diff --git a/repos/os/src/server/nic_router/configuration.cc b/repos/os/src/server/nic_router/configuration.cc
index db0b6f7cc9..353383f9fc 100644
--- a/repos/os/src/server/nic_router/configuration.cc
+++ b/repos/os/src/server/nic_router/configuration.cc
@@ -57,14 +57,21 @@ Configuration::Configuration(Env               &env,
 	/* read domains */
 	node.for_each_sub_node("domain", [&] (Xml_node const node) {
 		try { _domains.insert(*new (_alloc) Domain(*this, node, _alloc)); }
-		catch (Domain::Invalid) { warning("invalid domain"); }
+		catch (Domain::Invalid) { log("invalid domain"); }
 	});
 	/* do those parts of domain init that require the domain tree to be complete */
+	List<Domain> invalid_domains;
 	_domains.for_each([&] (Domain &domain) {
-		if (_verbose) {
-			log("Domain: ", domain); }
-
-		domain.init(_domains);
+		try {
+			domain.init(_domains);
+			if (_verbose) {
+				log("[", domain, "] initiated domain"); }
+		}
+		catch (Domain::Invalid) { invalid_domains.insert(&domain); }
+	});
+	invalid_domains.for_each([&] (Domain &domain) {
+		_domains.remove(domain);
+		destroy(_alloc, &domain);
 	});
 	try {
 		/* check whether we shall create a report generator */
diff --git a/repos/os/src/server/nic_router/domain.cc b/repos/os/src/server/nic_router/domain.cc
index 571389ad83..e2097574af 100644
--- a/repos/os/src/server/nic_router/domain.cc
+++ b/repos/os/src/server/nic_router/domain.cc
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ void Domain::init(Domain_tree &domains)
 	try {
 		Xml_node const dhcp_server_node = _node.sub_node("dhcp-server");
 		if (_ip_config_dynamic) {
-			log("[", *this, "] cannot be DHCP server and client at the same time");
+			log("[", *this, "] invalid domain (DHCP server and client at once)");
 			throw Invalid();
 		}
 		Dhcp_server &dhcp_server = *new (_alloc)
@@ -262,6 +262,11 @@ void Domain::init(Domain_tree &domains)
 			log("[", *this, "] DHCP server: ", _dhcp_server()); }
 	}
 	catch (Xml_node::Nonexistent_sub_node) { }
+	catch (Dhcp_server::Invalid) {
+		if (_config.verbose()) {
+			log("[", *this, "] invalid domain (invalid DHCP server)"); }
+		throw Invalid();
+	}
 
 	/* read forward rules */
 	_read_forward_rules(tcp_name(), domains, _node, "tcp-forward",
@@ -374,7 +379,7 @@ void Domain_tree::destroy_each(Deallocator &dealloc)
 {
 	while (Avl_string_base *first_ = first()) {
 		Domain &domain_ = domain(*first_);
-		remove(first_);
+		Avl_tree::remove(first_);
 		destroy(dealloc, &domain_);
 	}
 }
diff --git a/repos/os/src/server/nic_router/domain.h b/repos/os/src/server/nic_router/domain.h
index 8335e6d583..817463a9bd 100644
--- a/repos/os/src/server/nic_router/domain.h
+++ b/repos/os/src/server/nic_router/domain.h
@@ -221,6 +221,8 @@ struct Net::Domain_tree : Genode::Avl_tree<Genode::Avl_string_base>
 
 	void insert(Domain &domain) { Avl_tree::insert(&domain.avl_member()); }
 
+	void remove(Domain &domain) { Avl_tree::remove(&domain.avl_member()); }
+
 	void destroy_each(Genode::Deallocator &dealloc);
 };