diff --git a/lib/vocabularies/applicator/if.ts b/lib/vocabularies/applicator/if.ts
index 5a40d5e3a..ab2b89962 100644
--- a/lib/vocabularies/applicator/if.ts
+++ b/lib/vocabularies/applicator/if.ts
@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@ import type {
   KeywordErrorDefinition,
   AnySchema,
 } from "../../types"
-import type {SchemaObjCxt} from "../../compile"
+import type {SchemaCxt, SchemaObjCxt} from "../../compile"
 import type {KeywordCxt} from "../../compile/validate"
 import {_, str, not, Name} from "../../compile/codegen"
-import {alwaysValidSchema, checkStrictMode} from "../../compile/util"
+import {alwaysValidSchema, checkStrictMode, evaluatedPropsToName} from "../../compile/util"
 
 export type IfKeywordError = ErrorObject<"if", {failingKeyword: string}, AnySchema>
 
@@ -28,13 +28,31 @@ const def: CodeKeywordDefinition = {
     }
     const hasThen = hasSchema(it, "then")
     const hasElse = hasSchema(it, "else")
-    if (!hasThen && !hasElse) return
 
     const valid = gen.let("valid", true)
     const schValid = gen.name("_valid")
-    validateIf()
+    const ifCxt = validateIf()
     cxt.reset()
 
+    if (!hasThen && !hasElse) {
+      // "then"/"else" absent: the "if" assertion is ignored, but its
+      // annotations are still collected when the instance matches "if".
+      // Names that hold the merged evaluated props/items are declared first
+      // so that the conditional merge only assigns to them (when "if" passes)
+      // and they keep their initial value otherwise.
+      if (it.opts.unevaluated) {
+        if (it.props !== true && !(it.props instanceof Name)) {
+          it.props = evaluatedPropsToName(gen, it.props)
+        }
+        if (it.items !== true && !(it.items instanceof Name)) {
+          it.items = gen.var("items", it.items ?? 0)
+        }
+      }
+      cxt.mergeValidEvaluated(ifCxt, schValid)
+      return
+    }
+    cxt.mergeEvaluated(ifCxt)
+
     if (hasThen && hasElse) {
       const ifClause = gen.let("ifClause")
       cxt.setParams({ifClause})
@@ -47,8 +65,8 @@ const def: CodeKeywordDefinition = {
 
     cxt.pass(valid, () => cxt.error(true))
 
-    function validateIf(): void {
-      const schCxt = cxt.subschema(
+    function validateIf(): SchemaCxt {
+      return cxt.subschema(
         {
           keyword: "if",
           compositeRule: true,
@@ -57,7 +75,6 @@ const def: CodeKeywordDefinition = {
         },
         schValid
       )
-      cxt.mergeEvaluated(schCxt)
     }
 
     function validateClause(keyword: string, ifClause?: Name): () => void {
diff --git a/spec/issues/2607_if_without_then_else_annotations.spec.ts b/spec/issues/2607_if_without_then_else_annotations.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7771a35d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/issues/2607_if_without_then_else_annotations.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+import _Ajv2019 from "../ajv2019"
+import _Ajv2020 from "../ajv2020"
+import * as assert from "assert"
+
+describe('"if" without "then" and "else" collects annotations for unevaluated keywords', () => {
+  it("can see annotations from if without then and else (items)", () => {
+    const ajv = new _Ajv2020({strict: false})
+    const schema = {
+      if: {prefixItems: [{const: "a"}]},
+      unevaluatedItems: false,
+    }
+    const validate = ajv.compile(schema)
+    assert.strictEqual(validate(["a"]), true)
+    assert.strictEqual(validate(["a", "b"]), false)
+    // annotations are collected only when the instance matches "if"
+    assert.strictEqual(validate(["b"]), false)
+  })
+
+  it("can see annotations from if without then and else (properties)", () => {
+    const ajv = new _Ajv2020({strict: false})
+    const schema = {
+      if: {patternProperties: {foo: {type: "string"}}},
+      unevaluatedProperties: false,
+    }
+    const validate = ajv.compile(schema)
+    assert.strictEqual(validate({foo: "a"}), true)
+    assert.strictEqual(validate({bar: 2}), false)
+    assert.strictEqual(validate({foo: 1}), false)
+  })
+
+  it("can see annotations from if without then and else (draft2019, items)", () => {
+    const ajv = new _Ajv2019({strict: false})
+    const schema = {
+      if: {items: [{const: "a"}]},
+      unevaluatedItems: false,
+    }
+    const validate = ajv.compile(schema)
+    assert.strictEqual(validate(["a"]), true)
+    assert.strictEqual(validate(["a", "b"]), false)
+  })
+
+  it("can see annotations from if without then and else (draft2019, properties)", () => {
+    const ajv = new _Ajv2019({strict: false})
+    const schema = {
+      if: {patternProperties: {foo: {type: "string"}}},
+      unevaluatedProperties: false,
+    }
+    const validate = ajv.compile(schema)
+    assert.strictEqual(validate({foo: "a"}), true)
+    assert.strictEqual(validate({bar: 2}), false)
+  })
+})