diff --git a/packages/concerto-core/lib/introspect/classdeclaration.js b/packages/concerto-core/lib/introspect/classdeclaration.js
index 95025494e2..acd6bb7b4d 100644
--- a/packages/concerto-core/lib/introspect/classdeclaration.js
+++ b/packages/concerto-core/lib/introspect/classdeclaration.js
@@ -225,18 +225,20 @@ class ClassDeclaration extends Decorated {
                 if (idField.isOptional()) {
                     throw new IllegalModelException('Identifying fields cannot be optional.', this.modelFile, this.ast.location);
                 }
-                if (this.getSuperType()) {
-                    const superType = this.getModelFile().getType(this.superType);
 
-                    if(this.isSystemIdentified()) {
-                        // check that the super type is also system identified
-                        if(!superType.isSystemIdentified()) {
-                            throw new IllegalModelException(`Super class has an explicit identifier ${superType.getIdentifierFieldName()} that cannot be redeclared.`, this.modelFile, this.ast.location);
+                if(this.superType) {
+                    const superType = this.getModelFile().getType(this.superType);
+                    if (superType && superType.getIdentifierFieldName() ) {
+                        if(this.isSystemIdentified()) {
+                            // check that the super type is also system identified
+                            if(!superType.isSystemIdentified()) {
+                                throw new IllegalModelException(`Super class ${superType.getFullyQualifiedName()} has an explicit identifier ${superType.getIdentifierFieldName()} that cannot be redeclared.`, this.modelFile, this.ast.location);
+                            }
                         }
-                    }
-                    else {
-                        if(superType.isExplicitlyIdentified()) {
-                            throw new IllegalModelException(`Super class has an explicit identifier ${superType.getIdentifierFieldName()} that cannot be redeclared.`, this.modelFile, this.ast.location);
+                        else {
+                            if(superType.isExplicitlyIdentified()) {
+                                throw new IllegalModelException(`Super class ${superType.getFullyQualifiedName()} has an explicit identifier ${superType.getIdentifierFieldName()} that cannot be redeclared.`, this.modelFile, this.ast.location);
+                            }
                         }
                     }
                 }
diff --git a/packages/concerto-core/lib/introspect/identifieddeclaration.js b/packages/concerto-core/lib/introspect/identifieddeclaration.js
index 0620d51b89..a1ec6e4d7a 100644
--- a/packages/concerto-core/lib/introspect/identifieddeclaration.js
+++ b/packages/concerto-core/lib/introspect/identifieddeclaration.js
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ class IdentifiedDeclaration extends ClassDeclaration {
     constructor(modelFile, ast) {
         super(modelFile, ast);
         this._isIdentifiedDeclaration = true;
+        this.process();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -47,7 +48,7 @@ class IdentifiedDeclaration extends ClassDeclaration {
     process() {
         super.process();
 
-        if(!this.superType && !this.idField) {
+        if(this.superType === 'Concept' && !this.idField) {
             this.idField = '$identifier';
             this.addIdentifierField();
         }
diff --git a/packages/concerto-core/test/introspect/classdeclaration.js b/packages/concerto-core/test/introspect/classdeclaration.js
index 5bbaf9650f..f8ec5c3310 100644
--- a/packages/concerto-core/test/introspect/classdeclaration.js
+++ b/packages/concerto-core/test/introspect/classdeclaration.js
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ describe('ClassDeclaration', () => {
             let asset = introspectUtils.loadLastDeclaration('test/data/parser/classdeclaration.identifierextendsfromsupertype.cto', AssetDeclaration);
             (() => {
                 asset.validate();
-            }).should.throw(/Super class has an explicit identifier a1 that cannot be redeclared/);
+            }).should.throw(/Super class com.testing.p1 has an explicit identifier a1 that cannot be redeclared/);
         });
 
         // TODO: This has been disabled pending major version bump and/or confirmation that this is illegal
diff --git a/packages/concerto-core/test/introspect/identifieddeclaration.js b/packages/concerto-core/test/introspect/identifieddeclaration.js
index ce8b77c069..dbdf390a76 100644
--- a/packages/concerto-core/test/introspect/identifieddeclaration.js
+++ b/packages/concerto-core/test/introspect/identifieddeclaration.js
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ asset Order identified by sku {
                 }
                 
                             `, 'test.cto');
-            }).should.throw(/Super class has an explicit identifier sku that cannot be redeclared./);
+            }).should.throw(/Super class test.Order has an explicit identifier sku that cannot be redeclared./);
         });
 
         it('should not allow overriding system identifier', () => {
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ asset Order identified by sku {
                 }
                 
                             `, 'test.cto');
-            }).should.throw(/Super class has an explicit identifier sku that cannot be redeclared./);
+            }).should.throw(/Super class test.Order has an explicit identifier sku that cannot be redeclared./);
         });
 
         it('should not allow overriding explicit identifier with an explicit identifier', () => {
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ asset Order identified by sku {
                 }
                 
                             `, 'test.cto');
-            }).should.throw(/Super class has an explicit identifier sku that cannot be redeclared./);
+            }).should.throw(/Super class test.Order has an explicit identifier sku that cannot be redeclared./);
         });
 
         it('should not allow field called $identifier', () => {