diff --git a/builder/amazon/common/ami_config.go b/builder/amazon/common/ami_config.go
index a03c3a789..9d75aa5fc 100644
--- a/builder/amazon/common/ami_config.go
+++ b/builder/amazon/common/ami_config.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package common
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"log"
+	"regexp"
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/template/interpolate"
 )
@@ -62,6 +63,23 @@ func (c *AMIConfig) Prepare(accessConfig *AccessConfig, ctx *interpolate.Context
 		errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf("Cannot share AMI with encrypted boot volume"))
 	}
 
+	var kmsKeys []string
+	if len(c.AMIKmsKeyId) > 0 {
+		kmsKeys = append(kmsKeys, c.AMIKmsKeyId)
+	}
+	if len(c.AMIRegionKMSKeyIDs) > 0 {
+		for _, kmsKey := range c.AMIRegionKMSKeyIDs {
+			if len(kmsKey) == 0 {
+				kmsKeys = append(kmsKeys, c.AMIKmsKeyId)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	for _, kmsKey := range kmsKeys {
+		if !validateKmsKey(kmsKey) {
+			errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf("%s is not a valid KMS Key Id.", kmsKey))
+		}
+	}
+
 	if len(c.SnapshotUsers) > 0 {
 		if len(c.AMIKmsKeyId) == 0 && c.AMIEncryptBootVolume {
 			errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf("Cannot share snapshot encrypted with default KMS key"))
@@ -128,3 +146,23 @@ func (c *AMIConfig) prepareRegions(accessConfig *AccessConfig) (errs []error) {
 	}
 	return errs
 }
+
+// See https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/APIReference/API_CopyImage.html
+func validateKmsKey(kmsKey string) (valid bool) {
+	kmsKeyIdPattern := `[a-f0-9-]+$`
+	aliasPattern := `alias/[a-zA-Z0-9:/_-]+$`
+	kmsArnStartPattern := `^arn:aws:kms:([a-z]{2}-(gov-)?[a-z]+-\d{1})?:(\d{12}):`
+	if regexp.MustCompile(fmt.Sprintf("^%s", kmsKeyIdPattern)).MatchString(kmsKey) {
+		return true
+	}
+	if regexp.MustCompile(fmt.Sprintf("^%s", aliasPattern)).MatchString(kmsKey) {
+		return true
+	}
+	if regexp.MustCompile(fmt.Sprintf("%skey/%s", kmsArnStartPattern, kmsKeyIdPattern)).MatchString(kmsKey) {
+		return true
+	}
+	if regexp.MustCompile(fmt.Sprintf("%s%s", kmsArnStartPattern, aliasPattern)).MatchString(kmsKey) {
+		return true
+	}
+	return false
+}
diff --git a/builder/amazon/common/ami_config_test.go b/builder/amazon/common/ami_config_test.go
index f7fce7411..ec1fda91a 100644
--- a/builder/amazon/common/ami_config_test.go
+++ b/builder/amazon/common/ami_config_test.go
@@ -176,6 +176,41 @@ func TestAMIConfigPrepare_Share_EncryptedBoot(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestAMIConfigPrepare_ValidateKmsKey(t *testing.T) {
+	c := testAMIConfig()
+	c.AMIEncryptBootVolume = true
+
+	accessConf := testAccessConfig()
+
+	validCases := []string{
+		"abcd1234-e567-890f-a12b-a123b4cd56ef",
+		"alias/foo/bar",
+		"arn:aws:kms:us-east-1:012345678910:key/abcd1234-a123-456a-a12b-a123b4cd56ef",
+		"arn:aws:kms:us-east-1:012345678910:alias/foo/bar",
+	}
+	for _, validCase := range validCases {
+		c.AMIKmsKeyId = validCase
+		if err := c.Prepare(accessConf, nil); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("%s should not have failed KMS key validation", validCase)
+		}
+	}
+
+	invalidCases := []string{
+		"ABCD1234-e567-890f-a12b-a123b4cd56ef",
+		"ghij1234-e567-890f-a12b-a123b4cd56ef",
+		"ghij1234+e567_890f-a12b-a123b4cd56ef",
+		"foo/bar",
+		"arn:aws:kms:us-east-1:012345678910:foo/bar",
+	}
+	for _, invalidCase := range invalidCases {
+		c.AMIKmsKeyId = invalidCase
+		if err := c.Prepare(accessConf, nil); err == nil {
+			t.Fatalf("%s should have failed KMS key validation", invalidCase)
+		}
+	}
+
+}
+
 func TestAMINameValidation(t *testing.T) {
 	c := testAMIConfig()