diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index e6b29dd04..05e473138 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -357,7 +357,8 @@ freebsd-11-x86_64:
     # FreeBSD iconv doesn't handle transliteration, so we use (external) GNU libiconv here.
     # FreeBSD supports xattr, but its API is different from Linux xattr.
     # FIXME: extattr(2) support: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/glib/issues/1404
-    - meson ${MESON_COMMON_OPTIONS} -Db_lundef=false -Diconv=external -Dxattr=false _build
+    # localstatedir is needed for access to /var/lib/dbus/machine-id
+    - meson ${MESON_COMMON_OPTIONS} --localstatedir=/var -Db_lundef=false -Diconv=external -Dxattr=false _build
     - ninja -C _build
     - bash -x ./.gitlab-ci/run-tests.sh
   artifacts:
@@ -385,7 +386,7 @@ freebsd-12-x86_64:
   before_script:
     - bash .gitlab-ci/show-execution-environment.sh
   script:
-    - meson ${MESON_COMMON_OPTIONS} -Db_lundef=false -Diconv=external -Dxattr=false _build
+    - meson ${MESON_COMMON_OPTIONS} --localstatedir=/var -Db_lundef=false -Diconv=external -Dxattr=false _build
     - ninja -C _build
     - bash -x ./.gitlab-ci/run-tests.sh
   except: