diff --git a/CHANGELOG.next.asciidoc b/CHANGELOG.next.asciidoc
index 688b530b89e5..0a6c7f4b3a3d 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.next.asciidoc
+++ b/CHANGELOG.next.asciidoc
@@ -230,6 +230,7 @@ https://github.com/elastic/beats/compare/v7.0.0-alpha2...master[Check the HEAD d
 - Fix SSL config in input.yml for Filebeat httpjson input in the MISP module. {pull}14767[14767]
 - Check content-type when creating new reader in s3 input. {pull}15252[15252] {issue}15225[15225]
 - Fix session reset detection and a crash in Netflow input. {pull}14904[14904]
+- netflow v9: Allow for options templates without scope fields. {pull}15449[15449]
 
 *Heartbeat*
 
diff --git a/x-pack/filebeat/input/netflow/decoder/ipfix/decoder.go b/x-pack/filebeat/input/netflow/decoder/ipfix/decoder.go
index 664837755211..9c0252cb9c4e 100644
--- a/x-pack/filebeat/input/netflow/decoder/ipfix/decoder.go
+++ b/x-pack/filebeat/input/netflow/decoder/ipfix/decoder.go
@@ -108,6 +108,7 @@ func (d DecoderIPFIX) ReadOptionsTemplateFlowSet(buf *bytes.Buffer) (templates [
 		}
 		template.ID = tID
 		template.ScopeFields = scopeCount
+		template.IsOptions = true
 		templates = append(templates, &template)
 	}
 	return templates, nil
diff --git a/x-pack/filebeat/input/netflow/decoder/template/template.go b/x-pack/filebeat/input/netflow/decoder/template/template.go
index dc42bcc26f07..e04dc93cfe36 100644
--- a/x-pack/filebeat/input/netflow/decoder/template/template.go
+++ b/x-pack/filebeat/input/netflow/decoder/template/template.go
@@ -29,6 +29,9 @@ type Template struct {
 	Length         int
 	VariableLength bool
 	ScopeFields    int
+	// IsOptions signals that this is an options template. Previously
+	// ScopeFields>0 was used for this, but that's unreliable under v9.
+	IsOptions bool
 }
 
 type FieldTemplate struct {
@@ -84,7 +87,7 @@ func (t *Template) Apply(data *bytes.Buffer, n int) ([]record.Record, error) {
 		}
 	}
 	makeFn := t.makeFlow
-	if t.ScopeFields > 0 {
+	if t.IsOptions {
 		makeFn = t.makeOptions
 	}
 	events := make([]record.Record, 0, alloc)
diff --git a/x-pack/filebeat/input/netflow/decoder/template/template_test.go b/x-pack/filebeat/input/netflow/decoder/template/template_test.go
index 6ab22766170e..882756dc9a2a 100644
--- a/x-pack/filebeat/input/netflow/decoder/template/template_test.go
+++ b/x-pack/filebeat/input/netflow/decoder/template/template_test.go
@@ -313,6 +313,7 @@ func TestOptionsTemplate_Apply(t *testing.T) {
 			record: Template{
 				Length:      7,
 				ScopeFields: 1,
+				IsOptions:   true,
 				Fields: []FieldTemplate{
 					{Length: 4, Info: &fields.Field{Name: "sourceIPv4Address", Decoder: fields.Ipv4Address}},
 					{Length: 2, Info: &fields.Field{Name: "destinationTransportPort", Decoder: fields.Unsigned16}},
@@ -343,6 +344,7 @@ func TestOptionsTemplate_Apply(t *testing.T) {
 			record: Template{
 				Length:      7,
 				ScopeFields: 2,
+				IsOptions:   true,
 				Fields: []FieldTemplate{
 					{Length: 4, Info: &fields.Field{Name: "sourceIPv4Address", Decoder: fields.Ipv4Address}},
 					{Length: 2, Info: &fields.Field{Name: "destinationTransportPort", Decoder: fields.Unsigned16}},
@@ -386,6 +388,7 @@ func TestOptionsTemplate_Apply(t *testing.T) {
 			record: Template{
 				Length:      7,
 				ScopeFields: 3,
+				IsOptions:   true,
 				Fields: []FieldTemplate{
 					{Length: 4, Info: &fields.Field{Name: "sourceIPv4Address", Decoder: fields.Ipv4Address}},
 					{Length: 2, Info: &fields.Field{Name: "destinationTransportPort", Decoder: fields.Unsigned16}},
@@ -415,6 +418,7 @@ func TestOptionsTemplate_Apply(t *testing.T) {
 			record: Template{
 				Length:      7,
 				ScopeFields: 1,
+				IsOptions:   true,
 				Fields: []FieldTemplate{
 					{Length: 4, Info: &fields.Field{Name: "sourceIPv4Address", Decoder: fields.Ipv4Address}},
 					{Length: 2, Info: &fields.Field{Name: "destinationTransportPort", Decoder: fields.Unsigned16}},
@@ -446,6 +450,7 @@ func TestOptionsTemplate_Apply(t *testing.T) {
 			record: Template{
 				Length:      7,
 				ScopeFields: 2,
+				IsOptions:   true,
 				Fields: []FieldTemplate{
 					{Length: 4, Info: &fields.Field{Name: "sourceIPv4Address", Decoder: fields.Ipv4Address}},
 					{Length: 2, Info: &fields.Field{Name: "destinationTransportPort", Decoder: fields.Unsigned16}},
@@ -489,6 +494,7 @@ func TestOptionsTemplate_Apply(t *testing.T) {
 			record: Template{
 				Length:         6,
 				ScopeFields:    1,
+				IsOptions:      true,
 				VariableLength: true,
 				Fields: []FieldTemplate{
 					{Length: 4, Info: &fields.Field{Name: "sourceIPv4Address", Decoder: fields.Ipv4Address}},
@@ -522,6 +528,7 @@ func TestOptionsTemplate_Apply(t *testing.T) {
 			record: Template{
 				Length:         6,
 				ScopeFields:    1,
+				IsOptions:      true,
 				VariableLength: true,
 				Fields: []FieldTemplate{
 					{Length: 4, Info: &fields.Field{Name: "sourceIPv4Address", Decoder: fields.Ipv4Address}},
@@ -571,6 +578,7 @@ func TestOptionsTemplate_Apply(t *testing.T) {
 				Length:         6,
 				VariableLength: true,
 				ScopeFields:    2,
+				IsOptions:      true,
 				Fields: []FieldTemplate{
 					{Length: 4, Info: &fields.Field{Name: "sourceIPv4Address", Decoder: fields.Ipv4Address}},
 					{Length: VariableLength, Info: &fields.Field{Name: "vpnIdentifier", Decoder: fields.OctetArray}},
diff --git a/x-pack/filebeat/input/netflow/decoder/v9/decoder.go b/x-pack/filebeat/input/netflow/decoder/v9/decoder.go
index f59726846525..6b4fc9be8be7 100644
--- a/x-pack/filebeat/input/netflow/decoder/v9/decoder.go
+++ b/x-pack/filebeat/input/netflow/decoder/v9/decoder.go
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ func (d DecoderV9) ReadOptionsTemplateFlowSet(buf *bytes.Buffer) (templates []*t
 		if buf.Len() < int(length) {
 			return nil, io.EOF
 		}
-		if scopeLen == 0 || scopeLen&3 != 0 || optsLen&3 != 0 {
+		if (scopeLen+optsLen) == 0 || scopeLen&3 != 0 || optsLen&3 != 0 {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("bad length for options template. scope=%d options=%d", scopeLen, optsLen)
 		}
 		template, err := ReadFields(d, buf, (scopeLen+optsLen)/4)
@@ -193,6 +193,7 @@ func (d DecoderV9) ReadOptionsTemplateFlowSet(buf *bytes.Buffer) (templates []*t
 		}
 		template.ID = tID
 		template.ScopeFields = scopeLen / 4
+		template.IsOptions = true
 		templates = append(templates, &template)
 	}
 	return templates, nil