diff --git a/builder/amazon/common/access_config.go b/builder/amazon/common/access_config.go
index 26f2e2ea1..b7856b29f 100644
--- a/builder/amazon/common/access_config.go
+++ b/builder/amazon/common/access_config.go
@@ -162,13 +162,6 @@ func (c *AccessConfig) Prepare(ctx *interpolate.Context) []error {
 			fmt.Errorf("`access_key` and `secret_key` must both be either set or not set."))
 	}
 
-	if c.RawRegion != "" && !c.SkipValidation {
-		err := c.ValidateRegion(c.RawRegion)
-		if err != nil {
-			errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf("error validating region: %s", err.Error()))
-		}
-	}
-
 	return errs
 }
 
diff --git a/builder/amazon/common/ami_config.go b/builder/amazon/common/ami_config.go
index 5fbac557a..a03c3a789 100644
--- a/builder/amazon/common/ami_config.go
+++ b/builder/amazon/common/ami_config.go
@@ -96,14 +96,6 @@ func (c *AMIConfig) Prepare(accessConfig *AccessConfig, ctx *interpolate.Context
 
 func (c *AMIConfig) prepareRegions(accessConfig *AccessConfig) (errs []error) {
 	if len(c.AMIRegions) > 0 {
-		if !c.AMISkipRegionValidation {
-			// Verify the regions are real
-			err := accessConfig.ValidateRegion(c.AMIRegions...)
-			if err != nil {
-				errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf("error validating regions: %v", err))
-			}
-		}
-
 		regionSet := make(map[string]struct{})
 		regions := make([]string, 0, len(c.AMIRegions))
 
diff --git a/builder/amazon/common/ami_config_test.go b/builder/amazon/common/ami_config_test.go
index 7623d6adb..f7fce7411 100644
--- a/builder/amazon/common/ami_config_test.go
+++ b/builder/amazon/common/ami_config_test.go
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ func getFakeAccessConfig(region string) *AccessConfig {
 func TestAMIConfigPrepare_name(t *testing.T) {
 	c := testAMIConfig()
 	accessConf := testAccessConfig()
-	c.AMISkipRegionValidation = true
 	if err := c.Prepare(accessConf, nil); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("shouldn't have err: %s", err)
 	}
@@ -53,7 +52,6 @@ func (m *mockEC2Client) DescribeRegions(*ec2.DescribeRegionsInput) (*ec2.Describ
 func TestAMIConfigPrepare_regions(t *testing.T) {
 	c := testAMIConfig()
 	c.AMIRegions = nil
-	c.AMISkipRegionValidation = true
 
 	var errs []error
 	var err error
@@ -63,7 +61,6 @@ func TestAMIConfigPrepare_regions(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("shouldn't have err: %#v", errs)
 	}
 
-	c.AMISkipRegionValidation = false
 	c.AMIRegions, err = listEC2Regions(mockConn)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("shouldn't have err: %s", err.Error())
@@ -71,11 +68,6 @@ func TestAMIConfigPrepare_regions(t *testing.T) {
 	if errs = c.prepareRegions(accessConf); len(errs) > 0 {
 		t.Fatalf("shouldn't have err: %#v", errs)
 	}
-
-	c.AMIRegions = []string{"foo"}
-	if errs = c.prepareRegions(accessConf); len(errs) == 0 {
-		t.Fatal("should have error")
-	}
 	errs = errs[:0]
 
 	c.AMIRegions = []string{"us-east-1", "us-west-1", "us-east-1"}
@@ -89,11 +81,9 @@ func TestAMIConfigPrepare_regions(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	c.AMIRegions = []string{"custom"}
-	c.AMISkipRegionValidation = true
 	if errs = c.prepareRegions(accessConf); len(errs) > 0 {
 		t.Fatal("shouldn't have error")
 	}
-	c.AMISkipRegionValidation = false
 
 	c.AMIRegions = []string{"us-east-1", "us-east-2", "us-west-1"}
 	c.AMIRegionKMSKeyIDs = map[string]string{
@@ -142,11 +132,9 @@ func TestAMIConfigPrepare_regions(t *testing.T) {
 		"us-west-1": "789-012-3456",
 	}
 
-	c.AMISkipRegionValidation = true
 	if err := c.Prepare(accessConf, nil); err == nil {
 		t.Fatal("should have error b/c theres a region in in ami_regions that isn't in the key map")
 	}
-	c.AMISkipRegionValidation = false
 
 	c.SnapshotUsers = []string{"foo", "bar"}
 	c.AMIKmsKeyId = "123-abc-456"
@@ -172,7 +160,6 @@ func TestAMIConfigPrepare_regions(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestAMIConfigPrepare_Share_EncryptedBoot(t *testing.T) {
 	c := testAMIConfig()
-	c.AMISkipRegionValidation = true
 	c.AMIUsers = []string{"testAccountID"}
 	c.AMIEncryptBootVolume = true
 
@@ -191,7 +178,6 @@ func TestAMIConfigPrepare_Share_EncryptedBoot(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestAMINameValidation(t *testing.T) {
 	c := testAMIConfig()
-	c.AMISkipRegionValidation = true
 
 	accessConf := testAccessConfig()
 
diff --git a/builder/amazon/ebs/builder.go b/builder/amazon/ebs/builder.go
index 3e1580430..7e2ba9610 100644
--- a/builder/amazon/ebs/builder.go
+++ b/builder/amazon/ebs/builder.go
@@ -86,11 +86,17 @@ func (b *Builder) Prepare(raws ...interface{}) ([]string, error) {
 }
 
 func (b *Builder) Run(ui packer.Ui, hook packer.Hook, cache packer.Cache) (packer.Artifact, error) {
-
 	session, err := b.config.Session()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	if !b.config.AMISkipRegionValidation {
+		regionsToValidate := append(b.config.AMIRegions, b.config.RawRegion)
+		err := b.config.AccessConfig.ValidateRegion(regionsToValidate...)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("error validating regions: %v", err)
+		}
+	}
 	ec2conn := ec2.New(session)
 
 	// Setup the state bag and initial state for the steps