diff --git a/instrumentation/kafka/kafka-clients/kafka-clients-0.11/javaagent/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/kafkaclients/v0_11/KafkaClientDefaultTest.java b/instrumentation/kafka/kafka-clients/kafka-clients-0.11/javaagent/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/kafkaclients/v0_11/KafkaClientDefaultTest.java
index b784017a9987..98e3a8d43553 100644
--- a/instrumentation/kafka/kafka-clients/kafka-clients-0.11/javaagent/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/kafkaclients/v0_11/KafkaClientDefaultTest.java
+++ b/instrumentation/kafka/kafka-clients/kafka-clients-0.11/javaagent/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/kafkaclients/v0_11/KafkaClientDefaultTest.java
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 package io.opentelemetry.javaagent.instrumentation.kafkaclients.v0_11;
 
 import static io.opentelemetry.instrumentation.testing.util.TelemetryDataUtil.orderByRootSpanKind;
-import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+import static io.opentelemetry.sdk.testing.assertj.OpenTelemetryAssertions.assertThat;
 
 import io.opentelemetry.api.trace.SpanKind;
 import io.opentelemetry.instrumentation.kafkaclients.common.v0_11.internal.KafkaClientBaseTest;
@@ -204,4 +204,74 @@ void testRecordsWithTopicPartitionKafkaConsume()
                         .hasAttributesSatisfyingExactly(
                             processAttributes(null, greeting, false, false))));
   }
+
+  @DisplayName("test kafka null header")
+  @Test
+  void testKafkaHeaderNull() throws Exception {
+    String greeting = "Hello Kafka with null header!";
+    testing.runWithSpan(
+        "parent",
+        () -> {
+          ProducerRecord<Integer, String> producerRecord =
+              new ProducerRecord<>(SHARED_TOPIC, 10, greeting);
+          producerRecord.headers().add("test-message-header", null);
+          producer
+              .send(
+                  producerRecord,
+                  (meta, ex) -> {
+                    if (ex == null) {
+                      testing.runWithSpan("producer callback", () -> {});
+                    } else {
+                      testing.runWithSpan("producer exception: " + ex, () -> {});
+                    }
+                  })
+              .get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+        });
+
+    awaitUntilConsumerIsReady();
+    ConsumerRecords<?, ?> records = poll(Duration.ofSeconds(5));
+    assertThat(records.count()).isEqualTo(1);
+
+    for (ConsumerRecord<?, ?> record : records) {
+      testing.runWithSpan(
+          "processing",
+          () -> {
+            assertThat(record.key()).isEqualTo(10);
+            assertThat(record.value()).isEqualTo(greeting);
+            assertThat(record.headers().lastHeader("test-message-header").value()).isNull();
+          });
+    }
+    AtomicReference<SpanData> producerSpan = new AtomicReference<>();
+    testing.waitAndAssertSortedTraces(
+        orderByRootSpanKind(SpanKind.INTERNAL, SpanKind.CONSUMER),
+        trace -> {
+          trace.hasSpansSatisfyingExactly(
+              span -> span.hasName("parent").hasKind(SpanKind.INTERNAL).hasNoParent(),
+              span ->
+                  span.hasName(SHARED_TOPIC + " publish")
+                      .hasKind(SpanKind.PRODUCER)
+                      .hasParent(trace.getSpan(0))
+                      .hasAttributesSatisfyingExactly(sendAttributes("10", greeting, false)),
+              span ->
+                  span.hasName("producer callback")
+                      .hasKind(SpanKind.INTERNAL)
+                      .hasParent(trace.getSpan(0)));
+          producerSpan.set(trace.getSpan(1));
+        },
+        trace ->
+            trace.hasSpansSatisfyingExactly(
+                span ->
+                    span.hasName(SHARED_TOPIC + " receive")
+                        .hasKind(SpanKind.CONSUMER)
+                        .hasNoParent()
+                        .hasAttributesSatisfyingExactly(receiveAttributes(false)),
+                span ->
+                    span.hasName(SHARED_TOPIC + " process")
+                        .hasKind(SpanKind.CONSUMER)
+                        .hasLinks(LinkData.create(producerSpan.get().getSpanContext()))
+                        .hasParent(trace.getSpan(0))
+                        .hasAttributesSatisfyingExactly(
+                            processAttributes("10", greeting, false, false)),
+                span -> span.hasName("processing").hasParent(trace.getSpan(1))));
+  }
 }
diff --git a/instrumentation/kafka/kafka-clients/kafka-clients-common-0.11/library/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/kafkaclients/common/v0_11/internal/KafkaConsumerAttributesGetter.java b/instrumentation/kafka/kafka-clients/kafka-clients-common-0.11/library/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/kafkaclients/common/v0_11/internal/KafkaConsumerAttributesGetter.java
index 0be1bca37c6a..1340f6c3505c 100644
--- a/instrumentation/kafka/kafka-clients/kafka-clients-common-0.11/library/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/kafkaclients/common/v0_11/internal/KafkaConsumerAttributesGetter.java
+++ b/instrumentation/kafka/kafka-clients/kafka-clients-common-0.11/library/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/kafkaclients/common/v0_11/internal/KafkaConsumerAttributesGetter.java
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ public Long getBatchMessageCount(KafkaProcessRequest request, @Nullable Void unu
   @Override
   public List<String> getMessageHeader(KafkaProcessRequest request, String name) {
     return StreamSupport.stream(request.getRecord().headers().headers(name).spliterator(), false)
+        .filter(header -> header.value() != null)
         .map(header -> new String(header.value(), StandardCharsets.UTF_8))
         .collect(Collectors.toList());
   }
diff --git a/instrumentation/kafka/kafka-clients/kafka-clients-common-0.11/library/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/kafkaclients/common/v0_11/internal/KafkaConsumerRecordGetter.java b/instrumentation/kafka/kafka-clients/kafka-clients-common-0.11/library/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/kafkaclients/common/v0_11/internal/KafkaConsumerRecordGetter.java
index a9dd6187e44c..cb0ab35940ad 100644
--- a/instrumentation/kafka/kafka-clients/kafka-clients-common-0.11/library/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/kafkaclients/common/v0_11/internal/KafkaConsumerRecordGetter.java
+++ b/instrumentation/kafka/kafka-clients/kafka-clients-common-0.11/library/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/kafkaclients/common/v0_11/internal/KafkaConsumerRecordGetter.java
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ public String get(@Nullable KafkaProcessRequest carrier, String key) {
   @Override
   public Iterator<String> getAll(@Nullable KafkaProcessRequest carrier, String key) {
     return StreamSupport.stream(carrier.getRecord().headers().headers(key).spliterator(), false)
+        .filter(header -> header.value() != null)
         .map(header -> new String(header.value(), StandardCharsets.UTF_8))
         .iterator();
   }
diff --git a/instrumentation/kafka/kafka-clients/kafka-clients-common-0.11/library/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/kafkaclients/common/v0_11/internal/KafkaProducerAttributesGetter.java b/instrumentation/kafka/kafka-clients/kafka-clients-common-0.11/library/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/kafkaclients/common/v0_11/internal/KafkaProducerAttributesGetter.java
index feff5150f338..b36840b8085a 100644
--- a/instrumentation/kafka/kafka-clients/kafka-clients-common-0.11/library/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/kafkaclients/common/v0_11/internal/KafkaProducerAttributesGetter.java
+++ b/instrumentation/kafka/kafka-clients/kafka-clients-common-0.11/library/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/kafkaclients/common/v0_11/internal/KafkaProducerAttributesGetter.java
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ public Long getBatchMessageCount(
   @Override
   public List<String> getMessageHeader(KafkaProducerRequest request, String name) {
     return StreamSupport.stream(request.getRecord().headers().headers(name).spliterator(), false)
+        .filter(header -> header.value() != null)
         .map(header -> new String(header.value(), StandardCharsets.UTF_8))
         .collect(Collectors.toList());
   }
diff --git a/instrumentation/kafka/kafka-clients/kafka-clients-common-0.11/library/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/kafkaclients/common/v0_11/internal/KafkaReceiveAttributesGetter.java b/instrumentation/kafka/kafka-clients/kafka-clients-common-0.11/library/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/kafkaclients/common/v0_11/internal/KafkaReceiveAttributesGetter.java
index a36f7dba11c8..21e7efb0fbc4 100644
--- a/instrumentation/kafka/kafka-clients/kafka-clients-common-0.11/library/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/kafkaclients/common/v0_11/internal/KafkaReceiveAttributesGetter.java
+++ b/instrumentation/kafka/kafka-clients/kafka-clients-common-0.11/library/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/kafkaclients/common/v0_11/internal/KafkaReceiveAttributesGetter.java
@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@ public List<String> getMessageHeader(KafkaReceiveRequest request, String name) {
         .flatMap(
             consumerRecord ->
                 StreamSupport.stream(consumerRecord.headers().headers(name).spliterator(), false))
+        .filter(header -> header.value() != null)
         .map(header -> new String(header.value(), StandardCharsets.UTF_8))
         .collect(Collectors.toList());
   }