diff --git a/subcmds/sync.py b/subcmds/sync.py
index e68a025..90e2908 100644
--- a/subcmds/sync.py
+++ b/subcmds/sync.py
@@ -503,12 +503,31 @@
         to_fetch.append(rp)
       to_fetch.extend(all_projects)
 
-      self._Fetch(to_fetch, opt)
+      fetched = self._Fetch(to_fetch, opt)
       _PostRepoFetch(rp, opt.no_repo_verify)
       if opt.network_only:
         # bail out now; the rest touches the working tree
         return
 
+      # Iteratively fetch missing and/or nested unregistered submodules
+      previously_missing_set = set()
+      while True:
+        self.manifest._Unload()
+        all = self.GetProjects(args, missing_ok=True)
+        missing = []
+        for project in all:
+          if project.gitdir not in fetched:
+            missing.append(project)
+        if not missing:
+          break
+        # Stop us from non-stopped fetching actually-missing repos: If set of
+        # missing repos has not been changed from last fetch, we break.
+        missing_set = set(p.name for p in missing)
+        if previously_missing_set == missing_set:
+          break
+        previously_missing_set = missing_set
+        fetched.update(self._Fetch(missing, opt))
+
     if self.manifest.IsMirror:
       # bail out now, we have no working tree
       return