diff --git a/helper/geojsonify.js b/helper/geojsonify.js
index 515446ce..0b9d46ac 100644
--- a/helper/geojsonify.js
+++ b/helper/geojsonify.js
@@ -28,6 +28,16 @@ function geojsonifyPlaces( params, docs ){
   const geojson             = GeoJSON.parse( geodata, { Point: ['lat', 'lng'] });
   const geojsonExtentPoints = GeoJSON.parse( extentPoints, { Point: ['lat', 'lng'] });
 
+  // iterate all features removing empire* properties if there is a country_gid property
+  // per: https://github.com/pelias/placeholder/issues/54#issuecomment-333921012
+  geojson.features.forEach(feature => {
+    if (_.has(feature, 'properties.country_gid')) {
+      delete feature.properties.empire_gid;
+      delete feature.properties.empire;
+      delete feature.properties.empire_a;
+    }
+  });
+
   // to insert the bbox property at the top level of each feature, it must be done separately after
   // initial geojson construction is finished
   addBBoxPerFeature(geojson);
diff --git a/test/unit/helper/geojsonify.js b/test/unit/helper/geojsonify.js
index 72ff6392..cc0abe74 100644
--- a/test/unit/helper/geojsonify.js
+++ b/test/unit/helper/geojsonify.js
@@ -636,6 +636,104 @@ module.exports.tests.non_optimal_conditions = (test, common) => {
 
   });
 
+  test('empire properties should be removed when there is a country_gid property', t => {
+    const input = [
+      {
+        _id: 'id 1',
+        source: 'source 1',
+        source_id: 'source_id 1',
+        layer: 'layer 1',
+        name: {
+          default: 'name 1',
+        },
+        center_point: {
+          lat: 12.121212,
+          lon: 21.212121
+        }
+      },
+      {
+        _id: 'id 2',
+        source: 'source 2',
+        source_id: 'source_id 2',
+        layer: 'layer 2',
+        name: {
+          default: 'name 2',
+        },
+        center_point: {
+          lat: 13.131313,
+          lon: 31.313131
+        }
+      }
+    ];
+
+    const geojsonify = proxyquire('../../../helper/geojsonify', {
+      './geojsonify_place_details': (params, source, dst) => {
+        if (source._id === 'id 1') {
+          return {
+            country_gid: 'country gid',
+            empire_gid: 'empire gid',
+            empire: 'empire',
+            empire_a: 'empire abbr'
+          };
+        } else if (source._id === 'id 2') {
+          return {
+            empire_gid: 'empire gid',
+            empire: 'empire',
+            empire_a: 'empire abbr'
+          };
+        }
+
+      }
+    });
+
+    const actual = geojsonify({}, input);
+
+    const expected = {
+      type: 'FeatureCollection',
+      features: [
+        {
+          type: 'Feature',
+          geometry: {
+            type: 'Point',
+            coordinates: [ 21.212121, 12.121212 ]
+          },
+          properties: {
+            id: 'id 1',
+            gid: 'source 1:layer 1:id 1',
+            layer: 'layer 1',
+            source: 'source 1',
+            source_id: 'source_id 1',
+            name: 'name 1',
+            country_gid: 'country gid',
+          }
+        },
+        {
+          type: 'Feature',
+          geometry: {
+            type: 'Point',
+            coordinates: [ 31.313131, 13.131313 ]
+          },
+          properties: {
+            id: 'id 2',
+            gid: 'source 2:layer 2:id 2',
+            layer: 'layer 2',
+            source: 'source 2',
+            source_id: 'source_id 2',
+            name: 'name 2',
+            empire_gid: 'empire gid',
+            empire: 'empire',
+            empire_a: 'empire abbr'
+          }
+        }
+      ],
+      bbox: [21.212121, 12.121212, 31.313131, 13.131313]
+    };
+
+    t.deepEquals(actual, expected);
+    t.end();
+
+  });
+
 };
 
 module.exports.all = (tape, common) => {