diff --git a/lib/ansible/modules/cloud/amazon/cloudformation.py b/lib/ansible/modules/cloud/amazon/cloudformation.py
index e99ce1f2062..0bfc34163b5 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/modules/cloud/amazon/cloudformation.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/modules/cloud/amazon/cloudformation.py
@@ -503,7 +503,8 @@ def main():
     else:
         stack_params['NotificationARNs'] = []
 
-    if module.params['stack_policy'] is not None:
+    # can't check the policy when verifying.
+    if module.params['stack_policy'] is not None and not module.check_mode:
         stack_params['StackPolicyBody'] = open(module.params['stack_policy'], 'r').read()