diff --git a/internal/services/serviceprincipals/service_principal_resource.go b/internal/services/serviceprincipals/service_principal_resource.go
index 4587182038..8e1fa8bd11 100644
--- a/internal/services/serviceprincipals/service_principal_resource.go
+++ b/internal/services/serviceprincipals/service_principal_resource.go
@@ -13,14 +13,13 @@ import (
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform-plugin-sdk/v2/diag"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform-plugin-sdk/v2/helper/schema"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform-plugin-sdk/v2/helper/validation"
-	"github.com/manicminer/hamilton/msgraph"
-	"github.com/manicminer/hamilton/odata"
-
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform-provider-azuread/internal/clients"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform-provider-azuread/internal/helpers"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform-provider-azuread/internal/tf"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform-provider-azuread/internal/utils"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform-provider-azuread/internal/validate"
+	"github.com/manicminer/hamilton/msgraph"
+	"github.com/manicminer/hamilton/odata"
 )
 
 const servicePrincipalResourceName = "azuread_service_principal"
@@ -356,19 +355,20 @@ func servicePrincipalResourceCreate(ctx context.Context, d *schema.ResourceData,
 	callerId := meta.(*clients.Client).ObjectID
 
 	appId := d.Get("application_id").(string)
-	result, _, err := client.List(ctx, odata.Query{Filter: fmt.Sprintf("appId eq '%s'", appId)})
+
+	var servicePrincipal *msgraph.ServicePrincipal
+	var err error
+
+	if d.Get("use_existing").(bool) {
+		// Assume that a service principal already exists and try to look for it, whilst retrying to defeat eventual consistency
+		servicePrincipal, err = findByAppIdWithTimeout(ctx, 5*time.Minute, client, appId)
+	} else {
+		// Otherwise perform a single List operation to check for an existing service principal
+		servicePrincipal, err = findByAppId(ctx, client, appId)
+	}
 	if err != nil {
 		return tf.ErrorDiagF(err, "Could not list existing service principals")
 	}
-	var servicePrincipal *msgraph.ServicePrincipal
-	if result != nil {
-		for _, r := range *result {
-			if r.AppId != nil && strings.EqualFold(*r.AppId, appId) {
-				servicePrincipal = &r
-				break
-			}
-		}
-	}
 
 	if servicePrincipal != nil {
 		if servicePrincipal.ID() == nil || *servicePrincipal.ID() == "" {
diff --git a/internal/services/serviceprincipals/service_principal_resource_test.go b/internal/services/serviceprincipals/service_principal_resource_test.go
index ad6b464098..679105d4c8 100644
--- a/internal/services/serviceprincipals/service_principal_resource_test.go
+++ b/internal/services/serviceprincipals/service_principal_resource_test.go
@@ -644,13 +644,17 @@ func (ServicePrincipalResource) fromApplicationTemplate(data acceptance.TestData
 	return fmt.Sprintf(`
 provider "azuread" {}
 
+data "azuread_client_config" "test" {}
+
 resource "azuread_application" "test" {
   display_name = "acctest-APP-%[1]d"
   template_id  = "%[2]s"
+  owners       = [data.azuread_client_config.test.object_id]
 }
 
 resource "azuread_service_principal" "test" {
   application_id = azuread_application.test.application_id
+  owners         = [data.azuread_client_config.test.object_id]
   use_existing   = true
 }
 `, data.RandomInteger, testApplicationTemplateId)
diff --git a/internal/services/serviceprincipals/serviceprincipals.go b/internal/services/serviceprincipals/serviceprincipals.go
index 7d6fbf24ae..780fe31ee6 100644
--- a/internal/services/serviceprincipals/serviceprincipals.go
+++ b/internal/services/serviceprincipals/serviceprincipals.go
@@ -1,9 +1,18 @@
 package serviceprincipals
 
 import (
-	"github.com/manicminer/hamilton/msgraph"
+	"bytes"
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"net/http"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform-provider-azuread/internal/utils"
+	"github.com/manicminer/hamilton/msgraph"
+	"github.com/manicminer/hamilton/odata"
 )
 
 func expandSamlSingleSignOn(in []interface{}) *msgraph.SamlSingleSignOnSettings {
@@ -33,3 +42,82 @@ func flattenSamlSingleSignOn(in *msgraph.SamlSingleSignOnSettings) []map[string]
 		"relay_state": relayState,
 	}}
 }
+
+func findByAppId(ctx context.Context, client *msgraph.ServicePrincipalsClient, appId string) (*msgraph.ServicePrincipal, error) {
+	var servicePrincipal *msgraph.ServicePrincipal
+
+	result, _, err := client.List(ctx, odata.Query{Filter: fmt.Sprintf("appId eq '%s'", appId)})
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("could not list existing service principals")
+	}
+	if result != nil {
+		for _, r := range *result {
+			if r.AppId != nil && strings.EqualFold(*r.AppId, appId) {
+				servicePrincipal = &r
+				break
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	return servicePrincipal, nil
+}
+
+func findByAppIdWithTimeout(ctx context.Context, timeout time.Duration, client *msgraph.ServicePrincipalsClient, appId string) (*msgraph.ServicePrincipal, error) {
+	var cancel context.CancelFunc
+	ctx, cancel = context.WithTimeout(ctx, timeout)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	unmarshal := func(resp *http.Response) (*msgraph.ServicePrincipal, error) {
+		respBody, err := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("listing service principals: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		// Close and reassign the response body
+		resp.Body.Close()
+		resp.Body = io.NopCloser(bytes.NewBuffer(respBody))
+
+		var data struct {
+			ServicePrincipals []msgraph.ServicePrincipal `json:"value"`
+		}
+		if err := json.Unmarshal(respBody, &data); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("unmarshaling service principals: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		if len(data.ServicePrincipals) == 0 {
+			return nil, nil
+		} else if len(data.ServicePrincipals) > 1 {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("unexpected number of results, should have received 0 or 1, got %d", len(data.ServicePrincipals))
+		}
+
+		if data.ServicePrincipals[0].AppId == nil || !strings.EqualFold(*data.ServicePrincipals[0].AppId, appId) {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("returned service principal did not have a matching appId, expected %q, received %q", appId, *data.ServicePrincipals[0].AppId)
+		}
+
+		return &data.ServicePrincipals[0], nil
+	}
+
+	notReplicated := func(resp *http.Response, o *odata.OData) bool {
+		sp, err := unmarshal(resp)
+		if err == nil && sp == nil {
+			return false
+		}
+		return false
+	}
+
+	resp, _, _, err := client.BaseClient.Get(ctx, msgraph.GetHttpRequestInput{
+		ConsistencyFailureFunc: notReplicated,
+		DisablePaging:          true,
+		OData:                  odata.Query{Filter: fmt.Sprintf("appId eq '%s'", appId)},
+		ValidStatusCodes:       []int{http.StatusOK},
+		Uri: msgraph.Uri{
+			Entity:      "/servicePrincipals",
+			HasTenantId: true,
+		},
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("listing service principals: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	return unmarshal(resp)
+}