diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 046a2c08a9..e59af82c41 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@
   ```
 - Adds tags with Expo Updates context variables to make them searchable and filterable ([#5788](https://github.com/getsentry/sentry-react-native/pull/5788))
 
+### Fixes
+
+- Defer initial navigation span creation until navigation container is registered ([#5789](https://github.com/getsentry/sentry-react-native/pull/5789))
+
 ## 8.3.0
 
 ### Features
diff --git a/packages/core/src/js/tracing/reactnavigation.ts b/packages/core/src/js/tracing/reactnavigation.ts
index aa9f549bb8..9296be1d3d 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/js/tracing/reactnavigation.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/js/tracing/reactnavigation.ts
@@ -195,6 +195,7 @@ export const reactNavigationIntegration = ({
   let navigationProcessingSpan: Span | undefined;
 
   let initialStateHandled: boolean = false;
+  let isSetupComplete: boolean = false;
   let stateChangeTimeout: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | undefined;
   let recentRouteKeys: string[] = [];
 
@@ -233,14 +234,15 @@ export const reactNavigationIntegration = ({
       }
     });
 
-    startIdleNavigationSpan();
+    isSetupComplete = true;
 
     if (!navigationContainer) {
       // This is expected as navigation container is registered after the root component is mounted.
       return undefined;
     }
 
-    // Navigation container already registered, just populate with route state
+    // Navigation container already registered, create and populate initial span
+    startIdleNavigationSpan();
     updateLatestNavigationSpanWithCurrentRoute();
     initialStateHandled = true;
   };
@@ -282,8 +284,13 @@ export const reactNavigationIntegration = ({
     }
 
     if (!latestNavigationSpan) {
-      debug.log(`${INTEGRATION_NAME} Navigation container registered, but integration has not been setup yet.`);
-      return undefined;
+      if (!isSetupComplete) {
+        debug.log(
+          `${INTEGRATION_NAME} Navigation container registered before integration setup. Initial span will be created when setup completes.`,
+        );
+        return undefined;
+      }
+      startIdleNavigationSpan();
     }
 
     // Navigation Container is registered after the first navigation
diff --git a/packages/core/test/tracing/reactnavigation.test.ts b/packages/core/test/tracing/reactnavigation.test.ts
index fc478b3f99..d5a4baa541 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/tracing/reactnavigation.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/tracing/reactnavigation.test.ts
@@ -597,6 +597,176 @@ describe('ReactNavigationInstrumentation', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('deferred initial span creation', () => {
+    test('initial span is created in registerNavigationContainer when called after afterAllSetup', async () => {
+      const instrumentation = reactNavigationIntegration({
+        routeChangeTimeoutMs: 200,
+      });
+
+      const options = getDefaultTestClientOptions({
+        enableNativeFramesTracking: false,
+        enableStallTracking: false,
+        tracesSampleRate: 1.0,
+        integrations: [instrumentation],
+        enableAppStartTracking: false,
+      });
+      client = new TestClient(options);
+      setCurrentClient(client);
+      client.init();
+
+      // No span created yet — no navigation container registered
+      expect(getActiveSpan()).toBeUndefined();
+
+      // Register navigation container after init (production flow)
+      const mockNavigationContainer = new MockNavigationContainer();
+      instrumentation.registerNavigationContainer({ current: mockNavigationContainer });
+
+      const span = getActiveSpan();
+      expect(span).toBeDefined();
+      expect(spanToJSON(span!).description).toBe('Route');
+
+      await jest.runOnlyPendingTimersAsync();
+      await client.flush();
+
+      expect(client.event).toEqual(
+        expect.objectContaining({
+          type: 'transaction',
+          transaction: 'Route',
+        }),
+      );
+    });
+
+    test('initial span is not discarded by idle timeout when container registers after init', async () => {
+      const instrumentation = reactNavigationIntegration({
+        routeChangeTimeoutMs: 200,
+      });
+
+      const options = getDefaultTestClientOptions({
+        enableNativeFramesTracking: false,
+        enableStallTracking: false,
+        tracesSampleRate: 1.0,
+        integrations: [instrumentation],
+        enableAppStartTracking: false,
+      });
+      client = new TestClient(options);
+      setCurrentClient(client);
+      client.init();
+
+      // Simulate a delay before container registration (e.g. auth gate, slow render)
+      jest.advanceTimersByTime(500);
+      expect(getActiveSpan()).toBeUndefined();
+
+      // Register after 500ms — should still create the span successfully
+      const mockNavigationContainer = new MockNavigationContainer();
+      instrumentation.registerNavigationContainer({ current: mockNavigationContainer });
+
+      const span = getActiveSpan();
+      expect(span).toBeDefined();
+
+      await jest.runOnlyPendingTimersAsync();
+      await client.flush();
+
+      expect(client.event).toEqual(
+        expect.objectContaining({
+          type: 'transaction',
+          transaction: 'Route',
+        }),
+      );
+    });
+
+    test('afterAllSetup does not create span when navigation container is not registered', () => {
+      const instrumentation = reactNavigationIntegration();
+
+      const options = getDefaultTestClientOptions({
+        enableNativeFramesTracking: false,
+        enableStallTracking: false,
+        tracesSampleRate: 1.0,
+        integrations: [instrumentation],
+        enableAppStartTracking: false,
+      });
+      client = new TestClient(options);
+      setCurrentClient(client);
+      client.init();
+
+      // No navigation container registered — no span should be created
+      expect(getActiveSpan()).toBeUndefined();
+    });
+
+    test('subsequent navigations work after deferred initial span', async () => {
+      const instrumentation = reactNavigationIntegration({
+        routeChangeTimeoutMs: 200,
+      });
+
+      const options = getDefaultTestClientOptions({
+        enableNativeFramesTracking: false,
+        enableStallTracking: false,
+        tracesSampleRate: 1.0,
+        integrations: [instrumentation],
+        enableAppStartTracking: false,
+      });
+      client = new TestClient(options);
+      setCurrentClient(client);
+      client.init();
+
+      mockNavigation = createMockNavigationAndAttachTo(instrumentation);
+
+      // Flush the initial span
+      jest.runOnlyPendingTimers();
+      await client.flush();
+
+      expect(client.event).toEqual(
+        expect.objectContaining({
+          type: 'transaction',
+          transaction: 'Initial Screen',
+        }),
+      );
+
+      // Navigate to a new screen
+      mockNavigation.navigateToNewScreen();
+      jest.runOnlyPendingTimers();
+      await client.flush();
+
+      expect(client.event).toEqual(
+        expect.objectContaining({
+          type: 'transaction',
+          transaction: 'New Screen',
+        }),
+      );
+    });
+
+    test('runApplication creates span after deferred initial state is handled', async () => {
+      const { mockedOnRunApplication } = mockAppRegistryIntegration();
+
+      const instrumentation = reactNavigationIntegration();
+
+      const options = getDefaultTestClientOptions({
+        enableNativeFramesTracking: false,
+        enableStallTracking: false,
+        tracesSampleRate: 1.0,
+        integrations: [instrumentation],
+        enableAppStartTracking: false,
+      });
+      client = new TestClient(options);
+      setCurrentClient(client);
+      client.init();
+
+      // Register container after init
+      const mockNavigationContainer = new MockNavigationContainer();
+      instrumentation.registerNavigationContainer({ current: mockNavigationContainer });
+
+      // Flush initial span
+      await jest.runOnlyPendingTimersAsync();
+
+      // Simulate app restart via runApplication
+      const runApplicationCallback = mockedOnRunApplication.mock.calls[0][0];
+      runApplicationCallback();
+
+      const span = getActiveSpan();
+      expect(span).toBeDefined();
+      expect(spanToJSON(span!).op).toBe('navigation');
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('options', () => {
     test('waits until routeChangeTimeoutMs', () => {
       const instrumentation = reactNavigationIntegration({