diff --git a/UPGRADE-3.0.md b/UPGRADE-3.0.md
index e15b0d3d8310f..7f4c9671e3712 100644
--- a/UPGRADE-3.0.md
+++ b/UPGRADE-3.0.md
@@ -490,6 +490,25 @@ UPGRADE FROM 2.x to 3.0
    `Symfony\Component\Form\Extension\Csrf\CsrfProvider\CsrfProviderInterface`
    interface.
    The `security.csrf.token_manager` should be used instead.
+   
+ * The ability to pass `apc` as the `framework.validation.cache` config option value has been removed. Use `validator.mapping.cache.apc` instead:
+   
+   Before:
+   
+   ```yaml
+   framework:
+       validation:
+           cache: apc
+   ```
+   
+   After:
+   
+   ```yaml
+   framework:
+       validation:
+           cache: validator.mapping.cache.apc
+   ```
+ 
 
 ### HttpKernel
 
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/DependencyInjection/Configuration.php b/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/DependencyInjection/Configuration.php
index a6c95874c34f2..a0ccb55a0980b 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/DependencyInjection/Configuration.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/DependencyInjection/Configuration.php
@@ -436,12 +436,7 @@ private function addValidationSection(ArrayNodeDefinition $rootNode)
                     ->info('validation configuration')
                     ->canBeEnabled()
                     ->children()
-                        ->scalarNode('cache')
-                            ->beforeNormalization()
-                                // Can be removed in 3.0, once ApcCache support is dropped
-                                ->ifString()->then(function ($v) { return 'apc' === $v ? 'validator.mapping.cache.apc' : $v; })
-                            ->end()
-                        ->end()
+                        ->scalarNode('cache')->end()
                         ->booleanNode('enable_annotations')->defaultFalse()->end()
                         ->arrayNode('static_method')
                             ->defaultValue(array('loadValidatorMetadata'))
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Resources/config/validator.xml b/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Resources/config/validator.xml
index ac153f91b27a5..5678654df63b6 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Resources/config/validator.xml
+++ b/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Resources/config/validator.xml
@@ -28,8 +28,16 @@
 
         <service id="validator.mapping.class_metadata_factory" alias="validator" public="false" />
 
-        <service id="validator.mapping.cache.apc" class="Symfony\Component\Validator\Mapping\Cache\ApcCache" public="false">
-            <argument>%validator.mapping.cache.prefix%</argument>
+        <service id="validator.mapping.cache.apc" alias="validator.mapping.cache.doctrine.apc" />
+
+        <service id="validator.mapping.cache.doctrine.apc" class="Symfony\Component\Validator\Mapping\Cache\DoctrineCache" public="false">
+            <argument type="service">
+                <service class="Doctrine\Common\Cache\ApcCache">
+                    <call method="setNamespace">
+                        <argument>%validator.mapping.cache.prefix%</argument>
+                    </call>
+                </service>
+            </argument>
         </service>
 
         <service id="validator.validator_factory" class="Symfony\Bundle\FrameworkBundle\Validator\ConstraintValidatorFactory" public="false">
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Tests/DependencyInjection/Fixtures/php/full.php b/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Tests/DependencyInjection/Fixtures/php/full.php
index b6780cfa54ce2..bbb458caeff8a 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Tests/DependencyInjection/Fixtures/php/full.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Tests/DependencyInjection/Fixtures/php/full.php
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@
     ),
     'validation' => array(
         'enabled' => true,
-        'cache' => 'apc',
+        'cache' => 'validator.mapping.cache.apc',
     ),
     'annotations' => array(
         'cache' => 'file',
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Tests/DependencyInjection/Fixtures/xml/full.xml b/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Tests/DependencyInjection/Fixtures/xml/full.xml
index a7a42d0605c52..28714bf59855c 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Tests/DependencyInjection/Fixtures/xml/full.xml
+++ b/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Tests/DependencyInjection/Fixtures/xml/full.xml
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
         <framework:translator enabled="true" fallback="fr" logging="true">
             <framework:path>%kernel.root_dir%/Fixtures/translations</framework:path>
         </framework:translator>
-        <framework:validation enabled="true" cache="apc" />
+        <framework:validation enabled="true" cache="validator.mapping.cache.apc" />
         <framework:annotations cache="file" debug="true" file-cache-dir="%kernel.cache_dir%/annotations" />
         <framework:serializer enabled="true" enable-annotations="true" cache="serializer.mapping.cache.apc" name-converter="serializer.name_converter.camel_case_to_snake_case" />
     </framework:config>
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Tests/DependencyInjection/Fixtures/yml/full.yml b/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Tests/DependencyInjection/Fixtures/yml/full.yml
index 572c5beac34ca..fcc662b3fe79c 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Tests/DependencyInjection/Fixtures/yml/full.yml
+++ b/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Tests/DependencyInjection/Fixtures/yml/full.yml
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ framework:
         paths: ['%kernel.root_dir%/Fixtures/translations']
     validation:
         enabled: true
-        cache:   apc
+        cache:   validator.mapping.cache.apc
     annotations:
         cache:   file
         debug:   true