diff --git a/import-stx b/import-stx
index 92d1c13e..cf4f5844 100644
--- a/import-stx
+++ b/import-stx
@@ -139,11 +139,6 @@ elif [ "$STX_PLATFORM" = "kubernetes" ]; then
         return 1
     fi
 
-    if ! kubectl get namespace 2>/dev/null | grep -q $STX_K8S_NAMESPACE; then
-        notice_warn "namespace $STX_K8S_NAMESPACE not found"
-        return 1
-    fi
-
     if [ -z "$KUBECONFIG" ]; then
         # Kubeconfig default location inside STX_BUILD_HOME
         export KUBECONFIG=$STX_BUILD_HOME/.kube/config
@@ -155,6 +150,11 @@ elif [ "$STX_PLATFORM" = "kubernetes" ]; then
         return 1
     fi
 
+    if ! kubectl get namespace 2>/dev/null | grep -q $STX_K8S_NAMESPACE; then
+        notice_warn "namespace $STX_K8S_NAMESPACE not found"
+        return 1
+    fi
+
 else
     notice_warn "\$STX_PLATFORM not specified, valid options are: 'minikube' or 'kubernetes'"
     return 1