diff --git a/controller/placeholder.js b/controller/placeholder.js
index c3f38c54..7df2756d 100644
--- a/controller/placeholder.js
+++ b/controller/placeholder.js
@@ -50,38 +50,37 @@ function synthesizeDocs(result) {
 
   if (_.isEmpty(result.lineage)) {
     // there are no hierarchies so just return what's been assembled so far
-    const esDoc = doc.toESDocument();
-    esDoc.data._id = esDoc._id;
-    esDoc.data._type = esDoc._type;
+    return buildESDoc(doc);
 
-    return esDoc.data;
+  }
+
+  result.lineage.map((hierarchy) => {
+    Object.keys(hierarchy)
+      .filter(doc.isSupportedParent)
+      .filter((placetype) => { return !_.isEmpty(_.trim(hierarchy[placetype].name)); } )
+      .forEach((placetype) => {
+        if (hierarchy[placetype].hasOwnProperty('abbr') && placetype === 'country') {
+          doc.setAlpha3(hierarchy[placetype].abbr);
+        }
+
+        doc.addParent(
+          placetype,
+          hierarchy[placetype].name,
+          hierarchy[placetype].id.toString(),
+          hierarchy[placetype].abbr);
 
-  } else {
-    result.lineage.map((hierarchy) => {
-      Object.keys(hierarchy)
-        .filter(doc.isSupportedParent)
-        .filter((placetype) => { return !_.isEmpty(_.trim(hierarchy[placetype].name)); } )
-        .forEach((placetype) => {
-          if (hierarchy[placetype].hasOwnProperty('abbr') && placetype === 'country') {
-            doc.setAlpha3(hierarchy[placetype].abbr);
-          }
-
-          doc.addParent(
-            placetype,
-            hierarchy[placetype].name,
-            hierarchy[placetype].id.toString(),
-            hierarchy[placetype].abbr);
-
-      });
     });
+  });
 
-    const esDoc = doc.toESDocument();
-    esDoc.data._id = esDoc._id;
-    esDoc.data._type = esDoc._type;
+  return buildESDoc(doc);
 
-    return esDoc.data;
+}
 
-  }
+function buildESDoc(doc) {
+  const esDoc = doc.toESDocument();
+  esDoc.data._id = esDoc._id;
+  esDoc.data._type = esDoc._type;
+  return esDoc.data;
 }
 
 function setup(placeholderService, should_execute) {
@@ -112,7 +111,8 @@ function setup(placeholderService, should_execute) {
         // filter that passes only documents that match on boundary.country
         // passed everything if req.clean['boundary.country'] is not found
         const matchesBoundaryCountry = (doc) => {
-          return doc.alpha3 === req.clean['boundary.country'];
+          return doc.parent.country_a &&
+                 doc.parent.country_a.indexOf(req.clean['boundary.country']) > -1;
         };
         const countryFilter = _.has(req, ['clean', 'boundary.country']) ?
           matchesBoundaryCountry : _.constant(true);
diff --git a/test/unit/controller/placeholder.js b/test/unit/controller/placeholder.js
index d6b7e627..f9540398 100644
--- a/test/unit/controller/placeholder.js
+++ b/test/unit/controller/placeholder.js
@@ -212,57 +212,6 @@ module.exports.tests.success = (test, common) => {
     const expected_res = {
       meta: {},
       data: [
-        {
-          _id: '123',
-          _type: 'neighbourhood',
-          layer: 'neighbourhood',
-          source: 'whosonfirst',
-          source_id: '123',
-          center_point: {
-            lat: 14.141414,
-            lon: 41.414141
-          },
-          bounding_box: '{"min_lat":12.121212,"max_lat":13.131313,"min_lon":21.212121,"max_lon":31.313131}',
-          name: {
-            'default': 'name 1'
-          },
-          phrase: {
-            'default': 'name 1'
-          },
-          alpha3: 'ABC',
-          parent: {
-            neighbourhood: ['neighbourhood name 1'],
-            neighbourhood_id: ['10'],
-            neighbourhood_a: [null],
-            borough: ['borough name 1'],
-            borough_id: ['9'],
-            borough_a: [null],
-            locality: ['locality name 1'],
-            locality_id: ['8'],
-            locality_a: [null],
-            localadmin: ['localadmin name 1'],
-            localadmin_id: ['7'],
-            localadmin_a: [null],
-            county: ['county name 1'],
-            county_id: ['6'],
-            county_a: [null],
-            macrocounty: ['macrocounty name 1'],
-            macrocounty_id: ['5'],
-            macrocounty_a: [null],
-            region: ['region name 1'],
-            region_id: ['4'],
-            region_a: [null],
-            macroregion: ['macroregion name 1'],
-            macroregion_id: ['3'],
-            macroregion_a: [null],
-            dependency: ['dependency name 1'],
-            dependency_id: ['2'],
-            dependency_a: [null],
-            country: ['country name 1'],
-            country_id: ['1'],
-            country_a: ['ABC']
-          }
-        },
         {
           _id: '123',
           _type: 'neighbourhood',
@@ -282,36 +231,36 @@ module.exports.tests.success = (test, common) => {
           },
           alpha3: 'XYZ',
           parent: {
-            neighbourhood: ['neighbourhood name 2'],
-            neighbourhood_id: ['20'],
-            neighbourhood_a: ['neighbourhood abbr 2'],
-            borough: ['borough name 2'],
-            borough_id: ['19'],
-            borough_a: ['borough abbr 2'],
-            locality: ['locality name 2'],
-            locality_id: ['18'],
-            locality_a: ['locality abbr 2'],
-            localadmin: ['localadmin name 2'],
-            localadmin_id: ['17'],
-            localadmin_a: ['localadmin abbr 2'],
-            county: ['county name 2'],
-            county_id: ['16'],
-            county_a: ['county abbr 2'],
-            macrocounty: ['macrocounty name 2'],
-            macrocounty_id: ['15'],
-            macrocounty_a: ['macrocounty abbr 2'],
-            region: ['region name 2'],
-            region_id: ['14'],
-            region_a: ['region abbr 2'],
-            macroregion: ['macroregion name 2'],
-            macroregion_id: ['13'],
-            macroregion_a: ['macroregion abbr 2'],
-            dependency: ['dependency name 2'],
-            dependency_id: ['12'],
-            dependency_a: ['dependency abbr 2'],
-            country: ['country name 2'],
-            country_id: ['11'],
-            country_a: ['XYZ']
+            neighbourhood: ['neighbourhood name 1', 'neighbourhood name 2'],
+            neighbourhood_id: ['10', '20'],
+            neighbourhood_a: [null, 'neighbourhood abbr 2'],
+            borough: ['borough name 1', 'borough name 2'],
+            borough_id: ['9', '19'],
+            borough_a: [null, 'borough abbr 2'],
+            locality: ['locality name 1', 'locality name 2'],
+            locality_id: ['8', '18'],
+            locality_a: [null, 'locality abbr 2'],
+            localadmin: ['localadmin name 1', 'localadmin name 2'],
+            localadmin_id: ['7', '17'],
+            localadmin_a: [null, 'localadmin abbr 2'],
+            county: ['county name 1', 'county name 2'],
+            county_id: ['6', '16'],
+            county_a: [null, 'county abbr 2'],
+            macrocounty: ['macrocounty name 1', 'macrocounty name 2'],
+            macrocounty_id: ['5', '15'],
+            macrocounty_a: [null, 'macrocounty abbr 2'],
+            region: ['region name 1', 'region name 2'],
+            region_id: ['4', '14'],
+            region_a: [null, 'region abbr 2'],
+            macroregion: ['macroregion name 1', 'macroregion name 2'],
+            macroregion_id: ['3', '13'],
+            macroregion_a: [null, 'macroregion abbr 2'],
+            dependency: ['dependency name 1', 'dependency name 2'],
+            dependency_id: ['2', '12'],
+            dependency_a: [null, 'dependency abbr 2'],
+            country: ['country name 1', 'country name 2'],
+            country_id: ['1', '11'],
+            country_a: ['ABC', 'XYZ']
           }
         },
         {
@@ -839,11 +788,11 @@ module.exports.tests.success = (test, common) => {
           phrase: {
             'default': 'name 1'
           },
-          alpha3: 'ABC',
+          alpha3: 'DEF',
           parent: {
-            country: ['country name 1'],
-            country_id: ['1'],
-            country_a: ['ABC']
+            country: ['country name 1', 'country name 2'],
+            country_id: ['1', '2'],
+            country_a: ['ABC', 'DEF']
           }
         },
         {