diff --git a/src/main/java/stirling/software/SPDF/controller/api/misc/StampController.java b/src/main/java/stirling/software/SPDF/controller/api/misc/StampController.java
index 30a7540ee..e554a08f3 100644
--- a/src/main/java/stirling/software/SPDF/controller/api/misc/StampController.java
+++ b/src/main/java/stirling/software/SPDF/controller/api/misc/StampController.java
@@ -71,6 +71,10 @@ public class StampController {
         int position = request.getPosition(); // Updated to use 1-9 positioning logic
         float overrideX = request.getOverrideX(); // New field for X override
         float overrideY = request.getOverrideY(); // New field for Y override
+        // Check if the file input is null or empty
+        if (request.getFileInput() == null || request.getFileInput().isEmpty()) {
+            return ResponseEntity.badRequest().body("PDF file is missing.".getBytes());
+        }
 
         String customColor = request.getCustomColor();
         float marginFactor;
diff --git a/src/main/resources/templates/misc/stamp.html b/src/main/resources/templates/misc/stamp.html
index d25128303..b2091a4c8 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/templates/misc/stamp.html
+++ b/src/main/resources/templates/misc/stamp.html
@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@
                 <span class="material-symbols-rounded tool-header-icon security">approval</span>
                 <span class="tool-header-text" th:text="#{AddStampRequest.header}"></span>
               </div>
-              <form method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data" th:action="@{'/api/v1/misc/add-stamp'}">
-                <div th:replace="~{fragments/common :: fileSelector(name='fileInput', multipleInputsForSingleRequest=false, accept='application/pdf')}"></div>
+              <form id="stampFormGroup" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data" th:action="@{'/api/v1/misc/add-stamp'}">
+                <div th:replace="~{fragments/common :: fileSelector(name='fileInput', multipleInputsForSingleRequest=false, accept='application/pdf', notRequired=true)}"></div>
                 <br>
                 <div class="mb-3">
                   <label for="pageOrder" th:text="#{pageSelectionPrompt}"></label>
@@ -194,6 +194,29 @@
             alphabetGroup.style.display = 'none';
           }
         }
+      document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
+    // Get the form by ID
+    const form = document.getElementById('stampFormGroup');
+    if (form) {
+      // Override the default submission behavior
+      form.addEventListener('submit', function(event) {
+        // Get the file input element (using the pattern from the fileSelector fragment)
+        const fileInput = document.getElementById('fileInput-input');
+        // Check if files are selected
+        if (!fileInput || fileInput.files.length === 0) {
+          // Prevent the form from submitting
+          event.preventDefault();
+          event.stopPropagation();
+          
+          // Alert the user
+          alert('Please select a PDF file before submitting.');
+          return false;
+        }
+        return true;
+      }, true); 
+    }
+  });
+
         </script>
       </div>
       <th:block th:insert="~{fragments/footer.html :: footer}"></th:block>