diff --git a/src/app/app.component.ts b/src/app/app.component.ts
index db217ce161..8ef569e416 100644
--- a/src/app/app.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/app.component.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import {
 import { isEqual } from 'lodash';
 import { BehaviorSubject, Observable, of } from 'rxjs';
 import { select, Store } from '@ngrx/store';
-import { NgbModal } from '@ng-bootstrap/ng-bootstrap';
+import { NgbModal, NgbModalConfig } from '@ng-bootstrap/ng-bootstrap';
 import { TranslateService } from '@ngx-translate/core';
 import { Angulartics2GoogleAnalytics } from 'angulartics2/ga';
 
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ import { BreadcrumbsService } from './breadcrumbs/breadcrumbs.service';
 import { IdleModalComponent } from './shared/idle-modal/idle-modal.component';
 import { getDefaultThemeConfig } from '../config/config.util';
 import { AppConfig, APP_CONFIG } from 'src/config/app-config.interface';
+import { ModalBeforeDismiss } from './shared/interfaces/modal-before-dismiss.interface';
 
 @Component({
   selector: 'ds-app',
@@ -105,6 +106,7 @@ export class AppComponent implements OnInit, AfterViewInit {
     private localeService: LocaleService,
     private breadcrumbsService: BreadcrumbsService,
     private modalService: NgbModal,
+    private modalConfig: NgbModalConfig,
     @Optional() private cookiesService: KlaroService,
     @Optional() private googleAnalyticsService: GoogleAnalyticsService,
   ) {
@@ -165,6 +167,16 @@ export class AppComponent implements OnInit, AfterViewInit {
   }
 
   ngOnInit() {
+    /** Implement behavior for interface {@link ModalBeforeDismiss} */
+    this.modalConfig.beforeDismiss = async function () {
+      if (typeof this?.componentInstance?.beforeDismiss === 'function') {
+        return this.componentInstance.beforeDismiss()
+      }
+
+      // fall back to default behavior
+      return true;
+    }
+
     this.isAuthBlocking$ = this.store.pipe(select(isAuthenticationBlocking)).pipe(
       distinctUntilChanged()
     );
diff --git a/src/app/item-page/simple/item-types/versioned-item/versioned-item.component.ts b/src/app/item-page/simple/item-types/versioned-item/versioned-item.component.ts
index cd2eb3a19b..7f61cee10b 100644
--- a/src/app/item-page/simple/item-types/versioned-item/versioned-item.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/item-page/simple/item-types/versioned-item/versioned-item.component.ts
@@ -62,6 +62,8 @@ export class VersionedItemComponent extends ItemComponent {
     activeModal.componentInstance.createVersionEvent.pipe(
       switchMap((summary: string) => this.versionHistoryService.createVersion(item._links.self.href, summary)),
       getFirstCompletedRemoteData(),
+      // close model (should be displaying loading/waiting indicator) when version creation failed/succeeded
+      tap(() => activeModal.close()),
       // show success/failure notification
       tap((res: RemoteData<Version>) => { this.itemVersionShared.notifyCreateNewVersion(res); }),
       // get workspace item
diff --git a/src/app/shared/interfaces/modal-before-dismiss.interface.ts b/src/app/shared/interfaces/modal-before-dismiss.interface.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c07f8d329f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/shared/interfaces/modal-before-dismiss.interface.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+import { NgbModalConfig, NgbModal } from '@ng-bootstrap/ng-bootstrap';
+
+/**
+ * If a component implementing this interface is used to create a modal (i.e. it is passed to {@link NgbModal#open}),
+ * and that modal is dismissed, then {@link #beforeDismiss} will be called.
+ *
+ * This behavior is implemented for the whole app, by setting a default value for {@link NgbModalConfig#beforeDismiss}
+ * in {@link AppComponent}.
+ *
+ * Docs: https://ng-bootstrap.github.io/#/components/modal/api
+ */
+export interface ModalBeforeDismiss {
+
+  /**
+   * Callback right before the modal will be dismissed.
+   * If this function returns:
+   * - false
+   * - a promise resolved with false
+   * - a promise that is rejected
+   * then the modal won't be dismissed.
+   * Docs: https://ng-bootstrap.github.io/#/components/modal/api#NgbModalOptions
+   */
+  beforeDismiss(): boolean | Promise<boolean>
+
+}
diff --git a/src/app/shared/item/item-versions/item-versions-summary-modal/item-versions-summary-modal.component.html b/src/app/shared/item/item-versions/item-versions-summary-modal/item-versions-summary-modal.component.html
index a083679108..0aa22f80cf 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/item/item-versions/item-versions-summary-modal/item-versions-summary-modal.component.html
+++ b/src/app/shared/item/item-versions/item-versions-summary-modal/item-versions-summary-modal.component.html
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-<div>
+<div *ngIf="!(this.submitted$ | async); else waiting">
   <div class="modal-header">{{'item.version.create.modal.header' | translate}}
     <button type="button" class="close" (click)="onModalClose()" aria-label="Close">
       <span aria-hidden="true">×</span>
@@ -34,3 +34,13 @@
     </button>
   </div>
 </div>
+
+<ng-template #waiting>
+  <div class="modal-header">{{'item.version.create.modal.submitted.header' | translate}}</div>
+  <div class="modal-body">
+    <p>{{'item.version.create.modal.submitted.text' | translate}}</p>
+    <div class="d-flex justify-content-center">
+      <ds-loading [showMessage]="false"></ds-loading>
+    </div>
+  </div>
+</ng-template>
diff --git a/src/app/shared/item/item-versions/item-versions-summary-modal/item-versions-summary-modal.component.ts b/src/app/shared/item/item-versions/item-versions-summary-modal/item-versions-summary-modal.component.ts
index 31bb3078c0..e20737ee57 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/item/item-versions/item-versions-summary-modal/item-versions-summary-modal.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/item/item-versions/item-versions-summary-modal/item-versions-summary-modal.component.ts
@@ -1,16 +1,19 @@
-import { Component, EventEmitter, Output } from '@angular/core';
+import { Component, EventEmitter, OnInit, Output } from '@angular/core';
 import { NgbActiveModal } from '@ng-bootstrap/ng-bootstrap';
+import { BehaviorSubject } from 'rxjs';
+import { ModalBeforeDismiss } from '../../../interfaces/modal-before-dismiss.interface';
 
 @Component({
   selector: 'ds-item-versions-summary-modal',
   templateUrl: './item-versions-summary-modal.component.html',
   styleUrls: ['./item-versions-summary-modal.component.scss']
 })
-export class ItemVersionsSummaryModalComponent {
+export class ItemVersionsSummaryModalComponent implements OnInit, ModalBeforeDismiss {
 
   versionNumber: number;
   newVersionSummary: string;
   firstVersion = true;
+  submitted$: BehaviorSubject<boolean>
 
   @Output() createVersionEvent: EventEmitter<string> = new EventEmitter<string>();
 
@@ -19,13 +22,24 @@ export class ItemVersionsSummaryModalComponent {
   ) {
   }
 
+  ngOnInit() {
+    this.submitted$ = new BehaviorSubject<boolean>(false);
+  }
+
   onModalClose() {
     this.activeModal.dismiss();
   }
 
+  beforeDismiss(): boolean | Promise<boolean> {
+    // prevent the modal from being dismissed after version creation is initiated
+    return !this.submitted$.getValue()
+  }
+
   onModalSubmit() {
     this.createVersionEvent.emit(this.newVersionSummary);
-    this.activeModal.close();
+    this.submitted$.next(true);
+    // NOTE: the caller of this modal is responsible for closing it,
+    //       e.g. after the version creation POST request completed.
   }
 
 }
diff --git a/src/app/shared/item/item-versions/item-versions.component.ts b/src/app/shared/item/item-versions/item-versions.component.ts
index 2457cf76c4..ef28109870 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/item/item-versions/item-versions.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/item/item-versions/item-versions.component.ts
@@ -342,6 +342,9 @@ export class ItemVersionsComponent implements OnInit {
         version.item.pipe(getFirstSucceededRemoteDataPayload())
       ])),
       mergeMap(([summary, item]: [string, Item]) => this.versionHistoryService.createVersion(item._links.self.href, summary)),
+      getFirstCompletedRemoteData(),
+      // close model (should be displaying loading/waiting indicator) when version creation failed/succeeded
+      tap(() => activeModal.close()),
       // show success/failure notification
       tap((newVersionRD: RemoteData<Version>) => {
         this.itemVersionShared.notifyCreateNewVersion(newVersionRD);
diff --git a/src/assets/i18n/en.json5 b/src/assets/i18n/en.json5
index e3ba4019ee..8b9c7f6218 100644
--- a/src/assets/i18n/en.json5
+++ b/src/assets/i18n/en.json5
@@ -2233,6 +2233,10 @@
 
   "item.version.create.modal.form.summary.placeholder": "Insert the summary for the new version",
 
+  "item.version.create.modal.submitted.header": "Creating new version...",
+
+  "item.version.create.modal.submitted.text": "The new version is being created. This may take some time if the item has a lot of relationships.",
+
   "item.version.create.notification.success" : "New version has been created with version number {{version}}",
 
   "item.version.create.notification.failure" : "New version has not been created",