diff --git a/src/cc65/compile.c b/src/cc65/compile.c
index 5101eccd4..0dc75273d 100644
--- a/src/cc65/compile.c
+++ b/src/cc65/compile.c
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ static void Parse (void)
     /* Fill up the next token with a bogus semicolon and start the tokenizer */
     NextTok.Tok = TOK_SEMI;
     NextToken ();
+    NextToken ();
 
     /* Parse until end of input */
     while (CurTok.Tok != TOK_CEOF) {
@@ -98,6 +99,7 @@ static void Parse (void)
 
         /* Check for empty statements */
         if (CurTok.Tok == TOK_SEMI) {
+            /* TODO: warn on this if we have a pedantic mode */
             NextToken ();
             continue;
         }
@@ -137,6 +139,16 @@ static void Parse (void)
             continue;
         }
 
+        /* If we haven't got a type specifier yet, something must be wrong */
+        if ((Spec.Flags & DS_TYPE_MASK) == DS_NONE) {
+            /* Avoid extra errors if it was a failed type specifier */
+            if ((Spec.Flags & DS_EXTRA_TYPE) == 0) {
+                Error ("Declaration specifier expected");
+            }
+            NeedClean = -1;
+            goto EndOfDecl;
+        }
+
         /* Read declarations for this type */
         Comma = 0;
         while (1) {
@@ -355,6 +367,7 @@ static void Parse (void)
             }
         }
 
+EndOfDecl:
         /* Try some smart error recovery */
         if (NeedClean < 0) {
             SmartErrorSkip (1);
diff --git a/src/cc65/declare.c b/src/cc65/declare.c
index fdc481ce1..029e22069 100644
--- a/src/cc65/declare.c
+++ b/src/cc65/declare.c
@@ -979,6 +979,13 @@ static SymEntry* ParseUnionSpec (const char* Name, unsigned* DSFlags)
         DeclSpec    Spec;
         int         NeedClean = 0;
 
+        /* Check for extra semicolons */
+        if (CurTok.Tok == TOK_SEMI) {
+            /* TODO: warn on this if we have a pedantic mode */
+            NextToken ();
+            continue;
+        }
+
         /* Check for a _Static_assert */
         if (CurTok.Tok == TOK_STATIC_ASSERT) {
             ParseStaticAssert ();
@@ -995,6 +1002,16 @@ static SymEntry* ParseUnionSpec (const char* Name, unsigned* DSFlags)
             continue;
         }
 
+        /* If we haven't got a type specifier yet, something must be wrong */
+        if ((Spec.Flags & DS_TYPE_MASK) == DS_NONE) {
+            /* Avoid extra errors if it was a failed type specifier */
+            if ((Spec.Flags & DS_EXTRA_TYPE) == 0) {
+                Error ("Declaration specifier expected");
+            }
+            NeedClean = -1;
+            goto EndOfDecl;
+        }
+
         /* Allow anonymous bit-fields */
         Spec.Flags |= DS_ALLOW_BITFIELD;
 
@@ -1107,6 +1124,7 @@ NextMember:
             NextToken ();
         }
 
+EndOfDecl:
         if (NeedClean > 0) {
             /* Must be followed by a semicolon */
             if (ConsumeSemi ()) {
@@ -1181,6 +1199,13 @@ static SymEntry* ParseStructSpec (const char* Name, unsigned* DSFlags)
         DeclSpec    Spec;
         int         NeedClean = 0;
 
+        /* Check for extra semicolons */
+        if (CurTok.Tok == TOK_SEMI) {
+            /* TODO: warn on this if we have a pedantic mode */
+            NextToken ();
+            continue;
+        }
+
         /* Check for a _Static_assert */
         if (CurTok.Tok == TOK_STATIC_ASSERT) {
             ParseStaticAssert ();
@@ -1197,6 +1222,16 @@ static SymEntry* ParseStructSpec (const char* Name, unsigned* DSFlags)
             continue;
         }
 
+        /* If we haven't got a type specifier yet, something must be wrong */
+        if ((Spec.Flags & DS_TYPE_MASK) == DS_NONE) {
+            /* Avoid extra errors if it was a failed type specifier */
+            if ((Spec.Flags & DS_EXTRA_TYPE) == 0) {
+                Error ("Declaration specifier expected");
+            }
+            NeedClean = -1;
+            goto EndOfDecl;
+        }
+
         /* Allow anonymous bit-fields */
         Spec.Flags |= DS_ALLOW_BITFIELD;
 
@@ -1362,6 +1397,7 @@ NextMember:
             NextToken ();
         }
 
+EndOfDecl:
         if (NeedClean > 0) {
             /* Must be followed by a semicolon */
             if (ConsumeSemi ()) {
@@ -1559,6 +1595,8 @@ static void ParseTypeSpec (DeclSpec* Spec, typespec_t TSFlags)
 
         case TOK_UNION:
             NextToken ();
+            /* Remember we have an extra type decl */
+            Spec->Flags |= DS_EXTRA_TYPE;
             /* Check for tag name */
             if (CurTok.Tok == TOK_IDENT) {
                 strcpy (Ident, CurTok.Ident);
@@ -1570,8 +1608,6 @@ static void ParseTypeSpec (DeclSpec* Spec, typespec_t TSFlags)
                 UseDefaultType (Spec, TS_DEFAULT_TYPE_NONE);
                 break;
             }
-            /* Remember we have an extra type decl */
-            Spec->Flags |= DS_EXTRA_TYPE;
             /* Declare the union in the current scope */
             TagEntry = ParseUnionSpec (Ident, &Spec->Flags);
             /* Encode the union entry into the type */
@@ -1582,6 +1618,8 @@ static void ParseTypeSpec (DeclSpec* Spec, typespec_t TSFlags)
 
         case TOK_STRUCT:
             NextToken ();
+            /* Remember we have an extra type decl */
+            Spec->Flags |= DS_EXTRA_TYPE;
             /* Check for tag name */
             if (CurTok.Tok == TOK_IDENT) {
                 strcpy (Ident, CurTok.Ident);
@@ -1593,8 +1631,6 @@ static void ParseTypeSpec (DeclSpec* Spec, typespec_t TSFlags)
                 UseDefaultType (Spec, TS_DEFAULT_TYPE_NONE);
                 break;
             }
-            /* Remember we have an extra type decl */
-            Spec->Flags |= DS_EXTRA_TYPE;
             /* Declare the struct in the current scope */
             TagEntry = ParseStructSpec (Ident, &Spec->Flags);
             /* Encode the struct entry into the type */
@@ -1605,6 +1641,8 @@ static void ParseTypeSpec (DeclSpec* Spec, typespec_t TSFlags)
 
         case TOK_ENUM:
             NextToken ();
+            /* Remember we have an extra type decl */
+            Spec->Flags |= DS_EXTRA_TYPE;
             /* Check for tag name */
             if (CurTok.Tok == TOK_IDENT) {
                 strcpy (Ident, CurTok.Ident);
@@ -1616,8 +1654,6 @@ static void ParseTypeSpec (DeclSpec* Spec, typespec_t TSFlags)
                 UseDefaultType (Spec, TS_DEFAULT_TYPE_NONE);
                 break;
             }
-            /* Remember we have an extra type decl */
-            Spec->Flags |= DS_EXTRA_TYPE;
             /* Parse the enum decl */
             TagEntry = ParseEnumSpec (Ident, &Spec->Flags);
             /* Encode the enum entry into the type */
@@ -1658,9 +1694,7 @@ static void ParseTypeSpec (DeclSpec* Spec, typespec_t TSFlags)
                 ** in DeclareLocals. The type code used here doesn't matter as
                 ** long as it has no qualifiers.
                 */
-                Spec->Flags |= DS_DEF_TYPE;
-                Spec->Type[0].C = T_INT;
-                Spec->Type[1].C = T_END;
+                UseDefaultType (Spec, TS_DEFAULT_TYPE_INT);
                 break;
             }
             /* FALL THROUGH */
@@ -2376,7 +2410,9 @@ void CheckEmptyDecl (const DeclSpec* Spec)
 ** warning if not.
 */
 {
-    if ((Spec->Flags & DS_EXTRA_TYPE) == 0) {
+    if ((Spec->Flags & DS_TYPE_MASK) == DS_NONE) {
+        /* No declaration at all */
+    } else if ((Spec->Flags & DS_EXTRA_TYPE) == 0) {
         Warning ("Declaration does not declare anything");
     } else if (IsClassStruct (Spec->Type)           &&
                !IsIncompleteESUType (Spec->Type)    &&
diff --git a/src/cc65/locals.c b/src/cc65/locals.c
index 79bbd4573..b8738992f 100644
--- a/src/cc65/locals.c
+++ b/src/cc65/locals.c
@@ -588,6 +588,16 @@ void DeclareLocals (void)
             continue;
         }
 
+        /* If we haven't got a type specifier yet, something must be wrong */
+        if ((Spec.Flags & DS_TYPE_MASK) == DS_NONE) {
+            /* Avoid extra errors if it was a failed type specifier */
+            if ((Spec.Flags & DS_EXTRA_TYPE) == 0) {
+                Error ("Declaration specifier expected");
+            }
+            NeedClean = -1;
+            goto EndOfDecl;
+        }
+
         /* Parse a comma separated variable list */
         while (1) {
 
@@ -616,6 +626,7 @@ void DeclareLocals (void)
             }
         }
 
+EndOfDecl:
         /* Try some smart error recovery */
         if (NeedClean < 0) {
             SmartErrorSkip (1);