diff --git a/src/mdio/converters/segy.py b/src/mdio/converters/segy.py
index 425afb16c..3017473ac 100644
--- a/src/mdio/converters/segy.py
+++ b/src/mdio/converters/segy.py
@@ -482,6 +482,21 @@ def determine_target_size(var_type: str) -> int:
     ds.variables[index].metadata.chunk_grid = chunk_grid
 
 
+def _validate_spec_in_template(segy_spec: SegySpec, mdio_template: AbstractDatasetTemplate) -> None:
+    """Validate that the SegySpec has all required fields in the MDIO template."""
+    header_fields = {field.name for field in segy_spec.trace.header.fields}
+
+    required_fields = set(mdio_template._dim_names[:-1]) | set(mdio_template._coord_names)
+    missing_fields = required_fields - header_fields
+
+    if missing_fields:
+        err = (
+            f"Required fields {sorted(missing_fields)} for template {mdio_template.name} "
+            f"not found in the provided segy_spec"
+        )
+        raise ValueError(err)
+
+
 def segy_to_mdio(  # noqa PLR0913
     segy_spec: SegySpec,
     mdio_template: AbstractDatasetTemplate,
@@ -507,6 +522,8 @@ def segy_to_mdio(  # noqa PLR0913
     Raises:
         FileExistsError: If the output location already exists and overwrite is False.
     """
+    _validate_spec_in_template(segy_spec, mdio_template)
+
     input_path = _normalize_path(input_path)
     output_path = _normalize_path(output_path)
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_segy_spec_validation.py b/tests/unit/test_segy_spec_validation.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f8d65fcd9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/test_segy_spec_validation.py
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+"""Tests for SEG-Y spec validation against MDIO templates."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from unittest.mock import MagicMock
+
+import pytest
+from segy.schema import HeaderField
+from segy.standards import get_segy_standard
+
+from mdio.converters.segy import _validate_spec_in_template
+
+
+class TestValidateSpecInTemplate:
+    """Test cases for _validate_spec_in_template function."""
+
+    def test_validation_passes_with_all_required_fields(self) -> None:
+        """Test that validation passes when all required fields are present."""
+        template = MagicMock()
+        template._dim_names = ("inline", "crossline", "time")
+        template._coord_names = ("cdp_x", "cdp_y")
+
+        # SegySpec with all required fields
+        spec = get_segy_standard(1.0)
+        header_fields = [
+            HeaderField(name="inline", byte=189, format="int32"),
+            HeaderField(name="crossline", byte=193, format="int32"),
+            HeaderField(name="cdp_x", byte=181, format="int32"),
+            HeaderField(name="cdp_y", byte=185, format="int32"),
+        ]
+        segy_spec = spec.customize(trace_header_fields=header_fields)
+
+        # Should not raise any exception
+        _validate_spec_in_template(segy_spec, template)
+
+    def test_validation_fails_with_missing_fields(self) -> None:
+        """Test that validation fails when required fields are missing."""
+        # Template requiring custom fields not in standard spec
+        template = MagicMock()
+        template.name = "CustomTemplate"
+        template._dim_names = ("custom_dim1", "custom_dim2", "time")
+        template._coord_names = ("custom_coord_x", "custom_coord_y")
+
+        # SegySpec with only one of the required custom fields
+        spec = get_segy_standard(1.0)
+        header_fields = [
+            HeaderField(name="custom_dim1", byte=189, format="int32"),
+        ]
+        segy_spec = spec.customize(trace_header_fields=header_fields)
+
+        # Should raise ValueError listing the missing fields
+        with pytest.raises(ValueError, match=r"Required fields.*not found in.*segy_spec") as exc_info:
+            _validate_spec_in_template(segy_spec, template)
+
+        error_message = str(exc_info.value)
+        assert "custom_dim2" in error_message
+        assert "custom_coord_x" in error_message
+        assert "custom_coord_y" in error_message
+        assert "CustomTemplate" in error_message