None of the cases above should ever apply to immortal objects.
+    assert(!_PyObject_IsImmortal(op));
+
     if (_Py_tracemalloc_config.tracing) {
         _PyTraceMalloc_NewReference(op);
     }