diff --git a/controller/place.js b/controller/place.js
index 8622f234..42e7c626 100644
--- a/controller/place.js
+++ b/controller/place.js
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ function setup( backend ){
     var query = req.clean.ids.map( function(id) {
       return {
         _index: 'pelias',
-        _type: id.type,
+        type: id.types,
         _id: id.id
       };
     });
diff --git a/sanitiser/_ids.js b/sanitiser/_ids.js
index b45f0d1c..46effa41 100644
--- a/sanitiser/_ids.js
+++ b/sanitiser/_ids.js
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ function sanitizeId(rawId, messages) {
   else {
     return {
       id: id,
-      type: type
+      types: [type]
     };
   }
 }
diff --git a/test/unit/controller/place.js b/test/unit/controller/place.js
index 755ac1b9..20455e3a 100644
--- a/test/unit/controller/place.js
+++ b/test/unit/controller/place.js
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ module.exports.tests.functional_success = function(test, common) {
 
   test('functional success', function(t) {
     var backend = mockBackend( 'client/mget/ok/1', function( cmd ){
-      t.deepEqual(cmd, { body: { docs: [ { _id: 123, _index: 'pelias', _type: 'a' } ] } }, 'correct backend command');
+      t.deepEqual(cmd, { body: { docs: [ { _id: 123, _index: 'pelias', type: [ 'a' ] } ] } }, 'correct backend command');
     });
     var controller = setup( backend );
     var res = {
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ module.exports.tests.functional_success = function(test, common) {
         t.deepEqual(json.features, expected, 'values correctly mapped');
       }
     };
-    var req = { clean: { ids: [ {'id' : 123, 'type': 'a' } ] }, errors: [], warnings: [] };
+    var req = { clean: { ids: [ {'id' : 123, types: [ 'a' ] } ] }, errors: [], warnings: [] };
     var next = function next() {
       t.equal(req.errors.length, 0, 'next was called without error');
       t.end();
@@ -70,10 +70,10 @@ module.exports.tests.functional_success = function(test, common) {
 module.exports.tests.functional_failure = function(test, common) {
   test('functional failure', function(t) {
     var backend = mockBackend( 'client/mget/fail/1', function( cmd ){
-      t.deepEqual(cmd, { body: { docs: [ { _id: 123, _index: 'pelias', _type: 'b' } ] } }, 'correct backend command');
+      t.deepEqual(cmd, { body: { docs: [ { _id: 123, _index: 'pelias', type: [ 'b' ] } ] } }, 'correct backend command');
     });
     var controller = setup( backend );
-    var req = { clean: { ids: [ {'id' : 123, 'type': 'b' } ] }, errors: [], warnings: [] };
+    var req = { clean: { ids: [ {'id' : 123, types: [ 'b' ] } ] }, errors: [], warnings: [] };
     var next = function( message ){
       t.equal(req.errors[0],'a backend error occurred','error passed to errorHandler');
       t.end();
diff --git a/test/unit/mock/backend.js b/test/unit/mock/backend.js
index 201ab7b5..7d0eb8d7 100644
--- a/test/unit/mock/backend.js
+++ b/test/unit/mock/backend.js
@@ -94,4 +94,4 @@ function searchEnvelope( options ){
   return { hits: { total: options.length, hits: options } };
 }
 
-module.exports = setup;
\ No newline at end of file
+module.exports = setup;
diff --git a/test/unit/sanitiser/_ids.js b/test/unit/sanitiser/_ids.js
index 26445018..3be9183b 100644
--- a/test/unit/sanitiser/_ids.js
+++ b/test/unit/sanitiser/_ids.js
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ module.exports.tests.valid_ids = function(test, common) {
   test('ids: valid input', function(t) {
     inputs.valid.forEach( function( input ){
       var input_parts = input.split(delimiter);
-      var expected_clean = { ids: [ { id: input_parts[1], type: input_parts[0] } ]};
+      var expected_clean = { ids: [ { id: input_parts[1], types: [ input_parts[0] ]} ]};
       var raw = {  ids: input };
       var clean = {};
 
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ module.exports.tests.valid_ids = function(test, common) {
     // construct the expected id and type for each valid input
     inputs.valid.forEach( function( input ){
       var input_parts = input.split(delimiter);
-      expected_clean.ids.push({ id: input_parts[1], type: input_parts[0] });
+      expected_clean.ids.push({ id: input_parts[1], types: [ input_parts[0] ]});
     });
 
     var messages = sanitize( raw, clean );
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ module.exports.tests.array_of_ids = function(test, common) {
 
 module.exports.tests.multiple_ids = function(test, common) {
   test('duplicate ids', function(t) {
-    var expected_clean = { ids: [ { id: '1', type: 'geoname' }, { id: '2', type: 'osmnode' } ] };
+    var expected_clean = { ids: [ { id: '1', types: [ 'geoname' ] }, { id: '2', types: [ 'osmnode' ] } ] };
     var raw = { ids: 'geoname:1,osmnode:2' };
     var clean = {};
 
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ module.exports.tests.multiple_ids = function(test, common) {
 
 module.exports.tests.de_dupe = function(test, common) {
   test('duplicate ids', function(t) {
-    var expected_clean = { ids: [ { id: '1', type: 'geoname' }, { id: '2', type: 'osmnode' } ]};
+    var expected_clean = { ids: [ { id: '1', types: [ 'geoname' ] }, { id: '2', types: [ 'osmnode' ] } ] };
     var raw = { ids: 'geoname:1,osmnode:2,geoname:1' };
     var clean = {};
 
diff --git a/test/unit/sanitiser/place.js b/test/unit/sanitiser/place.js
index c3cd81cf..26042c5e 100644
--- a/test/unit/sanitiser/place.js
+++ b/test/unit/sanitiser/place.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 var place  = require('../../../sanitiser/place'),
     sanitize = place.sanitize,
     middleware = place.middleware,
-    defaultClean = { ids: [ { id: '123', type: 'geoname' } ], private: false };
+    defaultClean = { ids: [ { id: '123', types: [ 'geoname' ] } ], private: false };
 
 // these are the default values you would expect when no input params are specified.
 module.exports.tests = {};