diff --git a/src/go/build/build.go b/src/go/build/build.go
index 406cb046ea..17446ee4ce 100644
--- a/src/go/build/build.go
+++ b/src/go/build/build.go
@@ -529,10 +529,7 @@ func (ctxt *Context) Import(path string, srcDir string, mode ImportMode) (*Packa
 		if !ctxt.isAbsPath(path) {
 			p.Dir = ctxt.joinPath(srcDir, path)
 		}
-		if !ctxt.isDir(p.Dir) {
-			// package was not found
-			return p, fmt.Errorf("cannot find package %q in:\n\t%s", path, p.Dir)
-		}
+		// p.Dir directory may or may not exist. Gather partial information first, check if it exists later.
 		// Determine canonical import path, if any.
 		// Exclude results where the import path would include /testdata/.
 		inTestdata := func(sub string) bool {
@@ -687,6 +684,16 @@ Found:
 		}
 	}
 
+	// If it's a local import path, by the time we get here, we still haven't checked
+	// that p.Dir directory exists. This is the right time to do that check.
+	// We can't do it earlier, because we want to gather partial information for the
+	// non-nil *Package returned when an error occurs.
+	// We need to do this before we return early on FindOnly flag.
+	if IsLocalImport(path) && !ctxt.isDir(p.Dir) {
+		// package was not found
+		return p, fmt.Errorf("cannot find package %q in:\n\t%s", path, p.Dir)
+	}
+
 	if mode&FindOnly != 0 {
 		return p, pkgerr
 	}
diff --git a/src/go/build/build_test.go b/src/go/build/build_test.go
index 68d3c529db..979f76c177 100644
--- a/src/go/build/build_test.go
+++ b/src/go/build/build_test.go
@@ -303,6 +303,7 @@ func TestShellSafety(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 // Want to get a "cannot find package" error when directory for package does not exist.
+// There should be valid partial information in the returned non-nil *Package.
 func TestImportDirNotExist(t *testing.T) {
 	testenv.MustHaveGoBuild(t) // really must just have source
 	ctxt := Default
@@ -319,10 +320,19 @@ func TestImportDirNotExist(t *testing.T) {
 		{"Import(local, FindOnly)", "./doesnotexist", filepath.Join(ctxt.GOROOT, "src/go/build"), FindOnly},
 	}
 	for _, test := range tests {
-		_, err := ctxt.Import(test.path, test.srcDir, test.mode)
+		p, err := ctxt.Import(test.path, test.srcDir, test.mode)
 		if err == nil || !strings.HasPrefix(err.Error(), "cannot find package") {
 			t.Errorf(`%s got error: %q, want "cannot find package" error`, test.label, err)
 		}
+		// If an error occurs, build.Import is documented to return
+		// a non-nil *Package containing partial information.
+		if p == nil {
+			t.Fatalf(`%s got nil p, want non-nil *Package`, test.label)
+		}
+		// Verify partial information in p.
+		if p.ImportPath != "go/build/doesnotexist" {
+			t.Errorf(`%s got p.ImportPath: %q, want "go/build/doesnotexist"`, test.label, p.ImportPath)
+		}
 	}
 }