diff --git a/src/net_processing.cpp b/src/net_processing.cpp
--- a/src/net_processing.cpp
+++ b/src/net_processing.cpp
@@ -46,7 +46,12 @@
 /** Minimum time between orphan transactions expire time checks in seconds */
 static constexpr int64_t ORPHAN_TX_EXPIRE_INTERVAL = 5 * 60;
 /** How long to cache transactions in mapRelay for normal relay */
-static constexpr std::chrono::seconds RELAY_TX_CACHE_TIME{15 * 60};
+static constexpr std::chrono::seconds RELAY_TX_CACHE_TIME =
+    std::chrono::minutes{15};
+/** How long a transaction has to be in the mempool before it can
+ * unconditionally be relayed (even when not in mapRelay). */
+static constexpr std::chrono::seconds UNCONDITIONAL_RELAY_DELAY =
+    std::chrono::minutes{2};
 /**
  * Headers download timeout expressed in microseconds.
  * Timeout = base + per_header * (expected number of headers)
@@ -1976,9 +1981,10 @@
 
 //! Determine whether or not a peer can request a transaction, and return it (or
 //! nullptr if not found or not allowed).
-CTransactionRef static FindTxForGetData(
-    const CNode &peer, const TxId &txid, const std::chrono::seconds mempool_req,
-    const std::chrono::seconds longlived_mempool_time) LOCKS_EXCLUDED(cs_main) {
+CTransactionRef static FindTxForGetData(const CNode &peer, const TxId &txid,
+                                        const std::chrono::seconds mempool_req,
+                                        const std::chrono::seconds now)
+    LOCKS_EXCLUDED(cs_main) {
     // Check if the requested transaction is so recent that we're just
     // about to announce it to the peer; if so, they certainly shouldn't
     // know we already have it.
@@ -1993,9 +1999,9 @@
     if (txinfo.tx) {
         // To protect privacy, do not answer getdata using the mempool when
         // that TX couldn't have been INVed in reply to a MEMPOOL request,
-        // or when it's too recent to have expired from mapRelay.
+        // and it's more recent than UNCONDITIONAL_RELAY_DELAY.
         if ((mempool_req.count() && txinfo.m_time <= mempool_req) ||
-            txinfo.m_time <= longlived_mempool_time) {
+            txinfo.m_time <= now - UNCONDITIONAL_RELAY_DELAY) {
             return txinfo.tx;
         }
     }
@@ -2022,9 +2028,7 @@
     std::vector<CInv> vNotFound;
     const CNetMsgMaker msgMaker(pfrom.GetCommonVersion());
 
-    // mempool entries added before this time have likely expired from mapRelay
-    const std::chrono::seconds longlived_mempool_time =
-        GetTime<std::chrono::seconds>() - RELAY_TX_CACHE_TIME;
+    const std::chrono::seconds now = GetTime<std::chrono::seconds>();
     // Get last mempool request time
     const std::chrono::seconds mempool_req =
         pfrom.m_tx_relay != nullptr
@@ -2052,8 +2056,8 @@
             continue;
         }
 
-        CTransactionRef tx = FindTxForGetData(
-            pfrom, TxId{inv.hash}, mempool_req, longlived_mempool_time);
+        CTransactionRef tx =
+            FindTxForGetData(pfrom, TxId{inv.hash}, mempool_req, now);
         if (tx) {
             int nSendFlags = 0;
             connman.PushMessage(&pfrom,