diff --git a/docker/provider.go b/docker/provider.go
index 64817899..2421f04a 100644
--- a/docker/provider.go
+++ b/docker/provider.go
@@ -215,20 +215,17 @@ func providerSetToRegistryAuth(authSet *schema.Set) (*AuthConfigs, error) {
 				}
 				filePath = strings.Replace(filePath, "~", usr.HomeDir, 1)
 			}
-
 			r, err := os.Open(filePath)
 			if err != nil {
-				return nil, fmt.Errorf("Error opening docker registry config file: %v", err)
+				continue
 			}
-
 			c, err := loadConfigFile(r)
 			if err != nil {
-				return nil, fmt.Errorf("Error parsing docker registry config json: %v", err)
+				continue
 			}
 			authFileConfig, err := c.GetAuthConfig(registryHostname)
 			if err != nil {
-				return nil, fmt.Errorf("Couldn't find registry config for '%s' in file: %s",
-					registryHostname, filePath)
+				continue
 			}
 			authConfig.Username = authFileConfig.Username
 			authConfig.Password = authFileConfig.Password
diff --git a/docker/provider_test.go b/docker/provider_test.go
index 720071dc..bc3e2455 100644
--- a/docker/provider_test.go
+++ b/docker/provider_test.go
@@ -2,8 +2,10 @@ package docker
 
 import (
 	"os/exec"
+	"regexp"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform-plugin-sdk/helper/resource"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform-plugin-sdk/helper/schema"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform-plugin-sdk/terraform"
 )
@@ -24,6 +26,19 @@ func TestProvider(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestAccDockerProvider_WithIncompleteRegistryAuth(t *testing.T) {
+	resource.Test(t, resource.TestCase{
+		PreCheck:  func() { testAccPreCheck(t) },
+		Providers: testAccProviders,
+		Steps: []resource.TestStep{
+			{
+				Config:      testAccDockerProviderWithIncompleteAuthConfig,
+				ExpectError: regexp.MustCompile(`401 Unauthorized`),
+			},
+		},
+	})
+}
+
 func TestProvider_impl(t *testing.T) {
 	var _ terraform.ResourceProvider = Provider()
 }
@@ -47,3 +62,18 @@ func testAccPreCheck(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 }
+
+const testAccDockerProviderWithIncompleteAuthConfig = `
+provider "docker" {
+	alias = "private"
+	registry_auth {
+	  address  = ""
+	  username = ""
+	  password = ""
+	}
+}
+data "docker_registry_image" "foobar" {
+	provider = "docker.private"
+	name = "localhost:15000/helloworld:1.0"
+}
+`