diff --git a/bin/import_xml.rng b/bin/import_xml.rng
index e637d42f123..c852d421e17 100644
--- a/bin/import_xml.rng
+++ b/bin/import_xml.rng
@@ -148,8 +148,10 @@
     <rng:define name="delete">
         <rng:element name="delete">
             <rng:attribute name="model" />
-            <rng:optional><rng:attribute name="id" /> </rng:optional>
-            <rng:optional><rng:attribute name="search" /></rng:optional>
+                <rng:choice>
+                    <rng:attribute name="id" />
+                    <rng:attribute name="search" />
+                </rng:choice>
             </rng:element>
     </rng:define>
 
diff --git a/bin/tools/yaml_import.py b/bin/tools/yaml_import.py
index 8fe1d634764..0a5d8d7e09b 100644
--- a/bin/tools/yaml_import.py
+++ b/bin/tools/yaml_import.py
@@ -535,14 +535,10 @@ class YamlInterpreter(object):
         # TODO add remove ir.model.data
 
     def process_delete(self, node):
-        ids = []
         if len(node.search):
             ids = self.pool.get(node.model).search(self.cr, self.uid, eval(node.search, self.eval_context))
-        if len(node.id):
-            try:
-                ids.append(self.get_id(node.id))
-            except:
-                pass
+        else:
+            ids = [self.get_id(node.id)]
         if len(ids):
             self.pool.get(node.model).unlink(self.cr, self.uid, ids)
             self.pool.get('ir.model.data')._unlink(self.cr, self.uid, node.model, ids, direct=True)