diff --git a/hapi-fhir-structures-dstu3/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/dstu3/elementmodel/Property.java b/hapi-fhir-structures-dstu3/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/dstu3/elementmodel/Property.java
index 0c5a2510b81..62ade417214 100644
--- a/hapi-fhir-structures-dstu3/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/dstu3/elementmodel/Property.java
+++ b/hapi-fhir-structures-dstu3/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/dstu3/elementmodel/Property.java
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package org.hl7.fhir.dstu3.elementmodel;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
 
+import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils;
 import org.hl7.fhir.dstu3.conformance.ProfileUtilities;
 import org.hl7.fhir.dstu3.context.IWorkerContext;
 import org.hl7.fhir.dstu3.formats.FormatUtilities;
@@ -240,7 +241,13 @@ public class Property {
         }
       }
       if (!"xhtml".equals(t)) {
-        sd = context.fetchResource(StructureDefinition.class, "http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/"+t);
+        final String url;
+        if (StringUtils.isNotBlank(ed.getType().get(0).getProfile())) {
+          url = ed.getType().get(0).getProfile();
+        } else {
+          url = "http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/" + t;
+        }
+        sd = context.fetchResource(StructureDefinition.class, url);
         if (sd == null)
           throw new DefinitionException("Unable to find class '"+t+"' for name '"+elementName+"' on property "+definition.getPath());
         children = ProfileUtilities.getChildMap(sd, sd.getSnapshot().getElement().get(0));
diff --git a/hapi-fhir-structures-hl7org-dstu2/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/instance/validation/InstanceValidator.java b/hapi-fhir-structures-hl7org-dstu2/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/instance/validation/InstanceValidator.java
index 8c453d9900c..5a323ca47ff 100644
--- a/hapi-fhir-structures-hl7org-dstu2/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/instance/validation/InstanceValidator.java
+++ b/hapi-fhir-structures-hl7org-dstu2/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/instance/validation/InstanceValidator.java
@@ -993,8 +993,15 @@ public class InstanceValidator extends BaseValidator implements IResourceValidat
     return null;
   }
 
-  private StructureDefinition getProfileForType(String type) throws Exception {
-    return context.fetchResource(StructureDefinition.class, "http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/" + type);
+  private StructureDefinition getProfileForType(ElementDefinition ed, String type) throws Exception {
+    //return context.fetchResource(StructureDefinition.class, "http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/" + type);
+    final String url;
+    if (!"Reference".equals(type) && ed.getType().get(0).hasProfile()) {
+      url = ed.getType().get(0).getProfile().get(0).getValue();
+    } else {
+      url = "http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/" + type;
+    }
+    return context.fetchResource(StructureDefinition.class, url);    
   }
 
   private Element getValueForDiscriminator(WrapperElement element, String discriminator, ElementDefinition criteria) {
@@ -1182,8 +1189,14 @@ public class InstanceValidator extends BaseValidator implements IResourceValidat
       return context.fetchResource(StructureDefinition.class, pr);
   }
 
-  private ElementDefinition resolveType(String type) throws EOperationOutcome, Exception {
-    String url = "http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/" + type;
+  private ElementDefinition resolveType(ElementDefinition ed, String type) throws EOperationOutcome, Exception {
+    final String url;
+    if (ed.getType().get(0).hasProfile()) {
+      url = ed.getType().get(0).getProfile().get(0).getValue();
+    } else {
+      url = "http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/" + type;
+    }
+
     StructureDefinition sd = context.fetchResource(StructureDefinition.class, url);
     if (sd == null || !sd.hasSnapshot())
       return null;
@@ -1803,7 +1816,7 @@ public class InstanceValidator extends BaseValidator implements IResourceValidat
             type = null;
           }
         }
-        NodeStack localStack = stack.push(ei.element, ei.count, ei.definition, type == null ? typeDefn : resolveType(type));
+        NodeStack localStack = stack.push(ei.element, ei.count, ei.definition, type == null ? typeDefn : resolveType(ei.definition, type));
         String localStackLiterapPath = localStack.getLiteralPath();
         String eiPath = ei.path;
         assert(eiPath.equals(localStackLiterapPath)) : "ei.path: " + ei.path + "  -  localStack.getLiterapPath: " + localStackLiterapPath;
@@ -1828,7 +1841,7 @@ public class InstanceValidator extends BaseValidator implements IResourceValidat
               validateContains(errors, ei.path, ei.definition, definition, ei.element, localStack, !isBundleEntry(ei.path) && !isParametersEntry(ei.path)); // if
                                                                                                                              // (str.matches(".*([.,/])work\\1$"))
             else {
-              StructureDefinition p = getProfileForType(type);
+              StructureDefinition p = getProfileForType(ei.definition, type);
               if (rule(errors, IssueType.STRUCTURE, ei.line(), ei.col(), ei.path, p != null, "Unknown type " + type)) {
                 validateElement(errors, p, p.getSnapshot().getElement().get(0), profile, ei.definition, ei.element, type, localStack);
               }