diff --git a/drivers/nvme/target/configfs.c b/drivers/nvme/target/configfs.c
index 73ae16059a1c..b1f5fa45bb4a 100644
--- a/drivers/nvme/target/configfs.c
+++ b/drivers/nvme/target/configfs.c
@@ -615,6 +615,19 @@ static struct configfs_attribute *nvmet_ns_attrs[] = {
 	NULL,
 };
 
+bool nvmet_subsys_nsid_exists(struct nvmet_subsys *subsys, u32 nsid)
+{
+	struct config_item *ns_item;
+	char name[4] = {};
+
+	if (sprintf(name, "%u", nsid) <= 0)
+		return false;
+	mutex_lock(&subsys->namespaces_group.cg_subsys->su_mutex);
+	ns_item = config_group_find_item(&subsys->namespaces_group, name);
+	mutex_unlock(&subsys->namespaces_group.cg_subsys->su_mutex);
+	return ns_item != NULL;
+}
+
 static void nvmet_ns_release(struct config_item *item)
 {
 	struct nvmet_ns *ns = to_nvmet_ns(item);
diff --git a/drivers/nvme/target/core.c b/drivers/nvme/target/core.c
index 3235baf7cc6b..7b74926c50f9 100644
--- a/drivers/nvme/target/core.c
+++ b/drivers/nvme/target/core.c
@@ -423,10 +423,13 @@ void nvmet_stop_keep_alive_timer(struct nvmet_ctrl *ctrl)
 u16 nvmet_req_find_ns(struct nvmet_req *req)
 {
 	u32 nsid = le32_to_cpu(req->cmd->common.nsid);
+	struct nvmet_subsys *subsys = nvmet_req_subsys(req);
 
-	req->ns = xa_load(&nvmet_req_subsys(req)->namespaces, nsid);
+	req->ns = xa_load(&subsys->namespaces, nsid);
 	if (unlikely(!req->ns)) {
 		req->error_loc = offsetof(struct nvme_common_command, nsid);
+		if (nvmet_subsys_nsid_exists(subsys, nsid))
+			return NVME_SC_INTERNAL_PATH_ERROR;
 		return NVME_SC_INVALID_NS | NVME_SC_DNR;
 	}
 
diff --git a/drivers/nvme/target/nvmet.h b/drivers/nvme/target/nvmet.h
index 273cca49a040..6aee0ce60a4b 100644
--- a/drivers/nvme/target/nvmet.h
+++ b/drivers/nvme/target/nvmet.h
@@ -527,6 +527,7 @@ void nvmet_subsys_disc_changed(struct nvmet_subsys *subsys,
 		struct nvmet_host *host);
 void nvmet_add_async_event(struct nvmet_ctrl *ctrl, u8 event_type,
 		u8 event_info, u8 log_page);
+bool nvmet_subsys_nsid_exists(struct nvmet_subsys *subsys, u32 nsid);
 
 #define NVMET_QUEUE_SIZE	1024
 #define NVMET_NR_QUEUES		128