diff --git a/api/index.js b/api/index.js
index 3b9c905e4..bf88079ff 100644
--- a/api/index.js
+++ b/api/index.js
@@ -664,7 +664,10 @@ function ESAPI (opts) {
   return apis
 
   function handleError (err, callback) {
-    if (callback) return callback(err, result)
+    if (callback) {
+      process.nextTick(callback, err, result)
+      return { then: noop, catch: noop, abort: noop }
+    }
     return Promise.reject(err)
   }
 
@@ -699,4 +702,6 @@ function lazyLoad (file, opts) {
   }
 }
 
+function noop () {}
+
 module.exports = ESAPI
diff --git a/lib/Transport.js b/lib/Transport.js
index b32ae8c9b..2d7e2285f 100644
--- a/lib/Transport.js
+++ b/lib/Transport.js
@@ -124,14 +124,28 @@ class Transport {
       ? 0 : (typeof options.maxRetries === 'number' ? options.maxRetries : this.maxRetries)
     const compression = options.compression !== undefined ? options.compression : this.compression
     var request = { abort: noop }
+    const transportReturn = {
+      then (onFulfilled, onRejected) {
+        return p.then(onFulfilled, onRejected)
+      },
+      catch (onRejected) {
+        return p.catch(onRejected)
+      },
+      abort () {
+        meta.aborted = true
+        request.abort()
+        debug('Aborting request', params)
+        return this
+      }
+    }
 
     const makeRequest = () => {
       if (meta.aborted === true) {
-        return callback(new RequestAbortedError(), result)
+        return process.nextTick(callback, new RequestAbortedError(), result)
       }
       meta.connection = this.getConnection({ requestId: meta.request.id })
       if (meta.connection == null) {
-        return callback(new NoLivingConnectionsError(), result)
+        return process.nextTick(callback, new NoLivingConnectionsError(), result)
       }
       this.emit('request', null, result)
       // perform the actual http request
@@ -266,7 +280,8 @@ class Transport {
         try {
           params.body = this.serializer.serialize(params.body)
         } catch (err) {
-          return callback(err, result)
+          process.nextTick(callback, err, result)
+          return transportReturn
         }
       }
 
@@ -280,7 +295,8 @@ class Transport {
         try {
           params.body = this.serializer.ndserialize(params.bulkBody)
         } catch (err) {
-          return callback(err, result)
+          process.nextTick(callback, err, result)
+          return transportReturn
         }
       } else {
         params.body = params.bulkBody
@@ -333,20 +349,7 @@ class Transport {
       makeRequest()
     }
 
-    return {
-      then (onFulfilled, onRejected) {
-        return p.then(onFulfilled, onRejected)
-      },
-      catch (onRejected) {
-        return p.catch(onRejected)
-      },
-      abort () {
-        meta.aborted = true
-        request.abort()
-        debug('Aborting request', params)
-        return this
-      }
-    }
+    return transportReturn
   }
 
   getConnection (opts) {
diff --git a/test/unit/api.test.js b/test/unit/api.test.js
index ad61a71e1..13e1361fd 100644
--- a/test/unit/api.test.js
+++ b/test/unit/api.test.js
@@ -299,6 +299,22 @@ test('ConfigurationError (promises)', t => {
     })
 })
 
+test('The callback with a sync error should be called in the next tick', t => {
+  t.plan(4)
+
+  const client = new Client({
+    node: 'http://localhost:9200'
+  })
+
+  const transportReturn = client.index({ body: { foo: 'bar' } }, (err, result) => {
+    t.ok(err instanceof errors.ConfigurationError)
+  })
+
+  t.type(transportReturn.then, 'function')
+  t.type(transportReturn.catch, 'function')
+  t.type(transportReturn.abort, 'function')
+})
+
 if (Number(process.version.split('.')[0].slice(1)) >= 8) {
   require('./api-async')(test)
 }
diff --git a/test/unit/transport.test.js b/test/unit/transport.test.js
index 18a62a2ce..169b2df98 100644
--- a/test/unit/transport.test.js
+++ b/test/unit/transport.test.js
@@ -2537,3 +2537,65 @@ test('Lowercase headers utilty', t => {
 
   t.strictEqual(lowerCaseHeaders(undefined), undefined)
 })
+
+test('The callback with a sync error should be called in the next tick - json', t => {
+  t.plan(4)
+  const pool = new ConnectionPool({ Connection })
+  pool.addConnection('http://localhost:9200')
+
+  const transport = new Transport({
+    emit: () => {},
+    connectionPool: pool,
+    serializer: new Serializer(),
+    maxRetries: 3,
+    requestTimeout: 30000,
+    sniffInterval: false,
+    sniffOnStart: false
+  })
+
+  const body = { a: true }
+  body.o = body
+
+  const transportReturn = transport.request({
+    method: 'POST',
+    path: '/hello',
+    body
+  }, (err, { body }) => {
+    t.ok(err instanceof SerializationError)
+  })
+
+  t.type(transportReturn.then, 'function')
+  t.type(transportReturn.catch, 'function')
+  t.type(transportReturn.abort, 'function')
+})
+
+test('The callback with a sync error should be called in the next tick - ndjson', t => {
+  t.plan(4)
+  const pool = new ConnectionPool({ Connection })
+  pool.addConnection('http://localhost:9200')
+
+  const transport = new Transport({
+    emit: () => {},
+    connectionPool: pool,
+    serializer: new Serializer(),
+    maxRetries: 3,
+    requestTimeout: 30000,
+    sniffInterval: false,
+    sniffOnStart: false
+  })
+
+  const field = { a: true }
+  field.o = field
+
+  const transportReturn = transport.request({
+    method: 'POST',
+    path: '/hello',
+    bulkBody: [field]
+  }, (err, { body }) => {
+    t.ok(err instanceof SerializationError)
+  })
+
+  t.type(transportReturn.then, 'function')
+  t.type(transportReturn.catch, 'function')
+  t.type(transportReturn.abort, 'function')
+})