diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/util/json/JsonParser.java b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/util/json/JsonParser.java
index 49525c70a38..8b17e168e6d 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/util/json/JsonParser.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/util/json/JsonParser.java
@@ -172,8 +172,12 @@ public DatasetVersion parseDatasetVersion(JsonObject obj, DatasetVersion dsv) th
             dsv.setDeaccessionLink(obj.getString("deaccessionLink", null));
             dsv.setVersionNumber((long) obj.getInt("versionNumber", -1));
             dsv.setMinorVersionNumber(parseLong(obj.getString("minorVersionNumber", null)));
-            dsv.setId(parseLong(obj.getString("id", null)));
-
+            // if the existing datasetversion doesn not have an id
+            // use the id from the json object.
+            if (dsv.getId()==null) {
+                 dsv.setId(parseLong(obj.getString("id", null)));
+            }
+           
             String versionStateStr = obj.getString("versionState", null);
             if (versionStateStr != null) {
                 dsv.setVersionState(DatasetVersion.VersionState.valueOf(versionStateStr));