diff --git a/aws/resource_aws_elasticsearch_domain.go b/aws/resource_aws_elasticsearch_domain.go
index 3c11c779e95..a393fbcfe90 100644
--- a/aws/resource_aws_elasticsearch_domain.go
+++ b/aws/resource_aws_elasticsearch_domain.go
@@ -476,9 +476,11 @@ func resourceAwsElasticSearchDomainCreate(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface
 		}
 		return nil
 	})
-
+	if isResourceTimeoutError(err) {
+		out, err = conn.CreateElasticsearchDomain(&input)
+	}
 	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		return fmt.Errorf("Error creating ElasticSearch domain: %s", err)
 	}
 
 	d.SetId(aws.StringValue(out.DomainStatus.ARN))
@@ -509,10 +511,13 @@ func resourceAwsElasticSearchDomainCreate(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface
 }
 
 func waitForElasticSearchDomainCreation(conn *elasticsearch.ElasticsearchService, domainName, arn string) error {
-	return resource.Retry(60*time.Minute, func() *resource.RetryError {
-		out, err := conn.DescribeElasticsearchDomain(&elasticsearch.DescribeElasticsearchDomainInput{
-			DomainName: aws.String(domainName),
-		})
+	input := &elasticsearch.DescribeElasticsearchDomainInput{
+		DomainName: aws.String(domainName),
+	}
+	var out *elasticsearch.DescribeElasticsearchDomainOutput
+	err := resource.Retry(60*time.Minute, func() *resource.RetryError {
+		var err error
+		out, err = conn.DescribeElasticsearchDomain(input)
 		if err != nil {
 			return resource.NonRetryableError(err)
 		}
@@ -524,6 +529,19 @@ func waitForElasticSearchDomainCreation(conn *elasticsearch.ElasticsearchService
 		return resource.RetryableError(
 			fmt.Errorf("%q: Timeout while waiting for the domain to be created", arn))
 	})
+	if isResourceTimeoutError(err) {
+		out, err = conn.DescribeElasticsearchDomain(input)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("Error describing ElasticSearch domain: %s", err)
+		}
+		if !*out.DomainStatus.Processing && (out.DomainStatus.Endpoint != nil || out.DomainStatus.Endpoints != nil) {
+			return nil
+		}
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("Error waiting for ElasticSearch domain to be created: %s", err)
+	}
+	return nil
 }
 
 func resourceAwsElasticSearchDomainRead(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) error {
@@ -727,10 +745,12 @@ func resourceAwsElasticSearchDomainUpdate(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface
 		return err
 	}
 
+	descInput := &elasticsearch.DescribeElasticsearchDomainInput{
+		DomainName: aws.String(d.Get("domain_name").(string)),
+	}
+	var out *elasticsearch.DescribeElasticsearchDomainOutput
 	err = resource.Retry(60*time.Minute, func() *resource.RetryError {
-		out, err := conn.DescribeElasticsearchDomain(&elasticsearch.DescribeElasticsearchDomainInput{
-			DomainName: aws.String(d.Get("domain_name").(string)),
-		})
+		out, err = conn.DescribeElasticsearchDomain(descInput)
 		if err != nil {
 			return resource.NonRetryableError(err)
 		}
@@ -742,8 +762,17 @@ func resourceAwsElasticSearchDomainUpdate(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface
 		return resource.RetryableError(
 			fmt.Errorf("%q: Timeout while waiting for changes to be processed", d.Id()))
 	})
+	if isResourceTimeoutError(err) {
+		out, err = conn.DescribeElasticsearchDomain(descInput)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("Error describing ElasticSearch domain: %s", err)
+		}
+		if !*out.DomainStatus.Processing {
+			return nil
+		}
+	}
 	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		return fmt.Errorf("Error waiting for ElasticSearch domain changes to be processed: %s", err)
 	}
 
 	if d.HasChange("elasticsearch_version") {
@@ -810,8 +839,10 @@ func resourceAwsElasticSearchDomainDeleteWaiter(domainName string, conn *elastic
 	input := &elasticsearch.DescribeElasticsearchDomainInput{
 		DomainName: aws.String(domainName),
 	}
+	var out *elasticsearch.DescribeElasticsearchDomainOutput
 	err := resource.Retry(90*time.Minute, func() *resource.RetryError {
-		out, err := conn.DescribeElasticsearchDomain(input)
+		var err error
+		out, err = conn.DescribeElasticsearchDomain(input)
 
 		if err != nil {
 			if isAWSErr(err, elasticsearch.ErrCodeResourceNotFoundException, "") {
@@ -826,8 +857,22 @@ func resourceAwsElasticSearchDomainDeleteWaiter(domainName string, conn *elastic
 
 		return resource.RetryableError(fmt.Errorf("timeout while waiting for the domain %q to be deleted", domainName))
 	})
-
-	return err
+	if isResourceTimeoutError(err) {
+		out, err = conn.DescribeElasticsearchDomain(input)
+		if err != nil {
+			if isAWSErr(err, elasticsearch.ErrCodeResourceNotFoundException, "") {
+				return nil
+			}
+			return fmt.Errorf("Error describing ElasticSearch domain: %s", err)
+		}
+		if out.DomainStatus != nil && !aws.BoolValue(out.DomainStatus.Processing) {
+			return nil
+		}
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("Error waiting for ElasticSearch domain to be deleted: %s", err)
+	}
+	return nil
 }
 
 func suppressEquivalentKmsKeyIds(k, old, new string, d *schema.ResourceData) bool {
diff --git a/aws/resource_aws_elasticsearch_domain_policy.go b/aws/resource_aws_elasticsearch_domain_policy.go
index 46ae0c1f821..b9c0e421fdb 100644
--- a/aws/resource_aws_elasticsearch_domain_policy.go
+++ b/aws/resource_aws_elasticsearch_domain_policy.go
@@ -68,11 +68,13 @@ func resourceAwsElasticSearchDomainPolicyUpsert(d *schema.ResourceData, meta int
 	}
 
 	d.SetId("esd-policy-" + domainName)
-
+	input := &elasticsearch.DescribeElasticsearchDomainInput{
+		DomainName: aws.String(d.Get("domain_name").(string)),
+	}
+	var out *elasticsearch.DescribeElasticsearchDomainOutput
 	err = resource.Retry(50*time.Minute, func() *resource.RetryError {
-		out, err := conn.DescribeElasticsearchDomain(&elasticsearch.DescribeElasticsearchDomainInput{
-			DomainName: aws.String(d.Get("domain_name").(string)),
-		})
+		var err error
+		out, err = conn.DescribeElasticsearchDomain(input)
 		if err != nil {
 			return resource.NonRetryableError(err)
 		}
@@ -84,8 +86,14 @@ func resourceAwsElasticSearchDomainPolicyUpsert(d *schema.ResourceData, meta int
 		return resource.RetryableError(
 			fmt.Errorf("%q: Timeout while waiting for changes to be processed", d.Id()))
 	})
+	if isResourceTimeoutError(err) {
+		out, err = conn.DescribeElasticsearchDomain(input)
+		if err == nil && !*out.DomainStatus.Processing {
+			return nil
+		}
+	}
 	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		return fmt.Errorf("Error upserting Elasticsearch domain policy: %s", err)
 	}
 
 	return resourceAwsElasticSearchDomainPolicyRead(d, meta)
@@ -103,10 +111,13 @@ func resourceAwsElasticSearchDomainPolicyDelete(d *schema.ResourceData, meta int
 	}
 
 	log.Printf("[DEBUG] Waiting for ElasticSearch domain policy %q to be deleted", d.Get("domain_name").(string))
+	input := &elasticsearch.DescribeElasticsearchDomainInput{
+		DomainName: aws.String(d.Get("domain_name").(string)),
+	}
+	var out *elasticsearch.DescribeElasticsearchDomainOutput
 	err = resource.Retry(60*time.Minute, func() *resource.RetryError {
-		out, err := conn.DescribeElasticsearchDomain(&elasticsearch.DescribeElasticsearchDomainInput{
-			DomainName: aws.String(d.Get("domain_name").(string)),
-		})
+		var err error
+		out, err = conn.DescribeElasticsearchDomain(input)
 		if err != nil {
 			return resource.NonRetryableError(err)
 		}
@@ -118,5 +129,14 @@ func resourceAwsElasticSearchDomainPolicyDelete(d *schema.ResourceData, meta int
 		return resource.RetryableError(
 			fmt.Errorf("%q: Timeout while waiting for policy to be deleted", d.Id()))
 	})
-	return err
+	if isResourceTimeoutError(err) {
+		out, err := conn.DescribeElasticsearchDomain(input)
+		if err == nil && !*out.DomainStatus.Processing {
+			return nil
+		}
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("Error deleting Elasticsearch domain policy: %s", err)
+	}
+	return nil
 }