diff --git a/lemur/plugins/lemur_aws/iam.py b/lemur/plugins/lemur_aws/iam.py
index 53c3719d..677728bb 100644
--- a/lemur/plugins/lemur_aws/iam.py
+++ b/lemur/plugins/lemur_aws/iam.py
@@ -72,6 +72,8 @@ def upload_cert(name, body, private_key, path, cert_chain=None, **kwargs):
         name = name + '-' + path.strip('/')
 
     try:
+        if isinstance(private_key, bytes):
+            private_key = private_key.decode("utf-8")
         if cert_chain:
             return client.upload_server_certificate(
                 Path=path,