diff --git a/entity/Address_entity/afterOperatingState.js b/entity/Address_entity/afterOperatingState.js
index 02ce06265c7a4a2186f6b3da49e9a14bb646bd84..23f607ff7d13f5153ef6e252d1f8e6b185218040 100644
--- a/entity/Address_entity/afterOperatingState.js
+++ b/entity/Address_entity/afterOperatingState.js
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+import("system.vars");
 import("system.neon");
 
-neon.setFieldValue("$field.AddressSearch", "");
\ No newline at end of file
+//in some cases, the field does not exist yet/not anymore when the afterOperatingState process is called
+if (vars.exists("$field.AddressSearch"))
+    neon.setFieldValue("$field.AddressSearch", "");//why is this needed?
\ No newline at end of file