diff --git a/src/_nebari/stages/infrastructure/__init__.py b/src/_nebari/stages/infrastructure/__init__.py
index 802fe3153..2d21b1ed8 100644
--- a/src/_nebari/stages/infrastructure/__init__.py
+++ b/src/_nebari/stages/infrastructure/__init__.py
@@ -625,8 +625,8 @@ def _check_input(cls, data: Any) -> Any:
                     )
 
         # check if kms key is valid
-        available_kms_keys = amazon_web_services.kms_key_arns(data["region"])
-        if "eks_kms_arn" in data and data["eks_kms_arn"] is not None:
+        if data.get("eks_kms_arn") is not None:
+            available_kms_keys = amazon_web_services.kms_key_arns(data["region"])
             key_id = [
                 id for id in available_kms_keys.keys() if id in data["eks_kms_arn"]
             ]