In a method and a device for operating an injection valve, a relevant time (t_ACT) is determined during a catch phase (PH_CATCH) when the electromagnetic actuator reaches a predetermined fraction value of the electric current, which value is smaller than a maximum current value, and a fraction of interval (T_FRAC) since the start of the respective catch phase (PH_CATCH) is determined depending thereon and the injection valve is diagnosed depending on the fraction of interval (T_FRAC) and the predetermined minimum and maximum threshold interval values (THD_T_MIN, THD_T_MAX).