diff -u b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/EventSubscriber/ConfigImportSubscriber.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/EventSubscriber/ConfigImportSubscriber.php
--- b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/EventSubscriber/ConfigImportSubscriber.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/EventSubscriber/ConfigImportSubscriber.php
@@ -120,8 +120,9 @@
       }
     }
 
-    // Get a list of installed profiles.
-    $installed_profiles = \Drupal::service('profile_handler')->getProfiles();
+    // Get a list of parent profiles and the main profile.
+    $parent_profiles = \Drupal::service('profile_handler')->getProfiles();
+    $main_profile = array_pop($parent_profiles);
 
     // Ensure that all modules being uninstalled are not required by modules
     // that will be installed after the import.
@@ -136,14 +137,20 @@
       }
     }
 
-    // Ensure that none of the installed profiles are being uninstalled.
-    if ($profile_uninstalls = array_intersect_key($installed_profiles, array_flip($uninstalls))) {
+    // Ensure that the active profile is not being uninstalled.
+    if (in_array($main_profile, $uninstalls, TRUE)) {
+      $profile_name = $module_data[$main_profile]->info['name'];
+      $config_importer->logError($this->t('Unable to uninstall the %profile profile since it is the main install profile.', ['%profile' => $profile_name]));
+    }
+
+    // Ensure that none of the parent profiles are being uninstalled.
+    if ($profile_uninstalls = array_intersect_key($parent_profiles, array_flip($uninstalls))) {
       foreach ($profile_uninstalls as $profile) {
-        $profile_names[] = $profile->info['name'];
+        $profile_names[] = $module_data[$profile]->info['name'];
       }
       $message = $this->formatPlural(count($profile_names),
-        'Unable to uninstall the %profile profile since it is an installed profile.',
-        'Unable to uninstall the %profile profiles since they are installed profiles.',
+        'Unable to uninstall the %profile profile profile since it is a parent of another installed profile.',
+        'Unable to uninstall the %profile profiles since they are parents of another installed profile.',
         ['%profile' => implode(', ', $profile_names)]
       );
       $config_importer->logError($message);
diff -u b/core/modules/config/src/Tests/ConfigImportInstallProfileTest.php b/core/modules/config/src/Tests/ConfigImportInstallProfileTest.php
--- b/core/modules/config/src/Tests/ConfigImportInstallProfileTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/config/src/Tests/ConfigImportInstallProfileTest.php
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@
 
     $this->drupalPostForm('admin/config/development/configuration', [], t('Import all'));
     $this->assertText('The configuration cannot be imported because it failed validation for the following reasons:');
-    $this->assertText('Unable to uninstall the Testing config import profile since it is an installed profile.');
+    $this->assertText('Unable to uninstall the Testing config import profile since it is the main install profile.');
 
     // Uninstall dependencies of testing_config_import.
     $core['module']['testing_config_import'] = 0;
diff -u b/core/profiles/testing_inherited/testing_inherited.info.yml b/core/profiles/testing_inherited/testing_inherited.info.yml
--- b/core/profiles/testing_inherited/testing_inherited.info.yml
+++ b/core/profiles/testing_inherited/testing_inherited.info.yml
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 dependencies:
   - block
   - config
+  - syslog
 
 themes:
   - stable
only in patch2:
unchanged:
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/modules/config/src/Tests/ConfigImportBaseInstallProfileTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Drupal\config\Tests;
+
+use Drupal\simpletest\WebTestBase;
+
+/**
+ * Tests the importing/exporting configuration based on install sub-profile.
+ *
+ * @group config
+ */
+class ConfigImportBaseInstallProfileTest extends WebTestBase {
+
+  /**
+   * The profile to install as a basis for testing.
+   *
+   * @var string
+   */
+  protected $profile = 'testing_inherited';
+
+  /**
+   * A user with the 'synchronize configuration' permission.
+   *
+   * @var \Drupal\user\UserInterface
+   */
+  protected $webUser;
+
+  protected function setUp() {
+    parent::setUp();
+
+    $this->webUser = $this->drupalCreateUser(['synchronize configuration']);
+    $this->drupalLogin($this->webUser);
+    $this->copyConfig($this->container->get('config.storage'), $this->container->get('config.storage.sync'));
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Tests config importer cannot uninstall install profiles.
+   *
+   * @see \Drupal\Core\EventSubscriber\ConfigImportSubscriber
+   */
+  public function testInstallProfileValidation() {
+    $sync = $this->container->get('config.storage.sync');
+    $this->copyConfig($this->container->get('config.storage'), $sync);
+    $core = $sync->read('core.extension');
+
+    // Ensure install sub-profiles can not be uninstalled.
+    unset($core['module']['testing_inherited']);
+    $sync->write('core.extension', $core);
+
+    $this->drupalPostForm('admin/config/development/configuration', [], t('Import all'));
+    $this->assertText('The configuration cannot be imported because it failed validation for the following reasons:');
+    $this->assertText('Unable to uninstall the Testing Inherited profile since it is the main install profile.');
+
+    // Ensure that parent profile can not be uninstalled.
+    unset($core['module']['testing']);
+    $sync->write('core.extension', $core);
+
+    $this->drupalPostForm('admin/config/development/configuration', [], t('Import all'));
+    $this->assertText('The configuration cannot be imported because it failed validation for the following reasons:');
+    $this->assertText('Unable to uninstall the Testing profile since it is a parent of another installed profile.');
+
+    // Uninstall dependencies of main profile.
+    $core['module']['testing_inherited'] = 0;
+    unset($core['module']['syslog']);
+    $sync->write('core.extension', $core);
+    $sync->deleteAll('syslog.');
+    $this->drupalPostForm('admin/config/development/configuration', [], t('Import all'));
+    $this->assertText('The configuration was imported successfully.');
+    $this->rebuildContainer();
+    $this->assertFalse(\Drupal::moduleHandler()->moduleExists('syslog'), 'The syslog module has been uninstalled.');
+
+    // Uninstall dependencies of parent profile.
+    $core['module']['testing'] = 0;
+    unset($core['module']['dynamic_page_cache']);
+    $sync->write('core.extension', $core);
+    $sync->deleteAll('syslog.');
+    $this->drupalPostForm('admin/config/development/configuration', [], t('Import all'));
+    $this->assertText('The configuration was imported successfully.');
+    $this->rebuildContainer();
+    $this->assertFalse(\Drupal::moduleHandler()->moduleExists('syslog'), 'The dynamic_page_cache module has been uninstalled.');
+  }
+
+}