diff --git a/config/validations.js b/config/validations.js
index 12e8930f790925521ff46da90dac539449ee7b05..521687ed1fbe5343bfabd4139554e253879d4a6d 100644
--- a/config/validations.js
+++ b/config/validations.js
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ module.exports = {
     passwordHash: Joi.string(),
 
     // auth fields
-    orcid: Joi.string().required(),
+    orcid: Joi.string(),
     oauth: Joi.object({
       accessToken: Joi.string(),
       refreshToken: Joi.string(),