diff --git a/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/validation/ValidationAutoConfiguration.java b/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/validation/ValidationAutoConfiguration.java
index 766fbf15ea8..0b075ce08cb 100644
--- a/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/validation/ValidationAutoConfiguration.java
+++ b/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/validation/ValidationAutoConfiguration.java
@@ -16,13 +16,22 @@
 
 package org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.validation;
 
+import javax.validation.Validation;
 import javax.validation.Validator;
 
 import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.EnableAutoConfiguration;
+import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.condition.ConditionMessage;
+import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.condition.ConditionOutcome;
 import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.condition.ConditionalOnClass;
 import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.condition.ConditionalOnMissingBean;
 import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.condition.ConditionalOnResource;
+import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.condition.SpringBootCondition;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.ConditionContext;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.Conditional;
+import org.springframework.core.Ordered;
+import org.springframework.core.annotation.Order;
+import org.springframework.core.type.AnnotatedTypeMetadata;
 import org.springframework.validation.beanvalidation.MethodValidationPostProcessor;
 
 /**
@@ -37,9 +46,29 @@ public class ValidationAutoConfiguration {
 
 	@Bean
 	@ConditionalOnResource(resources = "META-INF/services/javax.validation.spi.ValidationProvider")
+	@Conditional(OnValidatorAvailableCondition.class)
 	@ConditionalOnMissingBean
 	public MethodValidationPostProcessor methodValidationPostProcessor() {
 		return new MethodValidationPostProcessor();
 	}
 
+	@Order(Ordered.LOWEST_PRECEDENCE)
+	static class OnValidatorAvailableCondition extends SpringBootCondition {
+
+		@Override
+		public ConditionOutcome getMatchOutcome(ConditionContext context,
+				AnnotatedTypeMetadata metadata) {
+			ConditionMessage.Builder message = ConditionMessage.forCondition(
+					getClass().getName());
+			try {
+				Validation.buildDefaultValidatorFactory().getValidator();
+				return ConditionOutcome.match(message.available("JSR-303 provider"));
+			}
+			catch (Exception ex) {
+				return ConditionOutcome.noMatch(message.notAvailable("JSR-303 provider"));
+			}
+		}
+
+	}
+
 }
diff --git a/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/validation/ValidationAutoConfigurationWithHibernateValidatorMissingElImplTests.java b/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/validation/ValidationAutoConfigurationWithHibernateValidatorMissingElImplTests.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ad2973b6c0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/validation/ValidationAutoConfigurationWithHibernateValidatorMissingElImplTests.java
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2012-2016 the original author or authors.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.validation;
+
+import org.junit.After;
+import org.junit.Test;
+import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
+
+import org.springframework.boot.junit.runner.classpath.ClassPathExclusions;
+import org.springframework.boot.junit.runner.classpath.ModifiedClassPathRunner;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.AnnotationConfigApplicationContext;
+import org.springframework.validation.beanvalidation.MethodValidationPostProcessor;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+
+/**
+ * Test for {{@link ValidationAutoConfiguration} when Hibernate validator is present
+ * but no EL implementation is available.
+ *
+ * @author Stephane Nicoll
+ */
+@RunWith(ModifiedClassPathRunner.class)
+@ClassPathExclusions("tomcat-embed-el-*.jar")
+public class ValidationAutoConfigurationWithHibernateValidatorMissingElImplTests {
+
+	private AnnotationConfigApplicationContext context;
+
+	@After
+	public void close() {
+		if (this.context != null) {
+			this.context.close();
+		}
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void validationIsDisabled() {
+		this.context = new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext(
+				ValidationAutoConfiguration.class);
+		assertThat(this.context.getBeansOfType(MethodValidationPostProcessor.class))
+				.isEmpty();
+	}
+
+}
diff --git a/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/validation/ValidationAutoConfigurationWithoutValidatorTests.java b/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/validation/ValidationAutoConfigurationWithoutValidatorTests.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c1522641d9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/validation/ValidationAutoConfigurationWithoutValidatorTests.java
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2012-2016 the original author or authors.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.validation;
+
+import org.junit.After;
+import org.junit.Test;
+import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
+
+import org.springframework.boot.junit.runner.classpath.ClassPathExclusions;
+import org.springframework.boot.junit.runner.classpath.ModifiedClassPathRunner;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.AnnotationConfigApplicationContext;
+import org.springframework.validation.beanvalidation.MethodValidationPostProcessor;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+
+/**
+ * Test for {{@link ValidationAutoConfiguration} when no JSR-303 provider is available.
+ *
+ * @author Stephane Nicoll
+ */
+@RunWith(ModifiedClassPathRunner.class)
+@ClassPathExclusions("hibernate-validator-*.jar")
+public class ValidationAutoConfigurationWithoutValidatorTests {
+
+	private AnnotationConfigApplicationContext context;
+
+	@After
+	public void close() {
+		if (this.context != null) {
+			this.context.close();
+		}
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void validationIsDisabled() {
+		this.context = new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext(
+				ValidationAutoConfiguration.class);
+		assertThat(this.context.getBeansOfType(MethodValidationPostProcessor.class))
+				.isEmpty();
+	}
+
+}