diff --git a/src/app/shared/mocks/submission.mock.ts b/src/app/shared/mocks/submission.mock.ts
index 16cc9b6262..1ee097af71 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/mocks/submission.mock.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/mocks/submission.mock.ts
@@ -1101,6 +1101,91 @@ export const mockSubmissionState: SubmissionObjectState = Object.assign({}, {
   }
 });
 
+export const mockSubmissionStateWithoutUpload: SubmissionObjectState = Object.assign({}, {
+  826: {
+    collection: mockSubmissionCollectionId,
+    definition: 'traditional',
+    selfUrl: mockSubmissionSelfUrl,
+    activeSection: null,
+    sections: {
+      extraction: {
+        config: '',
+        mandatory: true,
+        sectionType: 'utils',
+        visibility: {
+          main: 'HIDDEN',
+          other: 'HIDDEN'
+        },
+        collapsed: false,
+        enabled: true,
+        data: {},
+        errors: [],
+        isLoading: false,
+        isValid: false
+      } as any,
+      collection: {
+        config: '',
+        mandatory: true,
+        sectionType: 'collection',
+        visibility: {
+          main: 'HIDDEN',
+          other: 'HIDDEN'
+        },
+        collapsed: false,
+        enabled: true,
+        data: {},
+        errors: [],
+        isLoading: false,
+        isValid: false
+      } as any,
+      traditionalpageone: {
+        header: 'submit.progressbar.describe.stepone',
+        config: 'https://rest.api/dspace-spring-rest/api/config/submissionforms/traditionalpageone',
+        mandatory: true,
+        sectionType: 'submission-form',
+        collapsed: false,
+        enabled: true,
+        data: {},
+        errors: [],
+        formId: '2_traditionalpageone',
+        isLoading: false,
+        isValid: false
+      } as any,
+      traditionalpagetwo: {
+        header: 'submit.progressbar.describe.steptwo',
+        config: 'https://rest.api/dspace-spring-rest/api/config/submissionforms/traditionalpagetwo',
+        mandatory: false,
+        sectionType: 'submission-form',
+        collapsed: false,
+        enabled: false,
+        data: {},
+        errors: [],
+        isLoading: false,
+        isValid: false
+      } as any,
+      license: {
+        header: 'submit.progressbar.license',
+        config: '',
+        mandatory: true,
+        sectionType: 'license',
+        visibility: {
+          main: null,
+          other: 'READONLY'
+        },
+        collapsed: false,
+        enabled: true,
+        data: {},
+        errors: [],
+        isLoading: false,
+        isValid: false
+      } as any
+    },
+    isLoading: false,
+    savePending: false,
+    depositPending: false
+  }
+});
+
 export const mockSectionsState = Object.assign({}, {
   extraction: {
     config: '',
diff --git a/src/app/submission/form/submission-form.component.spec.ts b/src/app/submission/form/submission-form.component.spec.ts
index 94d1033079..dd8e6d0ea3 100644
--- a/src/app/submission/form/submission-form.component.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/submission/form/submission-form.component.spec.ts
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ describe('SubmissionFormComponent Component', () => {
         { provide: AuthService, useClass: AuthServiceStub },
         { provide: HALEndpointService, useValue: new HALEndpointServiceStub('workspaceitems') },
         { provide: SubmissionService, useValue: submissionServiceStub },
-        { provide: SectionsService, useValue: { isSectionAvailable: () => observableOf(true) } },
+        { provide: SectionsService, useValue: { isSectionTypeAvailable: () => observableOf(true) } },
         ChangeDetectorRef,
         SubmissionFormComponent
       ],
diff --git a/src/app/submission/form/submission-form.component.ts b/src/app/submission/form/submission-form.component.ts
index 328ece199b..8df0ab1658 100644
--- a/src/app/submission/form/submission-form.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/submission/form/submission-form.component.ts
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ export class SubmissionFormComponent implements OnChanges, OnDestroy {
             return observableOf([]);
           }
         }));
-      this.uploadEnabled$ = this.sectionsService.isSectionAvailable(this.submissionId, SectionsType.Upload);
+      this.uploadEnabled$ = this.sectionsService.isSectionTypeAvailable(this.submissionId, SectionsType.Upload);
 
       // check if is submission loading
       this.loading = this.submissionService.getSubmissionObject(this.submissionId).pipe(
diff --git a/src/app/submission/sections/sections.service.spec.ts b/src/app/submission/sections/sections.service.spec.ts
index 6bdf26a082..0d63beeaea 100644
--- a/src/app/submission/sections/sections.service.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/submission/sections/sections.service.spec.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { waitForAsync, TestBed } from '@angular/core/testing';
+import { TestBed, waitForAsync } from '@angular/core/testing';
 
 import { cold, getTestScheduler } from 'jasmine-marbles';
 import { of as observableOf } from 'rxjs';
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@ import { SectionsService } from './sections.service';
 import {
   mockSectionsData,
   mockSectionsErrors,
-  mockSubmissionState
+  mockSubmissionState,
+  mockSubmissionStateWithoutUpload
 } from '../../shared/mocks/submission.mock';
 import {
   DisableSectionAction,
@@ -27,11 +28,7 @@ import {
   SectionStatusChangeAction,
   UpdateSectionDataAction
 } from '../objects/submission-objects.actions';
-import {
-  FormAddError,
-  FormClearErrorsAction,
-  FormRemoveErrorAction
-} from '../../shared/form/form.actions';
+import { FormAddError, FormClearErrorsAction, FormRemoveErrorAction } from '../../shared/form/form.actions';
 import parseSectionErrors from '../utils/parseSectionErrors';
 import { SubmissionScopeType } from '../../core/submission/submission-scope-type';
 import { SubmissionSectionError } from '../objects/submission-objects.reducer';
@@ -52,6 +49,7 @@ describe('SectionsService test suite', () => {
   const sectionErrors: any = parseSectionErrors(mockSectionsErrors);
   const sectionData: any = mockSectionsData;
   const submissionState: any = Object.assign({}, mockSubmissionState[submissionId]);
+  const submissionStateWithoutUpload: any = Object.assign({}, mockSubmissionStateWithoutUpload[submissionId]);
   const sectionState: any = Object.assign({}, mockSubmissionState['826'].sections[sectionId]);
 
   const store: any = jasmine.createSpyObj('store', {
@@ -314,6 +312,28 @@ describe('SectionsService test suite', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('isSectionTypeAvailable', () => {
+    it('should return an observable of true when section is available', () => {
+      store.select.and.returnValue(observableOf(submissionState));
+
+      const expected = cold('(b|)', {
+        b: true
+      });
+
+      expect(service.isSectionTypeAvailable(submissionId, SectionsType.Upload)).toBeObservable(expected);
+    });
+
+    it('should return an observable of false when section is not available', () => {
+      store.select.and.returnValue(observableOf(submissionStateWithoutUpload));
+
+      const expected = cold('(b|)', {
+        b: false
+      });
+
+      expect(service.isSectionAvailable(submissionId, SectionsType.Upload)).toBeObservable(expected);
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('addSection', () => {
     it('should dispatch a new EnableSectionAction a move target to new section', () => {
 
diff --git a/src/app/submission/sections/sections.service.ts b/src/app/submission/sections/sections.service.ts
index b2bc0e4f98..d8d1491cb7 100644
--- a/src/app/submission/sections/sections.service.ts
+++ b/src/app/submission/sections/sections.service.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { distinctUntilChanged, filter, map, take } from 'rxjs/operators';
 import { Store } from '@ngrx/store';
 import { TranslateService } from '@ngx-translate/core';
 import { ScrollToConfigOptions, ScrollToService } from '@nicky-lenaers/ngx-scroll-to';
-import { isEqual } from 'lodash';
+import { findKey, isEqual } from 'lodash';
 
 import { SubmissionState } from '../submission.reducers';
 import { hasValue, isEmpty, isNotEmpty, isNotUndefined } from '../../shared/empty.util';
@@ -291,14 +291,14 @@ export class SectionsService {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Check if a given section is a read only available
+   * Check if a given section id is present in the list of sections
    *
    * @param submissionId
    *    The submission id
    * @param sectionId
    *    The section id
    * @return Observable<boolean>
-   *    Emits true whenever a given section should be available
+   *    Emits true whenever a given section id should be available
    */
   public isSectionAvailable(submissionId: string, sectionId: string): Observable<boolean> {
     return this.store.select(submissionObjectFromIdSelector(submissionId)).pipe(
@@ -309,6 +309,25 @@ export class SectionsService {
       distinctUntilChanged());
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Check if a given section type is present in the list of sections
+   *
+   * @param submissionId
+   *    The submission id
+   * @param sectionType
+   *    The section type
+   * @return Observable<boolean>
+   *    Emits true whenever a given section type should be available
+   */
+  public isSectionTypeAvailable(submissionId: string, sectionType: SectionsType): Observable<boolean> {
+    return this.store.select(submissionObjectFromIdSelector(submissionId)).pipe(
+      filter((submissionState: SubmissionObjectEntry) => isNotUndefined(submissionState)),
+      map((submissionState: SubmissionObjectEntry) => {
+        return isNotUndefined(submissionState.sections) && isNotUndefined(findKey(submissionState.sections, {sectionType: sectionType}));
+      }),
+      distinctUntilChanged());
+  }
+
   /**
    * Dispatch a new [EnableSectionAction] to add a new section and move page target to it
    *