diff --git a/zun/common/exception.py b/zun/common/exception.py
index ce3e8b178..d5c815268 100644
--- a/zun/common/exception.py
+++ b/zun/common/exception.py
@@ -411,6 +411,10 @@ class ImageNotFound(Invalid):
     message = _("Image %(image)s could not be found.")
 
 
+class OperationNotSupported(ZunException):
+    message = _("The operation is not supported.")
+
+
 class ZunServiceNotFound(HTTPNotFound):
     message = _("Zun service %(binary)s on host %(host)s could not be found.")
 
diff --git a/zun/compute/api.py b/zun/compute/api.py
index 7fc93f4fe..1da08a60d 100644
--- a/zun/compute/api.py
+++ b/zun/compute/api.py
@@ -75,6 +75,11 @@ class API(object):
                     raise exception.Conflict('Multiple images exist with same '
                                              'name. Please use the container '
                                              'uuid instead.')
+            except exception.OperationNotSupported:
+                LOG.info("Skip validation since search is not supported for "
+                         "image '%(image)s' and image driver '%(driver)s'.",
+                         {'image': new_container.image,
+                          'driver': new_container.image_driver})
             except Exception as e:
                 new_container.status = consts.ERROR
                 new_container.status_reason = str(e)
diff --git a/zun/container/docker/driver.py b/zun/container/docker/driver.py
index a1d46897a..86f8035e1 100644
--- a/zun/container/docker/driver.py
+++ b/zun/container/docker/driver.py
@@ -206,6 +206,8 @@ class DockerDriver(driver.ContainerDriver):
             image_driver = self.image_drivers[driver_name]
             return image_driver.search_image(context, repo, tag,
                                              exact_match)
+        except exception.ZunException:
+            raise
         except Exception as e:
             LOG.exception('Unknown exception occurred while searching '
                           'for image: %s', six.text_type(e))
diff --git a/zun/image/docker/driver.py b/zun/image/docker/driver.py
index 01e9dd98a..efa90d5bd 100644
--- a/zun/image/docker/driver.py
+++ b/zun/image/docker/driver.py
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import six
 from oslo_log import log as logging
 from oslo_utils import excutils
 
+from zun.common.docker_image import reference as docker_image
 from zun.common import exception
 from zun.common.i18n import _
 from zun.common import utils
@@ -98,10 +99,17 @@ class DockerDriver(driver.ContainerImageDriver):
             raise exception.ZunException(msg.format(e))
 
     def search_image(self, context, repo, tag, exact_match):
+        image_ref = docker_image.Reference.parse(repo)
+        registry, image_name = image_ref.split_hostname()
+        if registry and registry != 'docker.io':
+            # Images searching is only supported in DockerHub
+            msg = _('Image searching is not supported in registry: {0}')
+            raise exception.OperationNotSupported(msg.format(registry))
+
         with docker_utils.docker_client() as docker:
             try:
-                # TODO(hongbin): search image by both repo and tag
-                images = docker.search(repo)
+                # TODO(hongbin): search image by both name and tag
+                images = docker.search(image_name)
             except errors.APIError as api_error:
                 raise exception.ZunException(six.text_type(api_error))
             except Exception as e:
@@ -109,7 +117,7 @@ class DockerDriver(driver.ContainerImageDriver):
                 raise exception.ZunException(msg.format(e))
 
         if exact_match:
-            images = [i for i in images if i['name'] == repo]
+            images = [i for i in images if i['name'] == image_name]
 
         for image in images:
             image['metadata'] = {}
diff --git a/zun/tests/unit/compute/test_compute_api.py b/zun/tests/unit/compute/test_compute_api.py
index 56e498793..634ddb194 100644
--- a/zun/tests/unit/compute/test_compute_api.py
+++ b/zun/tests/unit/compute/test_compute_api.py
@@ -59,6 +59,27 @@ class TestAPI(base.TestCase):
         self.assertTrue(mock_image_search.called)
         self.assertTrue(mock_container_create.called)
 
+    @mock.patch('zun.compute.api.API._record_action_start')
+    @mock.patch('zun.compute.rpcapi.API.container_create')
+    @mock.patch('zun.compute.rpcapi.API.image_search')
+    @mock.patch('zun.compute.api.API._schedule_container')
+    def test_container_create_with_private_registry_image(
+            self, mock_schedule_container, mock_image_search,
+            mock_container_create, mock_record_action_start):
+        container = self.container
+        container.image = 'myregistry.io/test-image'
+        container.image_driver = 'docker'
+        mock_schedule_container.return_value = {'host': u'Centos',
+                                                'nodename': None,
+                                                'limits': {}}
+        mock_image_search.side_effect = exception.OperationNotSupported
+
+        self.compute_api.container_create(self.context, container,
+                                          None, None, None, False)
+        self.assertTrue(mock_schedule_container.called)
+        self.assertTrue(mock_image_search.called)
+        self.assertTrue(mock_container_create.called)
+
     @mock.patch('zun.compute.api.API._schedule_container')
     @mock.patch.object(objects.Container, 'save')
     def test_schedule_container_exception(self, mock_save,
diff --git a/zun/tests/unit/image/docker/test_driver.py b/zun/tests/unit/image/docker/test_driver.py
index d782760d5..00d05b3ad 100644
--- a/zun/tests/unit/image/docker/test_driver.py
+++ b/zun/tests/unit/image/docker/test_driver.py
@@ -212,3 +212,9 @@ class TestDriver(base.BaseTestCase):
                               None, 'test_image', None, False)
             self.mock_docker.search.assert_called_once_with('test_image')
             self.assertEqual(1, mock_search.call_count)
+
+    def test_search_image_not_supported(self):
+        self.assertRaises(exception.OperationNotSupported,
+                          self.driver.search_image,
+                          None, 'myregistry.io/test-image', None, False)
+        self.mock_docker.search.assert_not_called()