diff --git a/lib/errors.py b/lib/errors.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1e1d8a84
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/errors.py
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+"""Error classes for PostgreSQL error codes
+"""
+
+from psycopg2._psycopg import (  # noqa
+    Error, Warning, DataError, DatabaseError, ProgrammingError, IntegrityError,
+    InterfaceError, InternalError, NotSupportedError, OperationalError,
+    QueryCanceledError, TransactionRollbackError)
+
+
+_by_sqlstate = {}
+
+
+class UndefinedTable(ProgrammingError):
+    pass
+
+_by_sqlstate['42P01'] = UndefinedTable
diff --git a/psycopg/pqpath.c b/psycopg/pqpath.c
index 204a6b00..7e2f0360 100644
--- a/psycopg/pqpath.c
+++ b/psycopg/pqpath.c
@@ -76,6 +76,35 @@ strip_severity(const char *msg)
         return msg;
 }
 
+/* Return a Python exception from a SQLSTATE from psycopg2.errors */
+BORROWED static PyObject *
+exception_from_module(const char *sqlstate)
+{
+    PyObject *rv = NULL;
+    PyObject *m = NULL;
+    PyObject *map = NULL;
+
+    if (!(m = PyImport_ImportModule("psycopg2.errors"))) { goto exit; }
+    if (!(map = PyObject_GetAttrString(m, "_by_sqlstate"))) { goto exit; }
+    if (!PyDict_Check(map)) {
+        Dprintf("'psycopg2.errors._by_sqlstate' is not a dict!");
+        goto exit;
+    }
+
+    /* get the sqlstate class (borrowed reference), or fail trying. */
+    rv = PyDict_GetItemString(map, sqlstate);
+
+exit:
+    /* We exit with a borrowed object, or a NULL but no error
+     * If an error did happen in this function, we don't want to clobber the
+     * database error. So better reporting it, albeit with the wrong class. */
+    PyErr_Clear();
+
+    Py_XDECREF(map);
+    Py_XDECREF(m);
+    return rv;
+}
+
 /* Returns the Python exception corresponding to an SQLSTATE error
    code.  A list of error codes can be found at:
 
@@ -83,6 +112,17 @@ strip_severity(const char *msg)
 BORROWED static PyObject *
 exception_from_sqlstate(const char *sqlstate)
 {
+    PyObject *exc;
+
+    /* First look up an exception of the proper class from the Python module */
+    exc = exception_from_module(sqlstate);
+    if (exc) {
+        return exc;
+    }
+    else {
+        PyErr_Clear();
+    }
+
     switch (sqlstate[0]) {
     case '0':
         switch (sqlstate[1]) {
diff --git a/tests/__init__.py b/tests/__init__.py
index e58b6fa7..5c57849e 100755
--- a/tests/__init__.py
+++ b/tests/__init__.py
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ from . import test_copy
 from . import test_cursor
 from . import test_dates
 from . import test_errcodes
+from . import test_errors
 from . import test_extras_dictcursor
 from . import test_fast_executemany
 from . import test_green
@@ -84,6 +85,7 @@ def test_suite():
     suite.addTest(test_cursor.test_suite())
     suite.addTest(test_dates.test_suite())
     suite.addTest(test_errcodes.test_suite())
+    suite.addTest(test_errors.test_suite())
     suite.addTest(test_extras_dictcursor.test_suite())
     suite.addTest(test_fast_executemany.test_suite())
     suite.addTest(test_green.test_suite())
diff --git a/tests/test_errors.py b/tests/test_errors.py
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..5645e182
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_errors.py
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+# test_errors.py - unit test for psycopg2.errors module
+#
+# Copyright (C) 2018 Daniele Varrazzo  <daniele.varrazzo@gmail.com>
+#
+# psycopg2 is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it
+# under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published
+# by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+# (at your option) any later version.
+#
+# In addition, as a special exception, the copyright holders give
+# permission to link this program with the OpenSSL library (or with
+# modified versions of OpenSSL that use the same license as OpenSSL),
+# and distribute linked combinations including the two.
+#
+# You must obey the GNU Lesser General Public License in all respects for
+# all of the code used other than OpenSSL.
+#
+# psycopg2 is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
+# ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or
+# FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU Lesser General Public
+# License for more details.
+
+import unittest
+from .testutils import ConnectingTestCase
+
+import psycopg2
+
+
+class ErrorsTests(ConnectingTestCase):
+    def test_exception_class(self):
+        cur = self.conn.cursor()
+        try:
+            cur.execute("select * from nonexist")
+        except psycopg2.Error as exc:
+            e = exc
+
+        from psycopg2.errors import UndefinedTable
+        self.assert_(isinstance(e, UndefinedTable), type(e))
+        self.assert_(isinstance(e, self.conn.ProgrammingError))
+
+    def test_exception_class_fallback(self):
+        cur = self.conn.cursor()
+
+        from psycopg2 import errors
+        x = errors._by_sqlstate.pop('42P01')
+        try:
+            cur.execute("select * from nonexist")
+        except psycopg2.Error as exc:
+            e = exc
+        finally:
+            errors._by_sqlstate['42P01'] = x
+
+        self.assertEqual(type(e), self.conn.ProgrammingError)
+
+
+def test_suite():
+    return unittest.TestLoader().loadTestsFromName(__name__)
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    unittest.main()