diff --git a/Include/pyerrors.h b/Include/pyerrors.h
--- a/Include/pyerrors.h
+++ b/Include/pyerrors.h
@@ -239,6 +239,12 @@
     const char *format,   /* ASCII-encoded string  */
     ...
     );
+#if !defined(Py_LIMITED_API) || Py_LIMITED_API+0 >= 0x03040000
+PyAPI_FUNC(PyObject *) PyErr_FormatV(
+    PyObject *exception,
+    const char *format,
+    va_list vargs);
+#endif
 
 #ifdef MS_WINDOWS
 PyAPI_FUNC(PyObject *) PyErr_SetFromWindowsErrWithFilename(
diff --git a/Python/errors.c b/Python/errors.c
--- a/Python/errors.c
+++ b/Python/errors.c
@@ -705,19 +705,11 @@
 #define PyErr_BadInternalCall() _PyErr_BadInternalCall(__FILE__, __LINE__)
 
 
-
 PyObject *
-PyErr_Format(PyObject *exception, const char *format, ...)
+PyErr_FormatV(PyObject *exception, const char *format, va_list vargs)
 {
-    va_list vargs;
     PyObject* string;
 
-#ifdef HAVE_STDARG_PROTOTYPES
-    va_start(vargs, format);
-#else
-    va_start(vargs);
-#endif
-
 #ifdef Py_DEBUG
     /* in debug mode, PyEval_EvalFrameEx() fails with an assertion error
        if an exception is set when it is called */
@@ -727,12 +719,25 @@
     string = PyUnicode_FromFormatV(format, vargs);
     PyErr_SetObject(exception, string);
     Py_XDECREF(string);
+    return NULL;
+}
+
+
+PyObject *
+PyErr_Format(PyObject *exception, const char *format, ...)
+{
+    va_list vargs;
+#ifdef HAVE_STDARG_PROTOTYPES
+    va_start(vargs, format);
+#else
+    va_start(vargs);
+#endif
+    PyErr_FormatV(exception, format, vargs);
     va_end(vargs);
     return NULL;
 }
 
 
-
 PyObject *
 PyErr_NewException(const char *name, PyObject *base, PyObject *dict)
 {