diff --git a/java-checks-test-sources/default/src/main/java/checks/FileHeaderCheck/Class4.java b/java-checks-test-sources/default/src/main/java/checks/FileHeaderCheck/Class4.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ccc88d466cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/java-checks-test-sources/default/src/main/java/checks/FileHeaderCheck/Class4.java
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+
+package checks.FileHeaderCheck;
+
+public class Class4 {
+}
+// Compliant
+
diff --git a/java-checks-test-sources/default/src/main/java/checks/FileHeaderCheck/Class5.java b/java-checks-test-sources/default/src/main/java/checks/FileHeaderCheck/Class5.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..33df8514723
--- /dev/null
+++ b/java-checks-test-sources/default/src/main/java/checks/FileHeaderCheck/Class5.java
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+package checks.FileHeaderCheck;
+
+public class Class5 {
+}
+// Compliant
diff --git a/java-checks-test-sources/default/src/main/java/checks/FileHeaderCheck/Regex5.java b/java-checks-test-sources/default/src/main/java/checks/FileHeaderCheck/Regex5.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..470b095a858
--- /dev/null
+++ b/java-checks-test-sources/default/src/main/java/checks/FileHeaderCheck/Regex5.java
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+
+package checks.FileHeaderCheck;
+
+public class Regex5 {
+}
+// Compliant
diff --git a/java-checks-test-sources/default/src/main/java/checks/FileHeaderCheck/Regex6.java b/java-checks-test-sources/default/src/main/java/checks/FileHeaderCheck/Regex6.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e61c9a45031
--- /dev/null
+++ b/java-checks-test-sources/default/src/main/java/checks/FileHeaderCheck/Regex6.java
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+package checks.FileHeaderCheck;
+
+public class Regex6 {
+}
+// Compliant
diff --git a/java-checks/src/main/java/org/sonar/java/checks/FileHeaderCheck.java b/java-checks/src/main/java/org/sonar/java/checks/FileHeaderCheck.java
index a9bd6d7ec8b..49d6062803a 100644
--- a/java-checks/src/main/java/org/sonar/java/checks/FileHeaderCheck.java
+++ b/java-checks/src/main/java/org/sonar/java/checks/FileHeaderCheck.java
@@ -58,16 +58,21 @@ public List<Tree.Kind> nodesToVisit() {
   @Override
   public void setContext(JavaFileScannerContext context) {
     super.context = context;
-    if (isRegularExpression) {
-      if (searchPattern == null) {
-        try {
-          searchPattern = Pattern.compile(getHeaderFormat(), Pattern.DOTALL);
-        } catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
-          throw new IllegalArgumentException("[" + getClass().getSimpleName() + "] Unable to compile the regular expression: " + headerFormat, e);
+    if (headerFormat.isEmpty()) {
+      expectedLines = new String[]{};
+      isRegularExpression = false;
+    } else {
+      if (isRegularExpression) {
+        if (searchPattern == null) {
+          try {
+            searchPattern = Pattern.compile(getHeaderFormat(), Pattern.DOTALL);
+          } catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("[" + getClass().getSimpleName() + "] Unable to compile the regular expression: " + headerFormat, e);
+          }
         }
+      } else {
+        expectedLines = headerFormat.split("(?:\r)?\n|\r");
       }
-    } else {
-      expectedLines = headerFormat.split("(?:\r)?\n|\r");
     }
     visitFile();
   }
@@ -114,7 +119,6 @@ private static boolean matches(String[] expectedLines, List<String> lines) {
     } else {
       result = false;
     }
-
     return result;
   }
 
diff --git a/java-checks/src/test/java/org/sonar/java/checks/FileHeaderCheckTest.java b/java-checks/src/test/java/org/sonar/java/checks/FileHeaderCheckTest.java
index 33036f91e98..ea34652c6fd 100644
--- a/java-checks/src/test/java/org/sonar/java/checks/FileHeaderCheckTest.java
+++ b/java-checks/src/test/java/org/sonar/java/checks/FileHeaderCheckTest.java
@@ -98,6 +98,18 @@ void test() {
       .onFile(mainCodeSourcesPath("checks/FileHeaderCheck/Class3.java"))
       .withCheck(check)
       .verifyNoIssues();
+
+    check = new FileHeaderCheck();
+    CheckVerifier.newVerifier()
+      .onFile(mainCodeSourcesPath("checks/FileHeaderCheck/Class4.java"))
+      .withCheck(check)
+      .verifyNoIssues();
+
+    check = new FileHeaderCheck();
+    CheckVerifier.newVerifier()
+      .onFile(mainCodeSourcesPath("checks/FileHeaderCheck/Class5.java"))
+      .withCheck(check)
+      .verifyNoIssues();
   }
 
   @Test
@@ -139,6 +151,20 @@ void regex() {
       .onFile(mainCodeSourcesPath("checks/FileHeaderCheck/Regex4.java"))
       .withCheck(check)
       .verifyIssues();
+
+    check = new FileHeaderCheck();
+    check.isRegularExpression = true;
+    CheckVerifier.newVerifier()
+      .onFile(mainCodeSourcesPath("checks/FileHeaderCheck/Regex5.java"))
+      .withCheck(check)
+      .verifyNoIssues();
+
+    check = new FileHeaderCheck();
+    check.isRegularExpression = true;
+    CheckVerifier.newVerifier()
+      .onFile(mainCodeSourcesPath("checks/FileHeaderCheck/Regex6.java"))
+      .withCheck(check)
+      .verifyNoIssues();
   }
 
   @Test