diff --git a/vertx-pg-client/src/test/java/io/vertx/pgclient/UnixDomainSocketTest.java b/vertx-pg-client/src/test/java/io/vertx/pgclient/UnixDomainSocketTest.java
index 7ee23ab3c..67f455395 100644
--- a/vertx-pg-client/src/test/java/io/vertx/pgclient/UnixDomainSocketTest.java
+++ b/vertx-pg-client/src/test/java/io/vertx/pgclient/UnixDomainSocketTest.java
@@ -23,10 +23,13 @@
 import io.vertx.ext.unit.TestContext;
 import io.vertx.ext.unit.junit.VertxUnitRunner;
 import io.vertx.sqlclient.PoolOptions;
+import io.vertx.sqlclient.impl.ConnectionFactoryBase;
 import org.junit.*;
 import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
 
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.Assert.fail;
 import static org.junit.Assume.assumeTrue;
 
 @RunWith(VertxUnitRunner.class)
@@ -106,4 +109,18 @@ public void testIgnoreSslMode(TestContext context) {
       pgConnection.close();
     }));
   }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testNativeTransportMustBeEnabled() {
+    Vertx vertx = Vertx.vertx();
+    try {
+      PgPool.pool(vertx, PgConnectOptions.fromUri("postgresql:///dbname?host=/var/lib/postgresql"), new PoolOptions());
+      fail();
+    } catch (IllegalArgumentException expected) {
+      // Expected
+      assertEquals(ConnectionFactoryBase.NATIVE_TRANSPORT_REQUIRED, expected.getMessage());
+    } finally {
+      vertx.close();
+    }
+  }
 }
diff --git a/vertx-sql-client/src/main/java/io/vertx/sqlclient/impl/ConnectionFactoryBase.java b/vertx-sql-client/src/main/java/io/vertx/sqlclient/impl/ConnectionFactoryBase.java
index c811f3eee..8d589b7b8 100644
--- a/vertx-sql-client/src/main/java/io/vertx/sqlclient/impl/ConnectionFactoryBase.java
+++ b/vertx-sql-client/src/main/java/io/vertx/sqlclient/impl/ConnectionFactoryBase.java
@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@
  */
 public abstract class ConnectionFactoryBase implements ConnectionFactory {
 
+  public static final String NATIVE_TRANSPORT_REQUIRED = "The Vertx instance must use a native transport in order to connect to connect through domain sockets";
+
   protected final VertxInternal vertx;
   protected final NetClient netClient;
   protected final Map<String, String> properties;
@@ -54,6 +56,12 @@ public abstract class ConnectionFactoryBase implements ConnectionFactory {
   private final long reconnectInterval;
 
   protected ConnectionFactoryBase(VertxInternal vertx, SqlConnectOptions options) {
+
+    // check we can do domain sockets
+    if (options.isUsingDomainSocket() && !vertx.isNativeTransportEnabled()) {
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException(NATIVE_TRANSPORT_REQUIRED);
+    }
+
     this.vertx = vertx;
     this.properties = options.getProperties() == null ? null : Collections.unmodifiableMap(options.getProperties());
     this.server = options.getSocketAddress();