diff --git a/backend/src/main/java/de/bund/digitalservice/ris/norms/application/service/ModificationValidator.java b/backend/src/main/java/de/bund/digitalservice/ris/norms/application/service/ModificationValidator.java
index 08bcb05e5..aa7863ecb 100644
--- a/backend/src/main/java/de/bund/digitalservice/ris/norms/application/service/ModificationValidator.java
+++ b/backend/src/main/java/de/bund/digitalservice/ris/norms/application/service/ModificationValidator.java
@@ -12,12 +12,13 @@
 /** */
 @Service
 public class ModificationValidator {
+
+  private final DBService dbService;
+
   public ModificationValidator(DBService dbService) {
     this.dbService = dbService;
   }
 
-  private final DBService dbService;
-
   /**
    * @param amendingLaw the amending law to be checked
    */
@@ -82,14 +83,27 @@ public void destNodeHasTextOnlyContent(Norm amendingLaw) {
     // TODO no "<>" exists
   }
 
-  private void throwErrorNoDestinationSet(Norm amendingLaw) {
-    //    List<String> emptyElis =
-    //        amendingLaw.getActiveModifications().stream()
-    //            .filter(am -> am.getDestinationEli().isEmpty())
-    //            .map(ActiveModification::getEid)
-    //            .map(Optional::get)
-    //            .toList();
-    // TODO
+  /**
+   * Throws an error if any of the articles of the passed amendingLaw has an empty affected document
+   * Eli. The error message contains a comma separated list of all article eIds, that are affected.
+   *
+   * @param amendingLaw the amending law to be checked
+   */
+  public void throwErrorNoDestinationSet(Norm amendingLaw) {
+    List<String> emptyEliEids =
+        amendingLaw.getArticles().stream()
+            .filter(a -> a.getAffectedDocumentEli().isEmpty())
+            .map(Article::getEid)
+            .filter(Optional::isPresent)
+            .map(Optional::get)
+            .toList();
+
+    if (!emptyEliEids.isEmpty()) {
+      throw new XmlProcessingException(
+          "Some articles have empty affected document Elis. Here are the according eIds: %s"
+              .formatted(String.join(", ", emptyEliEids)),
+          null);
+    }
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/backend/src/test/java/de/bund/digitalservice/ris/norms/application/service/ModificationValidatorTest.java b/backend/src/test/java/de/bund/digitalservice/ris/norms/application/service/ModificationValidatorTest.java
index 654d5f5a5..bd693d6e6 100644
--- a/backend/src/test/java/de/bund/digitalservice/ris/norms/application/service/ModificationValidatorTest.java
+++ b/backend/src/test/java/de/bund/digitalservice/ris/norms/application/service/ModificationValidatorTest.java
@@ -54,4 +54,56 @@ void normDoesNotExist() {
     // then
     assertThat(thrown).isInstanceOf(XmlProcessingException.class);
   }
+
+  @Test
+  void noDestinationEli() {
+
+    // given
+    // TODO is this okay or shall this be in a separate file?
+    var amendingLawXml =
+        """
+                 <?xml-model href="../../../Grammatiken/legalDocML.de.sch" schematypens="http://purl.oclc.org/dsdl/schematron"?>
+                    <akn:akomaNtoso xmlns:akn="http://Inhaltsdaten.LegalDocML.de/1.6/"
+                                    xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
+                                    xsi:schemaLocation="http://Metadaten.LegalDocML.de/1.6/ ../../../Grammatiken/legalDocML.de-metadaten.xsd http://Inhaltsdaten.LegalDocML.de/1.6/ ../../../Grammatiken/legalDocML.de-regelungstextverkuendungsfassung.xsd">
+                        <akn:act name="regelungstext">
+                            <akn:body eId="hauptteil-1" GUID="0B4A8E1F-65EF-4B7C-9E22-E83BA6B73CD8">
+                                <akn:article eId="hauptteil-1_art-1"
+                                             GUID="cdbfc728-a070-42d9-ba2f-357945afef06"
+                                             period="#geltungszeitgr-1"
+                                             refersTo="hauptaenderung">
+                                    <akn:paragraph eId="hauptteil-1_art-1_abs-1"
+                                                   GUID="48ead358-f901-41d3-a135-e372d5ef97b1">
+                                        <akn:list eId="hauptteil-1_art-1_abs-1_untergl-1"
+                                                  GUID="41675622-ed62-46e3-869f-94d99908b010">
+                                            <akn:intro eId="hauptteil-1_art-1_abs-1_untergl-1_intro-1"
+                                                       GUID="5d6fc824-7926-43b4-b243-b0096da183f9">
+                                                <akn:p eId="hauptteil-1_art-1_abs-1_untergl-1_intro-1_text-1"
+                                                       GUID="04879ca1-994b-4eb2-b59b-032e528d9ce5">Das <akn:affectedDocument
+                                                        eId="hauptteil-1_art-1_abs-1_untergl-1_intro-1_text-1_bezugsdoc-1"
+                                                        GUID="88b3b9f3-e4a8-49c6-9320-b5b42150bcc5"
+                                                        href="">Vereinsgesetz vom
+                                                    5. August 1964 (BGBl. I S. 593), das zuletzt
+                                                    durch … geändert worden ist</akn:affectedDocument>, wird wie folgt geändert:
+                                                </akn:p>
+                                            </akn:intro>
+                                        </akn:list>
+                                    </akn:paragraph>
+                                </akn:article>
+                            </akn:body>
+                        </akn:act>
+                    </akn:akomaNtoso>
+                 """;
+
+    Norm amendingLaw = new Norm(XmlMapper.toDocument(amendingLawXml));
+
+    // when
+    Throwable thrown = catchThrowable(() -> underTest.throwErrorNoDestinationSet(amendingLaw));
+
+    // then
+    assertThat(thrown)
+        .isInstanceOf(XmlProcessingException.class)
+        .hasMessageContaining(
+            "Some articles have empty affected document Elis. Here are the according eIds: hauptteil-1_art-1");
+  }
 }