diff --git a/lib/galaxy/security/validate_user_input.py b/lib/galaxy/security/validate_user_input.py
index 5375a4afbb7..7150c0831e8 100644
--- a/lib/galaxy/security/validate_user_input.py
+++ b/lib/galaxy/security/validate_user_input.py
@@ -24,12 +24,12 @@ FILL_CHAR = '-'
 PASSWORD_MIN_LEN = 6
 
 
-def validate_email(trans, email, user=None, check_dup=True):
+def validate_email(trans, email, user=None, check_dup=True, allow_empty=False):
     """
     Validates the email format, also checks whether the domain is blacklisted in the disposable domains configuration.
     """
     message = ''
-    if user and user.email == email:
+    if (user and user.email == email) or (email == "" and allow_empty):
         return message
     if not(VALID_EMAIL_RE.match(email)):
         message = "The format of the email address is not correct."
diff --git a/lib/galaxy/webapps/galaxy/controllers/user.py b/lib/galaxy/webapps/galaxy/controllers/user.py
index 96ba8b0a786..ff138960711 100644
--- a/lib/galaxy/webapps/galaxy/controllers/user.py
+++ b/lib/galaxy/webapps/galaxy/controllers/user.py
@@ -532,7 +532,7 @@ class User(BaseUIController, UsesFormDefinitionsMixin, CreatesUsersMixin, Create
         if autoreg["auto_reg"]:
             kwd['email'] = autoreg["email"]
             kwd['username'] = autoreg["username"]
-            message = " ".join([validate_email(trans, kwd['email']),
+            message = " ".join([validate_email(trans, kwd['email'], allow_empty=True),
                                 validate_publicname(trans, kwd['username'])]).rstrip()
             if not message:
                 message, status, user, success = self.__register(trans, cntrller, False, no_redirect=skip_login_handling, **kwd)
@@ -572,7 +572,6 @@ class User(BaseUIController, UsesFormDefinitionsMixin, CreatesUsersMixin, Create
         log.debug("trans.app.config.auth_config_file: %s" % trans.app.config.auth_config_file)
         if not user:
             message, status, user, success = self.__autoregistration(trans, login, password, status, kwd)
-
         elif user.deleted:
             message = "This account has been marked deleted, contact your local Galaxy administrator to restore the account."
             if trans.app.config.error_email_to is not None: