diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/DOIDataCiteServiceBean.java b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/DOIDataCiteServiceBean.java
index 2adecc63eb5..e4cafe56185 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/DOIDataCiteServiceBean.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/DOIDataCiteServiceBean.java
@@ -31,9 +31,22 @@ public boolean registerWhenPublished() {
 
     @Override
     public boolean alreadyExists(DvObject dvObject) {
+        if(dvObject==null) {
+            logger.severe("Null DvObject sent to alreadyExists().");
+            return false;
+        }
+        return alreadyExists(dvObject.getGlobalId());
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean alreadyExists(GlobalId pid) {
         logger.log(Level.FINE,"alreadyExists");
+        if(pid==null) {
+            logger.severe("No identifier sent.");
+            return false;
+        }
         boolean alreadyExists;
-        String identifier = getIdentifier(dvObject);
+        String identifier = pid.asString();
         try{
             alreadyExists = doiDataCiteRegisterService.testDOIExists(identifier); 
         } catch (Exception e){
@@ -43,7 +56,6 @@ public boolean alreadyExists(DvObject dvObject) {
         return  alreadyExists;
     }
     
-    
 
     @Override
     public String createIdentifier(DvObject dvObject) throws Exception {
diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/DOIEZIdServiceBean.java b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/DOIEZIdServiceBean.java
index ab622fc5b43..d21caf32411 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/DOIEZIdServiceBean.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/DOIEZIdServiceBean.java
@@ -51,22 +51,31 @@ public boolean registerWhenPublished() {
 
     @Override
     public boolean alreadyExists(DvObject dvObject) throws Exception {
+        if(dvObject==null) {
+            logger.severe("Null DvObject sent to alreadyExists().");
+            return false;
+        }
+        return alreadyExists(dvObject.getGlobalId());
+    }
+    
+    @Override
+    public boolean alreadyExists(GlobalId pid) throws Exception {
         logger.log(Level.FINE,"alreadyExists");
         try {
-            HashMap<String, String> result = ezidService.getMetadata(getIdentifier(dvObject));            
+            HashMap<String, String> result = ezidService.getMetadata(pid.asString());            
             return result != null && !result.isEmpty();
             // TODO just check for HTTP status code 200/404, sadly the status code is swept under the carpet
         } catch (EZIDException e ){
             //No such identifier is treated as an exception
             //but if that is the case then we want to just return false
-            if(dvObject.getIdentifier() == null){
+            if(pid.getIdentifier() == null){
                 return false;
             }
             if (e.getLocalizedMessage().contains("no such identifier")){
                 return false;
             }
             logger.log(Level.WARNING, "alreadyExists failed");
-            logger.log(Level.WARNING, "getIdentifier(dvObject) {0}", getIdentifier(dvObject));
+            logger.log(Level.WARNING, "getIdentifier(dvObject) {0}", pid.asString());
             logger.log(Level.WARNING, "String {0}", e.toString());
             logger.log(Level.WARNING, "localized message {0}", e.getLocalizedMessage());
             logger.log(Level.WARNING, "cause", e.getCause());
diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/DataFileServiceBean.java b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/DataFileServiceBean.java
index 71d25a146c1..47b4848d458 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/DataFileServiceBean.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/DataFileServiceBean.java
@@ -1567,7 +1567,7 @@ public boolean isGlobalIdUnique(String userIdentifier, DataFile datafile, Global
             .getResultList().isEmpty();
             
         try{
-            if (idServiceBean.alreadyExists(datafile)) {
+            if (idServiceBean.alreadyExists(new GlobalId(testProtocol, testAuthority, userIdentifier))) {
                 u = false;
             }
         } catch (Exception e){
diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/GlobalIdServiceBean.java b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/GlobalIdServiceBean.java
index b649831bf52..0d64c1050b8 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/GlobalIdServiceBean.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/GlobalIdServiceBean.java
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ public interface GlobalIdServiceBean {
     static final Logger logger = Logger.getLogger(GlobalIdServiceBean.class.getCanonicalName());
 
     boolean alreadyExists(DvObject dvo) throws Exception;
+    
+    boolean alreadyExists(GlobalId globalId) throws Exception;
 
     boolean registerWhenPublished();
     
diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/HandlenetServiceBean.java b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/HandlenetServiceBean.java
index 30572f27b36..c13a50d1cf9 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/HandlenetServiceBean.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/HandlenetServiceBean.java
@@ -323,6 +323,12 @@ public boolean alreadyExists(DvObject dvObject) throws Exception {
         return isHandleRegistered(handle);
     }
     
+    @Override
+    public boolean alreadyExists(GlobalId pid) throws Exception {
+        String handle = pid.getAuthority() + "/" + pid.getIdentifier();
+        return isHandleRegistered(handle);
+    }
+    
     @Override
     public Map<String,String> getIdentifierMetadata(DvObject dvObject) {
         throw new NotImplementedException();
diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/pidproviders/FakePidProviderServiceBean.java b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/pidproviders/FakePidProviderServiceBean.java
index 389e5b3d874..ce9e281e986 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/pidproviders/FakePidProviderServiceBean.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/pidproviders/FakePidProviderServiceBean.java
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.AbstractGlobalIdServiceBean;
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.DvObject;
+import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.GlobalId;
+
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.List;
@@ -15,6 +17,11 @@ public class FakePidProviderServiceBean extends AbstractGlobalIdServiceBean {
     public boolean alreadyExists(DvObject dvo) throws Exception {
         return true;
     }
+    
+    @Override
+    public boolean alreadyExists(GlobalId globalId) throws Exception {
+        return true;
+    }
 
     @Override
     public boolean registerWhenPublished() {