diff --git a/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/ConfigurationClassBeanDefinitionReader.java b/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/ConfigurationClassBeanDefinitionReader.java
index f0dab35258..5c02223ba6 100644
--- a/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/ConfigurationClassBeanDefinitionReader.java
+++ b/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/ConfigurationClassBeanDefinitionReader.java
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 
 package org.springframework.context.annotation;
 
+import java.lang.reflect.Constructor;
 import java.lang.reflect.Method;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Arrays;
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@ import java.util.Set;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 
+import org.springframework.beans.BeanUtils;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanDefinitionStoreException;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.AnnotatedBeanDefinition;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.AnnotatedGenericBeanDefinition;
@@ -371,9 +373,11 @@ class ConfigurationClassBeanDefinitionReader {
 			BeanDefinitionReader reader = readerInstanceCache.get(readerClass);
 			if (reader == null) {
 				try {
+					Constructor<? extends BeanDefinitionReader> constructor =
+							readerClass.getDeclaredConstructor(BeanDefinitionRegistry.class);
 					// Instantiate the specified BeanDefinitionReader
-					reader = readerClass.getConstructor(BeanDefinitionRegistry.class).newInstance(this.registry);
-					// Delegate the current ResourceLoader to it if possible
+					reader = BeanUtils.instantiateClass(constructor, this.registry);
+					// Delegate the current ResourceLoader and Environment to it if possible
 					if (reader instanceof AbstractBeanDefinitionReader abdr) {
 						abdr.setResourceLoader(this.resourceLoader);
 						abdr.setEnvironment(this.environment);
@@ -382,7 +386,7 @@ class ConfigurationClassBeanDefinitionReader {
 				}
 				catch (Throwable ex) {
 					throw new IllegalStateException(
-							"Could not instantiate BeanDefinitionReader class [" + readerClass.getName() + "]");
+							"Could not instantiate BeanDefinitionReader class [" + readerClass.getName() + "]", ex);
 				}
 			}
 			reader.loadBeanDefinitions(resource);
diff --git a/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/ImportResource.java b/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/ImportResource.java
index 3bdf24bac1..dbb1c6047d 100644
--- a/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/ImportResource.java
+++ b/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/ImportResource.java
@@ -80,6 +80,10 @@ public @interface ImportResource {
 	 * {@link BeanDefinitionReader} implementation to use when processing
 	 * resources specified via the {@link #locations() locations} or
 	 * {@link #value() value} attribute.
+	 * <p>The configured {@code BeanDefinitionReader} type must declare a
+	 * constructor that accepts a single
+	 * {@link org.springframework.beans.factory.support.BeanDefinitionRegistry
+	 * BeanDefinitionRegistry} argument.
 	 * <p>By default, the reader will be adapted to the resource path specified:
 	 * {@code ".groovy"} files will be processed with a
 	 * {@link org.springframework.beans.factory.groovy.GroovyBeanDefinitionReader
diff --git a/spring-context/src/test/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/configuration/ImportResourceTests.java b/spring-context/src/test/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/configuration/ImportResourceTests.java
index b3811088ee..7b717f2c5a 100644
--- a/spring-context/src/test/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/configuration/ImportResourceTests.java
+++ b/spring-context/src/test/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/configuration/ImportResourceTests.java
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 import org.springframework.aop.support.AopUtils;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Value;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.BeanDefinitionRegistry;
 import org.springframework.beans.testfixture.beans.TestBean;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.AnnotationConfigApplicationContext;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
@@ -109,6 +110,13 @@ class ImportResourceTests {
 		}
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	void importResourceWithPrivateReader() {
+		try (AnnotationConfigApplicationContext ctx = new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext(ImportWithPrivateReaderConfig.class)) {
+			assertThat(ctx.containsBean("propertiesDeclaredBean")).isTrue();
+		}
+	}
+
 
 	@Configuration
 	@ImportResource("classpath:org/springframework/context/annotation/configuration/ImportXmlConfig-context.xml")
@@ -173,4 +181,20 @@ class ImportResourceTests {
 	static class ImportNonXmlResourceConfig {
 	}
 
+	@SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
+	@Configuration
+	@ImportResource(locations = "org/springframework/context/annotation/configuration/ImportNonXmlResourceConfig.properties",
+			reader = PrivatePropertiesBeanDefinitionReader.class)
+	static class ImportWithPrivateReaderConfig {
+	}
+
+	@SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
+	private static class PrivatePropertiesBeanDefinitionReader
+			extends org.springframework.beans.factory.support.PropertiesBeanDefinitionReader {
+
+		PrivatePropertiesBeanDefinitionReader(BeanDefinitionRegistry registry) {
+			super(registry);
+		}
+	}
+
 }