diff --git a/core/src/main/java/io/grpc/internal/SpiffeUtil.java b/core/src/main/java/io/grpc/internal/SpiffeUtil.java
index 9eafc9950e2..21232ad293b 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/io/grpc/internal/SpiffeUtil.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/io/grpc/internal/SpiffeUtil.java
@@ -232,7 +232,8 @@ private static List<X509Certificate> extractCert(List<Map<String, ?>> keysNode,
       checkJwkEntry(keyNode, trustDomainName);
       List<String> rawCerts = JsonUtil.getListOfStrings(keyNode, "x5c");
       if (rawCerts == null) {
-        break;
+        throw new IllegalArgumentException(String.format("'x5c' parameter is required. Certificate "
+            + "loading for trust domain '%s' failed.", trustDomainName));
       }
       if (rawCerts.size() != 1) {
         throw new IllegalArgumentException(String.format("Exactly 1 certificate is expected, but "
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/io/grpc/internal/SpiffeUtilTest.java b/core/src/test/java/io/grpc/internal/SpiffeUtilTest.java
index 57824cf207f..8888046c586 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/io/grpc/internal/SpiffeUtilTest.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/io/grpc/internal/SpiffeUtilTest.java
@@ -230,6 +230,7 @@ public static class CertificateApiTest {
     private static final String SPIFFE_TRUST_BUNDLE_DUPLICATES = "spiffebundle_duplicates.json";
     private static final String SPIFFE_TRUST_BUNDLE_WRONG_ROOT = "spiffebundle_wrong_root.json";
     private static final String SPIFFE_TRUST_BUNDLE_WRONG_SEQ = "spiffebundle_wrong_seq_type.json";
+    private static final String SPIFFE_TRUST_BUNDLE_MISSING_X5C = "spiffebundle_missing_x5c.json";
     private static final String DOMAIN_ERROR_MESSAGE =
         " Certificate loading for trust domain 'google.com' failed.";
 
@@ -351,6 +352,10 @@ public void loadTrustBundleFromFileFailureTest() {
       iae = assertThrows(IllegalArgumentException.class, () -> SpiffeUtil
           .loadTrustBundleFromFile(copyFileToTmp(SPIFFE_TRUST_BUNDLE_CORRUPTED_CERT)));
       assertEquals("Certificate can't be parsed." + DOMAIN_ERROR_MESSAGE, iae.getMessage());
+      // Check the exception if a key entry is missing the 'x5c' parameter
+      iae = assertThrows(IllegalArgumentException.class, () -> SpiffeUtil
+          .loadTrustBundleFromFile(copyFileToTmp(SPIFFE_TRUST_BUNDLE_MISSING_X5C)));
+      assertEquals("'x5c' parameter is required." + DOMAIN_ERROR_MESSAGE, iae.getMessage());
       // Check the exception if 'kty' value differs from 'RSA'
       iae = assertThrows(IllegalArgumentException.class, () -> SpiffeUtil
           .loadTrustBundleFromFile(copyFileToTmp(SPIFFE_TRUST_BUNDLE_WRONG_KTY)));
diff --git a/core/src/test/resources/io/grpc/internal/spiffebundle_missing_x5c.json b/core/src/test/resources/io/grpc/internal/spiffebundle_missing_x5c.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6c018751b23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/test/resources/io/grpc/internal/spiffebundle_missing_x5c.json
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+{
+  "trust_domains": {
+    "google.com": {
+      "keys": [
+        {
+          "kty": "RSA",
+          "use": "x509-svid",
+          "x5c": ["MIIELTCCAxWgAwIBAgIUVXGlXjNENtOZbI12epjgIhMaShEwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEL
+          BQAwVjELMAkGA1UEBhMCQVUxEzARBgNVBAgMClNvbWUtU3RhdGUxITAfBgNVBAoM
+          GEludGVybmV0IFdpZGdpdHMgUHR5IEx0ZDEPMA0GA1UEAwwGdGVzdGNhMB4XDTI0
+          MDkxNzE2MTk0NFoXDTM0MDkxNTE2MTk0NFowTjELMAkGA1UEBhMCVVMxCzAJBgNV
+          BAgMAkNBMQwwCgYDVQQHDANTVkwxDTALBgNVBAoMBGdSUEMxFTATBgNVBAMMDHRl
+          c3QtY2xpZW50MTCCASIwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEBBQADggEPADCCAQoCggEBAOcTjjcS
+          SfG/EGrr6G+f+3T2GXyHHfroQFi9mZUz80L7uKBdECOImID+YhoK8vcxLQjPmEEv
+          FIYgJT5amugDcYIgUhMjBx/8RPJaP/nGmBngAqsuuNCaZfyaHBRqN8XdS/AwmsI5
+          Wo+nru0+0/7aQFdqqtd2+e9dHjUWwgHxXvMgC4hkHpsdCGIZWVzWyBliwTYQYb1Y
+          yYe1LzqqQA5OMbZfKOY9MYDCEYOliRiunOn30iIOHj9V5qLzWGfSyxCRuvLRdEP8
+          iDeNweHbdaKuI80nQmxuBdRIspE9k5sD1WA4vLZpeg3zggxp4rfLL5zBJgb/33D3
+          d9Rkm14xfDPihhkCAwEAAaOB+jCB9zBZBgNVHREEUjBQhiZzcGlmZmU6Ly9mb28u
+          YmFyLmNvbS9jbGllbnQvd29ya2xvYWQvMYYmc3BpZmZlOi8vZm9vLmJhci5jb20v
+          Y2xpZW50L3dvcmtsb2FkLzIwHQYDVR0OBBYEFG9GkBgdBg/p0U9/lXv8zIJ+2c2N
+          MHsGA1UdIwR0MHKhWqRYMFYxCzAJBgNVBAYTAkFVMRMwEQYDVQQIDApTb21lLVN0
+          YXRlMSEwHwYDVQQKDBhJbnRlcm5ldCBXaWRnaXRzIFB0eSBMdGQxDzANBgNVBAMM
+          BnRlc3RjYYIUWrP0VvHcy+LP6UuYNtiL9gBhD5owDQYJKoZIhvcNAQELBQADggEB
+          AJ4Cbxv+02SpUgkEu4hP/1+8DtSBXUxNxI0VG4e3Ap2+Rhjm3YiFeS/UeaZhNrrw
+          UEjkSTPFODyXR7wI7UO9OO1StyD6CMkp3SEvevU5JsZtGL6mTiTLTi3Qkywa91Bt
+          GlyZdVMghA1bBJLBMwiD5VT5noqoJBD7hDy6v9yNmt1Sw2iYBJPqI3Gnf5bMjR3s
+          UICaxmFyqaMCZsPkfJh0DmZpInGJys3m4QqGz6ZE2DWgcSr1r/ML7/5bSPjjr8j4
+          WFFSqFR3dMu8CbGnfZTCTXa4GTX/rARXbAO67Z/oJbJBK7VKayskL+PzKuohb9ox
+          jGL772hQMbwtFCOFXu5VP0s="]
+        },
+        {
+          "kty": "RSA",
+          "use": "x509-svid"
+        }
+      ]
+    }
+  }
+}