diff --git a/lego/apps/email/serializers.py b/lego/apps/email/serializers.py
index 97ef9df2f..e5209b771 100644
--- a/lego/apps/email/serializers.py
+++ b/lego/apps/email/serializers.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+from typing import Any
+
 from django.core.exceptions import ValidationError
 from rest_framework import exceptions, serializers
 
@@ -7,7 +9,7 @@
     PublicUserListField,
     PublicUserWithGroupsField,
 )
-from lego.apps.users.models import User
+from lego.apps.users.models import Membership, User
 
 from .fields import EmailAddressField
 
@@ -44,6 +46,33 @@ class Meta:
             "additional_emails",
         )
 
+    def validate(self, attrs: Any) -> Any:
+        # Use existing values where missing to support patch requests
+        get = (
+            lambda index: attrs[index]
+            if index in attrs
+            else getattr(self.instance, index)
+        )
+        length = (
+            lambda value: len(value) if hasattr(value, "__len__") else value.count()
+        )
+        # Require at least one receiver of the email list
+        users_len, emails_len = length(get("users")), length(get("additional_emails"))
+        if users_len == 0 and emails_len == 0:
+            groups = (
+                attrs["groups"] if "groups" in attrs else self.instance.groups.all()
+            )
+            group_roles = get("group_roles")
+            memberships = Membership.objects.filter(abakus_group__in=groups)
+
+            if length(group_roles) > 0:
+                memberships = memberships.filter(role__in=group_roles)
+
+            if not memberships.exists():
+                raise ValidationError("Cannot create a mail list without receivers")
+
+        return super().validate(attrs)
+
 
 class EmailListDetailSerializer(EmailListSerializer):
     users = PublicUserListField({"read_only": True})
diff --git a/lego/apps/email/tests/test_views.py b/lego/apps/email/tests/test_views.py
index 61562740d..5405a248e 100644
--- a/lego/apps/email/tests/test_views.py
+++ b/lego/apps/email/tests/test_views.py
@@ -116,6 +116,21 @@ def test_create_list_invalid_additional_email(self):
         )
         self.assertEqual(status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST, response.status_code)
 
+    def test_create_list_no_recipients(self):
+        """Bad request when user tries to create list with no recipients"""
+        response = self.client.post(
+            self.url,
+            {
+                "name": "Webkom",
+                "email": "webbers",
+                "users": [],
+                "groups": [self.admin_group.id],
+                "group_roles": ["recruiting"],
+                "additional_emails": [],
+            },
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST, response.status_code)
+
     def test_edit_additional_email(self):
         """Test ability to remove an additional email"""
         response = self.client.patch(
@@ -138,7 +153,9 @@ def test_edit_additional_email(self):
     def test_delete_additional_email(self):
         """Test ability to set additional emails to an empty array"""
 
-        response = self.client.patch(f"{self.url}1/", {"additional_emails": []})
+        response = self.client.patch(
+            f"{self.url}1/", {"additional_emails": [], "users": [1]}
+        )
         self.assertEqual(status.HTTP_200_OK, response.status_code)
         self.assertEqual([], EmailList.objects.get(id=1).additional_emails)
 
@@ -149,6 +166,29 @@ def test_change_assigned_email(self):
 
         self.assertEqual("address", EmailList.objects.get(id=1).email_id)
 
+    def test_edit_list_no_recipients(self):
+        """Bad request when user tries to edit list with no recipients"""
+        response = self.client.patch(
+            f"{self.url}1/",
+            {
+                "users": [],
+                "groups": [self.admin_group.id],
+                "group_roles": ["recruiting"],
+                "additional_emails": [],
+            },
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST, response.status_code)
+
+    def test_edit_list_no_recipients_partial(self):
+        """Bad request when user tries to edit list with no recipients"""
+        response = self.client.patch(
+            f"{self.url}1/",
+            {
+                "additional_emails": [],
+            },
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST, response.status_code)
+
     def test_delete_endpoint_not_available(self):
         """The delete endpoint is'nt available."""
         response = self.client.delete(f"{self.url}1/")