diff --git a/packages/typescript-estree/src/convert.ts b/packages/typescript-estree/src/convert.ts
index d578c2b012cb..2631cb401e23 100644
--- a/packages/typescript-estree/src/convert.ts
+++ b/packages/typescript-estree/src/convert.ts
@@ -985,28 +985,27 @@ export class Converter {
 
       case SyntaxKind.VariableDeclaration: {
         const definite = !!node.exclamationToken;
-        const init = this.convertChild(node.initializer);
-        const id = this.convertBindingNameWithTypeAnnotation(
-          node.name,
-          node.type,
-          node,
-        );
+
         if (definite) {
-          if (init) {
+          if (node.initializer) {
             this.#throwError(
               node,
               'Declarations with initializers cannot also have definite assignment assertions.',
             );
-          } else if (
-            id.type !== AST_NODE_TYPES.Identifier ||
-            !id.typeAnnotation
-          ) {
+          } else if (node.name.kind !== SyntaxKind.Identifier || !node.type) {
             this.#throwError(
               node,
               'Declarations with definite assignment assertions must also have type annotations.',
             );
           }
         }
+
+        const init = this.convertChild(node.initializer);
+        const id = this.convertBindingNameWithTypeAnnotation(
+          node.name,
+          node.type,
+          node,
+        );
         return this.createNode<TSESTree.VariableDeclarator>(node, {
           type: AST_NODE_TYPES.VariableDeclarator,
           definite,