diff --git a/source/dub/packagemanager.d b/source/dub/packagemanager.d
index 4d5caa5..34d34af 100644
--- a/source/dub/packagemanager.d
+++ b/source/dub/packagemanager.d
@@ -152,11 +152,11 @@
 		return null;
 	}
 
-	Package getOrLoadPackage(Path path, PathAndFormat infoFile = PathAndFormat())
+	Package getOrLoadPackage(Path path, PathAndFormat infoFile = PathAndFormat(), bool allow_sub_packages = false)
 	{
 		path.endsWithSlash = true;
 		foreach (p; getPackageIterator())
-			if (!p.parentPackage && p.path == path)
+			if (p.path == path && (!p.parentPackage || (allow_sub_packages && p.parentPackage.path != p.path)))
 				return p;
 		auto pack = new Package(path, infoFile);
 		addPackages(m_temporaryPackages, pack);
diff --git a/source/dub/project.d b/source/dub/project.d
index 84342cf..36191a9 100644
--- a/source/dub/project.d
+++ b/source/dub/project.d
@@ -239,7 +239,11 @@
 					Path path = vspec.path;
 					if (!path.absolute) path = pack.path ~ path;
 					logDiagnostic("Adding local %s", path);
-					p = m_packageManager.getOrLoadPackage(path);
+					p = m_packageManager.getOrLoadPackage(path, PathAndFormat.init, true);
+					if (p.parentPackage !is null) {
+						logWarn("Sub package %s must be referenced using the path to it's parent package.", name);
+						p = p.parentPackage;
+					}
 					if (name.canFind(':')) p = m_packageManager.getSubPackage(p, getSubPackageName(name), false);
 					enforce(p.name == name,
 						format("Path based dependency %s is referenced with a wrong name: %s vs. %s",