diff --git a/plugins/plugin-java/che-plugin-java-ext-lang-server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/che/plugin/java/server/rest/RefactoringService.java b/plugins/plugin-java/che-plugin-java-ext-lang-server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/che/plugin/java/server/rest/RefactoringService.java
index 3882eea6dd4..298125b588c 100644
--- a/plugins/plugin-java/che-plugin-java-ext-lang-server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/che/plugin/java/server/rest/RefactoringService.java
+++ b/plugins/plugin-java/che-plugin-java-ext-lang-server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/che/plugin/java/server/rest/RefactoringService.java
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 import org.eclipse.jdt.core.ICompilationUnit;
 import org.eclipse.jdt.core.IJavaElement;
 import org.eclipse.jdt.core.IJavaProject;
+import org.eclipse.jdt.core.IType;
 import org.eclipse.jdt.core.JavaModelException;
 import org.eclipse.jdt.internal.core.JavaModel;
 import org.eclipse.jdt.internal.core.JavaModelManager;
@@ -89,7 +90,14 @@ public String createMoveRefactoring(CreateMoveRefactoring cmr) throws JavaModelE
                     if (javaElement.isPack()) {
                         return javaProject.findPackageFragment(new org.eclipse.core.runtime.Path(javaElement.getPath()));
                     } else {
-                        return javaProject.findType(javaElement.getPath()).getCompilationUnit();
+
+                        IType type = javaProject.findType(javaElement.getPath());
+
+                        //in some cases client may send FQN that doesn't exist
+                        if (type == null) {
+                            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Can't find type: " + javaElement.getPath());
+                        }
+                        return type.getCompilationUnit();
 
                     }
                 } catch (JavaModelException e) {