diff --git a/src/tree_schema_compile.c b/src/tree_schema_compile.c
index 612b183..73cecc9 100644
--- a/src/tree_schema_compile.c
+++ b/src/tree_schema_compile.c
@@ -2295,8 +2295,6 @@
     assert(startnode);
     assert(leafref);
 
-    /* TODO leafref targets may be not implemented, in such a case we actually could make (we did it in libyang1) such a models implemented */
-
     iter = 0;
     id = leafref->path;
     while(*id && (ret = lys_path_token(&id, &prefix, &prefix_len, &name, &name_len, &parent_times, &has_predicate)) == LY_SUCCESS) {
@@ -2324,6 +2322,10 @@
                    id - leafref->path, leafref->path);
             return LY_EVALID;
         }
+        if (!mod->implemented) {
+            /* make the module implemented */
+            ly_ctx_module_implement_internal(ctx->ctx, (struct lys_module*)mod, 2);
+        }
 
         node = lys_child(parent, mod, name, name_len, 0, LYS_GETNEXT_NOSTATECHECK);
         if (!node) {
diff --git a/tests/src/test_tree_schema_compile.c b/tests/src/test_tree_schema_compile.c
index 41a7d50..3f516f1 100644
--- a/tests/src/test_tree_schema_compile.c
+++ b/tests/src/test_tree_schema_compile.c
@@ -1752,6 +1752,20 @@
     assert_non_null(((struct lysc_type_leafref*)type)->realtype);
     assert_int_equal(LY_TYPE_STRING, ((struct lysc_type_leafref*)type)->realtype->basetype);
 
+    /* leafref to imported (not yet implemented) module */
+    ly_ctx_set_module_imp_clb(ctx, test_imp_clb, "module h {namespace urn:h;prefix h; leaf h  {type uint16;}}");
+    assert_non_null(mod = lys_parse_mem(ctx, "module i {namespace urn:i;prefix i;import h {prefix h;}"
+                                        "leaf i {type leafref {path /h:h;}}}", LYS_IN_YANG));
+    type = ((struct lysc_node_leaf*)mod->compiled->data)->type;
+    assert_non_null(type);
+    assert_int_equal(LY_TYPE_LEAFREF, type->basetype);
+    assert_non_null(((struct lysc_type_leafref*)type)->realtype);
+    assert_int_equal(LY_TYPE_UINT16, ((struct lysc_type_leafref*)type)->realtype->basetype);
+    assert_non_null(mod = ly_ctx_get_module_implemented(ctx, "h"));
+    assert_int_equal(1, mod->implemented);
+    assert_non_null(mod->compiled->data);
+    assert_string_equal("h", mod->compiled->data->name);
+
     /* invalid paths */
     assert_null(lys_parse_mem(ctx, "module aa {namespace urn:aa;prefix aa;container a {leaf target2 {type uint8;}}"
                                         "leaf ref1 {type leafref {path ../a/invalid;}}}", LYS_IN_YANG));