diff --git a/.changeset/witty-pets-march.md b/.changeset/witty-pets-march.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..163d146027
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/witty-pets-march.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/frontend-plugin-api': patch
+---
+
+Allow route references to be installed in multiple app instances as long as their name is the same.
diff --git a/packages/frontend-plugin-api/src/routing/RouteRef.test.ts b/packages/frontend-plugin-api/src/routing/RouteRef.test.ts
index de7a3de887..570723df9a 100644
--- a/packages/frontend-plugin-api/src/routing/RouteRef.test.ts
+++ b/packages/frontend-plugin-api/src/routing/RouteRef.test.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ describe('RouteRef', () => {
 
     internal.setId('some-id');
     expect(String(internal)).toBe('RouteRef{some-id}');
+    internal.setId('some-id'); // Should allow same ID
 
     expect(() => internal.setId('some-other-id')).toThrow(
       "RouteRef was referenced twice as both 'some-id' and 'some-other-id'",
diff --git a/packages/frontend-plugin-api/src/routing/RouteRef.ts b/packages/frontend-plugin-api/src/routing/RouteRef.ts
index da562e5273..1678e14cd4 100644
--- a/packages/frontend-plugin-api/src/routing/RouteRef.ts
+++ b/packages/frontend-plugin-api/src/routing/RouteRef.ts
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ export class RouteRefImpl implements InternalRouteRef {
     if (!id) {
       throw new Error(`${this.#name} id must be a non-empty string`);
     }
-    if (this.#id) {
+    if (this.#id && this.#id !== id) {
       throw new Error(
         `${this.#name} was referenced twice as both '${this.#id}' and '${id}'`,
       );