diff --git a/pkgs/tools/security/gnupg/21.nix b/pkgs/tools/security/gnupg/21.nix
index cb0f8590ce3..34042d802cc 100644
--- a/pkgs/tools/security/gnupg/21.nix
+++ b/pkgs/tools/security/gnupg/21.nix
@@ -27,10 +27,6 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     readline libusb gnutls adns openldap zlib bzip2
   ];
 
-  # gpgsm-linking is fixed by commit (c49c43d7) in the gnupg master branch;
-  # fix-gpgsm-linking.patch should be dropped after gnupg 2.1.15 is released
-  patches = [ ./fix-gpgsm-linking.patch ];
-
   postPatch = stdenv.lib.optionalString stdenv.isLinux ''
     sed -i 's,"libpcsclite\.so[^"]*","${pcsclite}/lib/libpcsclite.so",g' scd/scdaemon.c
   ''; #" fix Emacs syntax highlighting :-(
diff --git a/pkgs/tools/security/gnupg/fix-gpgsm-linking.patch b/pkgs/tools/security/gnupg/fix-gpgsm-linking.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index 290d43f5b0d..00000000000
--- a/pkgs/tools/security/gnupg/fix-gpgsm-linking.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
---- a/tests/gpgscm/Makefile.in
-+++ b/tests/gpgscm/Makefile.in
-@@ -457,7 +457,7 @@
- 	scheme-config.h opdefines.h scheme.c scheme.h scheme-private.h
- 
- gpgscm_LDADD = $(LDADD) $(common_libs) \
--	$(NETLIBS) $(LIBICONV) $(LIBREADLINE) \
-+	$(NETLIBS) $(LIBICONV) $(LIBREADLINE) $(LIBINTL) \
- 	$(LIBGCRYPT_LIBS) $(GPG_ERROR_LIBS)
- 
- t_child_SOURCES = t-child.c