diff --git a/django/db/backends/mysql/validation.py b/django/db/backends/mysql/validation.py
index cd7503a352..d69cb7e3e0 100644
--- a/django/db/backends/mysql/validation.py
+++ b/django/db/backends/mysql/validation.py
@@ -17,6 +17,10 @@ class DatabaseValidation(BaseDatabaseValidation):
         if getattr(field, 'rel', None) is None:
             field_type = field.db_type(connection)
 
+            # Ignore any non-concrete fields
+            if field_type is None:
+                return errors
+
             if (field_type.startswith('varchar')  # Look for CharFields...
                     and field.unique  # ... that are unique
                     and (field.max_length is None or int(field.max_length) > 255)):
diff --git a/docs/releases/1.7.2.txt b/docs/releases/1.7.2.txt
index 207b7d2a0c..976210367d 100644
--- a/docs/releases/1.7.2.txt
+++ b/docs/releases/1.7.2.txt
@@ -51,8 +51,11 @@ Bugfixes
   (:ticket:`23420`).
 
 * Fixed a migration serializing bug involving ``float("nan")`` and
-  ``float("inf")`` (:ticket:23770:).
+  ``float("inf")`` (:ticket:`23770`).
 
 * Fixed a regression where custom form fields having a ``queryset`` attribute
   but no ``limit_choices_to`` could not be used in a
   :class:`~django.forms.ModelForm` (:ticket:`23795`).
+
+* Fixed a custom field type validation error with MySQL backend when
+  ``db_type`` returned ``None`` (:ticket:`23761`).
diff --git a/tests/invalid_models_tests/test_custom_fields.py b/tests/invalid_models_tests/test_custom_fields.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..03e65b599b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/invalid_models_tests/test_custom_fields.py
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+from django.db import models
+
+from .base import IsolatedModelsTestCase
+
+
+class CustomFieldTest(IsolatedModelsTestCase):
+
+    def test_none_column(self):
+        class NoColumnField(models.AutoField):
+            def db_type(self, connection):
+                # None indicates not to create a column in the database.
+                return None
+
+        class Model(models.Model):
+            field = NoColumnField(primary_key=True, db_column="other_field")
+            other_field = models.IntegerField()
+
+        field = Model._meta.get_field('field')
+        errors = field.check()
+        self.assertEqual(errors, [])