diff --git a/napalm_proxmox/vm_provision_mixin.py b/napalm_proxmox/vm_provision_mixin.py
index c7ce580..1962d45 100644
--- a/napalm_proxmox/vm_provision_mixin.py
+++ b/napalm_proxmox/vm_provision_mixin.py
@@ -313,8 +313,9 @@ class ProxmoxVMProvisionMixin:
                 if not bridge:
                     raise ValueError(f"NIC {i}: bridge is required")
 
-                # Build base config: model + bridge
-                net_config = f"virtio,bridge={bridge}"
+                # Build base config: model[=mac] + bridge
+                mac = nic.get("mac")
+                net_config = f"virtio={mac},bridge={bridge}" if mac else f"virtio,bridge={bridge}"
 
                 # Add VLAN configuration (access vs trunk)
                 if "trunk_vlan_tags" in nic and nic["trunk_vlan_tags"]:
diff --git a/tests/test_vm_provision_mixin.py b/tests/test_vm_provision_mixin.py
index a9d08d1..db942f2 100644
--- a/tests/test_vm_provision_mixin.py
+++ b/tests/test_vm_provision_mixin.py
@@ -987,3 +987,105 @@ def test_create_vm_writes_snippet_via_ssh_with_correct_content():
     content = base64.b64decode(encoded).decode("utf-8")
     assert content.startswith("#cloud-config\n")
     assert "hostname: write-shape-vm" in content
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Explicit NIC MAC address
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def test_create_vm_from_cloud_init_with_explicit_mac():
+    """When nics[i]['mac'] is set, it's pinned via virtio=<mac>,bridge=...
+    (needed so a caller can create a matching DHCP reservation before the
+    VM even boots)."""
+    mixin = ProxmoxVMProvisionMixin()
+    mixin._node_name = "pve1"
+
+    mock_api = MagicMock()
+    mock_api.cluster.nextid.get.return_value = 107
+    mock_api.storage.return_value.get.return_value = {"path": "/var/lib/vz"}
+
+    mock_node = MagicMock()
+    mock_node.storage.get.return_value = [
+        {"storage": "local-lvm", "type": "lvmthin", "content": "images,rootdir", "enabled": 1},
+        {"storage": "snippets", "type": "dir", "content": "snippets", "enabled": 1},
+    ]
+    mixin._api = mock_api
+    mixin._node_api = MagicMock(return_value=mock_node)
+    mixin._download_cloud_image = MagicMock(return_value="/var/lib/vz/template/netork-images/debian-12.qcow2")
+    mixin._run_node_command = MagicMock(return_value="")
+
+    mock_vm = MagicMock()
+    mock_node.qemu.return_value = mock_vm
+    mock_node.qemu.post.return_value = None
+    mock_vm.config.post.return_value = None
+    mock_vm.config.get.return_value = {
+        "unused0": "local-lvm:vm-107-disk-0",
+        "scsi0": "local-lvm:vm-107-disk-0",
+    }
+    mock_vm.status.start.post.return_value = "UPID:pve1:133:start"
+
+    mock_task = MagicMock()
+    mock_task.status.get.return_value = {"status": "stopped", "exitstatus": "OK"}
+    mock_node.tasks.return_value = mock_task
+
+    with patch("time.sleep"):
+        mixin.create_vm_from_cloud_init(
+            name="pinned-mac-vm",
+            image_url="https://cloud.debian.org/images/cloud/bookworm/latest/debian-12-genericcloud-amd64.qcow2",
+            cpu=2,
+            memory=2048,
+            nics=[{"bridge": "vmbr0", "vlan_tag": 10, "mac": "02:aa:bb:cc:dd:ee"}],
+            cloud_init_config={"hostname": "pinned-mac-vm"},
+        )
+
+    net_call_args = next(c for c in mock_vm.config.post.call_args_list if "net0" in c[1])
+    assert net_call_args[1]["net0"] == "virtio=02:aa:bb:cc:dd:ee,bridge=vmbr0,tag=10"
+
+
+def test_create_vm_from_cloud_init_without_mac_uses_bare_virtio():
+    """Regression: omitting nics[i]['mac'] must still produce the original
+    bare 'virtio,bridge=...' string (auto-generated MAC), not 'virtio=None,...'."""
+    mixin = ProxmoxVMProvisionMixin()
+    mixin._node_name = "pve1"
+
+    mock_api = MagicMock()
+    mock_api.cluster.nextid.get.return_value = 108
+    mock_api.storage.return_value.get.return_value = {"path": "/var/lib/vz"}
+
+    mock_node = MagicMock()
+    mock_node.storage.get.return_value = [
+        {"storage": "local-lvm", "type": "lvmthin", "content": "images,rootdir", "enabled": 1},
+        {"storage": "snippets", "type": "dir", "content": "snippets", "enabled": 1},
+    ]
+    mixin._api = mock_api
+    mixin._node_api = MagicMock(return_value=mock_node)
+    mixin._download_cloud_image = MagicMock(return_value="/var/lib/vz/template/netork-images/debian-12.qcow2")
+    mixin._run_node_command = MagicMock(return_value="")
+
+    mock_vm = MagicMock()
+    mock_node.qemu.return_value = mock_vm
+    mock_node.qemu.post.return_value = None
+    mock_vm.config.post.return_value = None
+    mock_vm.config.get.return_value = {
+        "unused0": "local-lvm:vm-108-disk-0",
+        "scsi0": "local-lvm:vm-108-disk-0",
+    }
+    mock_vm.status.start.post.return_value = "UPID:pve1:134:start"
+
+    mock_task = MagicMock()
+    mock_task.status.get.return_value = {"status": "stopped", "exitstatus": "OK"}
+    mock_node.tasks.return_value = mock_task
+
+    with patch("time.sleep"):
+        mixin.create_vm_from_cloud_init(
+            name="auto-mac-vm",
+            image_url="https://cloud.debian.org/images/cloud/bookworm/latest/debian-12-genericcloud-amd64.qcow2",
+            cpu=2,
+            memory=2048,
+            nics=[{"bridge": "vmbr0"}],
+            cloud_init_config={"hostname": "auto-mac-vm"},
+        )
+
+    net_call_args = next(c for c in mock_vm.config.post.call_args_list if "net0" in c[1])
+    assert net_call_args[1]["net0"] == "virtio,bridge=vmbr0"