diff --git a/.changelog/19361.txt b/.changelog/19361.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..2233e399f0d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changelog/19361.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+```release-note:bug
+resource/aws_pinpoint_email_channel: `role_arn` argument is optional
+```
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/aws/resource_aws_pinpoint_email_channel.go b/aws/resource_aws_pinpoint_email_channel.go
index c87d53f67b1..d0988a2ba68 100644
--- a/aws/resource_aws_pinpoint_email_channel.go
+++ b/aws/resource_aws_pinpoint_email_channel.go
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ func resourceAwsPinpointEmailChannel() *schema.Resource {
 			},
 			"role_arn": {
 				Type:         schema.TypeString,
-				Required:     true,
+				Optional:     true,
 				ValidateFunc: validateArn,
 			},
 			"messages_per_second": {
@@ -67,7 +67,10 @@ func resourceAwsPinpointEmailChannelUpsert(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interfac
 	params.Enabled = aws.Bool(d.Get("enabled").(bool))
 	params.FromAddress = aws.String(d.Get("from_address").(string))
 	params.Identity = aws.String(d.Get("identity").(string))
-	params.RoleArn = aws.String(d.Get("role_arn").(string))
+
+	if v, ok := d.GetOk("role_arn"); ok {
+		params.RoleArn = aws.String(v.(string))
+	}
 
 	if v, ok := d.GetOk("configuration_set"); ok {
 		params.ConfigurationSet = aws.String(v.(string))
diff --git a/aws/resource_aws_pinpoint_email_channel_test.go b/aws/resource_aws_pinpoint_email_channel_test.go
index 39718eb837d..8aa78756a02 100644
--- a/aws/resource_aws_pinpoint_email_channel_test.go
+++ b/aws/resource_aws_pinpoint_email_channel_test.go
@@ -74,6 +74,34 @@ func TestAccAWSPinpointEmailChannel_configurationSet(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	})
 }
+
+func TestAccAWSPinpointEmailChannel_noRole(t *testing.T) {
+	var channel pinpoint.EmailChannelResponse
+	resourceName := "aws_pinpoint_email_channel.test"
+	rName := acctest.RandomWithPrefix("tf-acc-test")
+
+	resource.ParallelTest(t, resource.TestCase{
+		PreCheck:     func() { testAccPreCheck(t); testAccPreCheckAWSPinpointApp(t) },
+		ErrorCheck:   testAccErrorCheck(t, pinpoint.EndpointsID),
+		Providers:    testAccProviders,
+		CheckDestroy: testAccCheckAWSPinpointEmailChannelDestroy,
+		Steps: []resource.TestStep{
+			{
+				Config: testAccAWSPinpointEmailChannelConfigNoRole("user@example.com", rName),
+				Check: resource.ComposeTestCheckFunc(
+					testAccCheckAWSPinpointEmailChannelExists(resourceName, &channel),
+					resource.TestCheckResourceAttrPair(resourceName, "configuration_set", "aws_ses_configuration_set.test", "arn"),
+				),
+			},
+			{
+				ResourceName:      resourceName,
+				ImportState:       true,
+				ImportStateVerify: true,
+			},
+		},
+	})
+}
+
 func TestAccAWSPinpointEmailChannel_disappears(t *testing.T) {
 	var channel pinpoint.EmailChannelResponse
 	resourceName := "aws_pinpoint_email_channel.test"
@@ -244,6 +272,28 @@ EOF
 `, fromAddress, rName)
 }
 
+func testAccAWSPinpointEmailChannelConfigNoRole(fromAddress, rName string) string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf(`
+resource "aws_pinpoint_app" "test" {}
+
+resource "aws_ses_configuration_set" "test" {
+  name = %[2]q
+}
+
+resource "aws_pinpoint_email_channel" "test" {
+  application_id    = aws_pinpoint_app.test.application_id
+  enabled           = "false"
+  from_address      = %[1]q
+  identity          = aws_ses_domain_identity.test.arn
+  configuration_set = aws_ses_configuration_set.test.arn
+}
+
+resource "aws_ses_domain_identity" "test" {
+  domain = "example.com"
+}
+`, fromAddress, rName)
+}
+
 func testAccCheckAWSPinpointEmailChannelDestroy(s *terraform.State) error {
 	conn := testAccProvider.Meta().(*AWSClient).pinpointconn
 
diff --git a/website/docs/r/pinpoint_email_channel.markdown b/website/docs/r/pinpoint_email_channel.markdown
index a96011ea233..95a43627952 100644
--- a/website/docs/r/pinpoint_email_channel.markdown
+++ b/website/docs/r/pinpoint_email_channel.markdown
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ The following arguments are supported:
 * `configuration_set` - (Optional) The ARN of the Amazon SES configuration set that you want to apply to messages that you send through the channel.
 * `from_address` - (Required) The email address used to send emails from.
 * `identity` - (Required) The ARN of an identity verified with SES.
-* `role_arn` - (Required) The ARN of an IAM Role used to submit events to Mobile Analytics' event ingestion service.
+* `role_arn` - (Optional) The ARN of an IAM Role used to submit events to Mobile Analytics' event ingestion service.
 
 ## Attributes Reference