diff --git a/client/src/app/forms/config/variant-submit/variant-submit.form.html b/client/src/app/forms/config/variant-submit/variant-submit.form.html
index 554bee066..25336f5ec 100644
--- a/client/src/app/forms/config/variant-submit/variant-submit.form.html
+++ b/client/src/app/forms/config/variant-submit/variant-submit.form.html
@@ -15,16 +15,26 @@
 <ng-template #variantCreated>
   <ng-container *ngIf="newVariant$ | ngrxPush as variant">
     <nz-alert
+      *ngIf="newlyCreated"
       nzType="success"
       nzShowIcon
       [nzMessage]="successMessage"
-      [nzDescription]="successDescription"></nz-alert>
+      [nzDescription]="variantLink"></nz-alert>
     <ng-template #successMessage>
       New Variant {{ variant.name }} added.
     </ng-template>
-    <ng-template #successDescription>
+    <ng-template #variantLink>
       View its
       <a [routerLink]="['/variants', variant.id, 'summary']">details here</a>.
     </ng-template>
+    <nz-alert
+      *ngIf="!newlyCreated"
+      nzType="info"
+      nzShowIcon
+      [nzMessage]="existsMessage"
+      [nzDescription]="variantLink"></nz-alert>
+    <ng-template #existsMessage>
+      Variant {{ variant.name }} already exists.
+    </ng-template>
   </ng-container>
 </ng-template>
diff --git a/client/src/app/forms/config/variant-submit/variant-submit.form.ts b/client/src/app/forms/config/variant-submit/variant-submit.form.ts
index 0d79b2ed0..808703f8f 100644
--- a/client/src/app/forms/config/variant-submit/variant-submit.form.ts
+++ b/client/src/app/forms/config/variant-submit/variant-submit.form.ts
@@ -2,8 +2,6 @@ import {
   ChangeDetectionStrategy,
   Component,
   EventEmitter,
-  OnDestroy,
-  OnInit,
   Output,
 } from '@angular/core'
 import { UntypedFormGroup } from '@angular/forms'
@@ -11,12 +9,7 @@ import { CvcFieldGridWrapperConfig } from '@app/forms/wrappers/field-grid/field-
 import { CvcVariantSelectFieldOption } from '@app/forms/types/variant-select/variant-select.type'
 import { Maybe, Variant } from '@app/generated/civic.apollo'
 import { FormlyFieldConfig, FormlyFormOptions } from '@ngx-formly/core'
-import { BehaviorSubject, Subject } from 'rxjs'
-import {
-  FormGene,
-  FormMolecularProfile,
-  FormVariant,
-} from '@app/forms/forms.interfaces'
+import { BehaviorSubject } from 'rxjs'
 import { NzFormLayoutType } from 'ng-zorro-antd/form'
 import { EntityFieldSubjectMap } from '@app/forms/states/base.state'
 import { Apollo, gql } from 'apollo-angular'
@@ -58,6 +51,7 @@ export class VariantSubmitForm {
   form: UntypedFormGroup
   config: FormlyFieldConfig[]
   layout: NzFormLayoutType = 'horizontal'
+  newlyCreated?: boolean
 
   finderState: VariantSubmitState = {
     formLayout: this.layout,
@@ -103,6 +97,7 @@ export class VariantSubmitForm {
                 showExtra: false,
               },
               hideLabel: true,
+              isNewlyCreatedCallback: (isNew: boolean): void  => {this.newlyCreated = isNew},
             },
           },
         ],
diff --git a/client/src/app/forms/types/variant-select/variant-quick-add/variant-quick-add.form.ts b/client/src/app/forms/types/variant-select/variant-quick-add/variant-quick-add.form.ts
index 039b51e70..ae4abe2be 100644
--- a/client/src/app/forms/types/variant-select/variant-quick-add/variant-quick-add.form.ts
+++ b/client/src/app/forms/types/variant-select/variant-quick-add/variant-quick-add.form.ts
@@ -19,14 +19,12 @@ import {
   QuickAddVariantGQL,
   QuickAddVariantMutation,
   QuickAddVariantMutationVariables,
-  Variant,
-  VariantSelectTypeaheadFieldsFragment,
 } from '@app/generated/civic.apollo'
 import { UntilDestroy, untilDestroyed } from '@ngneat/until-destroy'
-import { FormlyFieldConfig, FormlyFormOptions } from '@ngx-formly/core'
+import { FormlyFieldConfig } from '@ngx-formly/core'
 import { NzFormLayoutType } from 'ng-zorro-antd/form'
-import { BehaviorSubject, Observable, Subject } from 'rxjs'
-import { CvcOrgSubmitButtonFieldConfig } from '../../org-submit-button/org-submit-button.type'
+import { BehaviorSubject, Subject } from 'rxjs'
+import { VariantIdWithCreationStatus } from '../variant-select.type'
 
 type VariantQuickAddModel = {
   name?: string
@@ -62,7 +60,7 @@ export class CvcVariantQuickAddForm implements OnChanges {
     this.searchString$.next(str)
   }
 
-  @Output() cvcOnCreate = new EventEmitter<number>()
+  @Output() cvcOnCreate = new EventEmitter<VariantIdWithCreationStatus>()
 
   model: Partial<QuickAddVariantMutationVariables>
   form: UntypedFormGroup
@@ -193,9 +191,7 @@ export class CvcVariantQuickAddForm implements OnChanges {
         this.formMessageDisplay$.next({ message: undefined })
         setTimeout(() => {
           if (data && data.createVariant) {
-            const variant = data.createVariant
-              .variant as VariantSelectTypeaheadFieldsFragment
-            this.cvcOnCreate.next(variant.id)
+            this.cvcOnCreate.next({id: data.createVariant.variant.id, new: data.createVariant.new})
           }
         }, 1000)
       }
diff --git a/client/src/app/forms/types/variant-select/variant-select.type.html b/client/src/app/forms/types/variant-select/variant-select.type.html
index 729f4603a..1d255236e 100644
--- a/client/src/app/forms/types/variant-select/variant-select.type.html
+++ b/client/src/app/forms/types/variant-select/variant-select.type.html
@@ -115,6 +115,6 @@
     [cvcSearchString]="searchStr"
     [cvcGeneId]="onGeneId$ | ngrxPush"
     [cvcGeneName]="onGeneName$ | ngrxPush"
-    (cvcOnCreate)="onPopulate$.next($event)">
+    (cvcOnCreate)="onSelectOrCreate($event)">
   </cvc-variant-quick-add-form>
 </ng-template>
diff --git a/client/src/app/forms/types/variant-select/variant-select.type.ts b/client/src/app/forms/types/variant-select/variant-select.type.ts
index 9fb12158f..93c4c4c4b 100644
--- a/client/src/app/forms/types/variant-select/variant-select.type.ts
+++ b/client/src/app/forms/types/variant-select/variant-select.type.ts
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ import {
   FormlyFieldConfig,
   FormlyFieldProps,
 } from '@ngx-formly/core'
-import { Apollo } from 'apollo-angular'
 import { NzSelectOptionInterface } from 'ng-zorro-antd/select'
 import {
   BehaviorSubject,
@@ -39,16 +38,19 @@ import {
   map,
   Observable,
   ReplaySubject,
-  startWith,
   Subject,
   scan,
   withLatestFrom,
   filter,
   take,
 } from 'rxjs'
-import { tag } from 'rxjs-spy/operators'
 import mixin from 'ts-mixin-extended'
 
+export interface VariantIdWithCreationStatus  {
+  new: boolean
+  id: number
+}
+
 export type CvcVariantSelectFieldOption = Partial<
   FieldTypeConfig<Partial<CvcVariantSelectFieldProps>>
 >
@@ -265,6 +267,13 @@ export class CvcVariantSelectField
     )
   }
 
+  onSelectOrCreate(variant: VariantIdWithCreationStatus) {
+    this.onPopulate$.next(variant.id)
+    if(this.props.isNewlyCreatedCallback) {
+      this.props.isNewlyCreatedCallback(variant.new)
+    }
+  }
+
   private onGeneId(gid: Maybe<number>): void {
     this.selectedGeneId = gid
     // if field config indicates that a geneId is required, and none is provided,