diff --git a/src/cryptography/hazmat/backends/openssl/backend.py b/src/cryptography/hazmat/backends/openssl/backend.py
index 755431f29410..ea7d171e6136 100644
--- a/src/cryptography/hazmat/backends/openssl/backend.py
+++ b/src/cryptography/hazmat/backends/openssl/backend.py
@@ -1111,12 +1111,15 @@ def _load_pkcs7_certificates(self, p7) -> list[x509.Certificate]:
                 _Reasons.UNSUPPORTED_SERIALIZATION,
             )
 
-        certs: list[x509.Certificate] = []
         if p7.d.sign == self._ffi.NULL:
-            return certs
+            raise ValueError(
+                "The provided PKCS7 has no certificate data, but a cert "
+                "loading method was called."
+            )
 
         sk_x509 = p7.d.sign.cert
         num = self._lib.sk_X509_num(sk_x509)
+        certs: list[x509.Certificate] = []
         for i in range(num):
             x509 = self._lib.sk_X509_value(sk_x509, i)
             self.openssl_assert(x509 != self._ffi.NULL)
diff --git a/tests/hazmat/primitives/test_pkcs7.py b/tests/hazmat/primitives/test_pkcs7.py
index 434a361057f2..dffc4ab2c1d0 100644
--- a/tests/hazmat/primitives/test_pkcs7.py
+++ b/tests/hazmat/primitives/test_pkcs7.py
@@ -92,8 +92,8 @@ def test_load_pkcs7_unsupported_type(self, backend):
     def test_load_pkcs7_empty_certificates(self):
         der = b"\x30\x0B\x06\x09\x2A\x86\x48\x86\xF7\x0D\x01\x07\x02"
 
-        certificates = pkcs7.load_der_pkcs7_certificates(der)
-        assert certificates == []
+        with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+            pkcs7.load_der_pkcs7_certificates(der)
 
 
 # We have no public verification API and won't be adding one until we get