diff --git a/samples/snippets/src/main/java/com/example/spanner/CreateInstanceExample.java b/samples/snippets/src/main/java/com/example/spanner/CreateInstanceExample.java
index fe7e6ec424..44e36a8b27 100644
--- a/samples/snippets/src/main/java/com/example/spanner/CreateInstanceExample.java
+++ b/samples/snippets/src/main/java/com/example/spanner/CreateInstanceExample.java
@@ -65,6 +65,8 @@ static void createInstance(String projectId, String instanceId) {
           instanceInfo.getId(), e.getMessage());
     } catch (InterruptedException e) {
       System.out.println("Error: Waiting for createInstance operation to finish was interrupted");
+    } finally {
+      spanner.close();
     }
   }
 }