Abstract This study investigated the corrosion behavior of AISI 316L produced by direct energy deposition (DED). Microstructural and chemical analysis showed a homogeneous distribution of Si and Si–Mn inclusions of 0.5–1 µm and the Cr and Mo enrichment within interdendritic areas. Scanning Kelvin probe analysis of additively manufactured stainless steel highlighted a regular “striped‐like” surface potential feature with a potential gradient of 30 mV for a mean value of 0.320 ± 0.017 V versus standard hydrogen electrode. It can be related to the presence of the residual stress in the oxide film and the complex thermal history due to the fabrication process. A cyclic corrosion test simulating atmospheric conditions revealed the same corrosion properties for stainless steel fabricated by DED compared to cold rolled one. Various surface preparations of 316L were also exposed for corrosion tests. It was found that the “as‐received” and “brushed” surfaces exhibited poorer corrosion resistance due to the presence of an as‐build defective layer. However, prior passivation of brushed surface, machining, or mechanical grinding down to P1200 improve significantly the corrosion resistance.