diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/internal/ParentFieldMapper.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/internal/ParentFieldMapper.java
index 988f0411c1e..ffb494c930f 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/internal/ParentFieldMapper.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/internal/ParentFieldMapper.java
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ package org.elasticsearch.index.mapper.internal;
 import org.apache.lucene.document.Field;
 import org.apache.lucene.document.FieldType;
 import org.apache.lucene.index.FieldInfo.IndexOptions;
+import org.apache.lucene.index.Term;
 import org.apache.lucene.queries.TermsFilter;
 import org.apache.lucene.search.ConstantScoreQuery;
 import org.apache.lucene.search.Filter;
@@ -31,6 +32,8 @@ import org.elasticsearch.common.Nullable;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.Strings;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.lucene.BytesRefs;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.lucene.Lucene;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.lucene.search.Queries;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.lucene.search.TermFilter;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.settings.Settings;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.XContentBuilder;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.codec.postingsformat.PostingsFormatProvider;
@@ -239,13 +242,29 @@ public class ParentFieldMapper extends AbstractFieldMapper<Uid> implements Inter
             return super.termFilter(value, context);
         }
         BytesRef bValue = BytesRefs.toBytesRef(value);
-        // we use all types, cause we don't know if its exact or not...
-        BytesRef[] typesValues = new BytesRef[context.mapperService().types().size()];
-        int i = 0;
-        for (String type : context.mapperService().types()) {
-            typesValues[i++] = Uid.createUidAsBytes(type, bValue);
+        if (Uid.hasDelimiter(bValue)) {
+            return new TermFilter(new Term(names.indexName(), bValue));
+        }
+
+        List<String> parentTypes = new ArrayList<String>(context.mapperService().types().size());
+        for (DocumentMapper documentMapper : context.mapperService()) {
+            if (documentMapper.parentFieldMapper() == null) {
+                parentTypes.add(documentMapper.type());
+            }
+        }
+
+        if (parentTypes.isEmpty()) {
+            return Queries.MATCH_NO_FILTER;
+        } else if (parentTypes.size() == 1) {
+            return new TermFilter(new Term(names.indexName(), Uid.createUidAsBytes(parentTypes.get(0), bValue)));
+        } else {
+            // we use all types, cause we don't know if its exact or not...
+            List<BytesRef> typesValues = new ArrayList<BytesRef>(parentTypes.size());
+            for (String type : context.mapperService().types()) {
+                typesValues.add(Uid.createUidAsBytes(type, bValue));
+            }
+            return new TermsFilter(names.indexName(), typesValues);
         }
-        return new TermsFilter(names.indexName(), typesValues);
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/integration/search/child/SimpleChildQuerySearchTests.java b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/integration/search/child/SimpleChildQuerySearchTests.java
index 7b368338ef4..7ef16f1f826 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/integration/search/child/SimpleChildQuerySearchTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/integration/search/child/SimpleChildQuerySearchTests.java
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ import static org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.XContentFactory.jsonBuilder;
 import static org.elasticsearch.index.query.FilterBuilders.*;
 import static org.elasticsearch.index.query.QueryBuilders.*;
 import static org.elasticsearch.search.facet.FacetBuilders.termsFacet;
+import static org.elasticsearch.test.hamcrest.ElasticsearchAssertions.assertHitCount;
 import static org.elasticsearch.test.hamcrest.ElasticsearchAssertions.assertNoFailures;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.*;
 
@@ -1514,7 +1515,6 @@ public class SimpleChildQuerySearchTests extends AbstractSharedClusterTest {
     @Test
     // See also issue: https://github.com/elasticsearch/elasticsearch/issues/3203
     public void testHasChildQueryWithMinimumScore() throws Exception {
-
         client().admin().indices().prepareCreate("test")
                 .setSettings(
                         ImmutableSettings.settingsBuilder()
@@ -1533,7 +1533,7 @@ public class SimpleChildQuerySearchTests extends AbstractSharedClusterTest {
         client().prepareIndex("test", "child", "c3").setSource("c_field", "x").setParent("p2").execute().actionGet();
         client().prepareIndex("test", "child", "c4").setSource("c_field", "x").setParent("p2").execute().actionGet();
         client().prepareIndex("test", "child", "c5").setSource("c_field", "x").setParent("p2").execute().actionGet();
-        client().admin().indices().prepareRefresh("test").execute().actionGet();
+        refresh();
 
         SearchResponse searchResponse = client().prepareSearch("test")
                 .setQuery(hasChildQuery("child", matchAllQuery()).scoreType("sum"))
@@ -1546,4 +1546,51 @@ public class SimpleChildQuerySearchTests extends AbstractSharedClusterTest {
         assertThat(searchResponse.getHits().getAt(0).score(), equalTo(3.0f));
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testParentFieldFilter() throws Exception {
+        client().admin().indices().prepareCreate("test")
+                .setSettings(
+                        ImmutableSettings.settingsBuilder()
+                                .put("index.number_of_shards", 1)
+                                .put("index.number_of_replicas", 1)
+                                .put("index.refresh_interval", -1)
+                ).execute().actionGet();
+        client().admin().cluster().prepareHealth().setWaitForEvents(Priority.LANGUID).setWaitForGreenStatus().execute().actionGet();
+        client().admin().indices().preparePutMapping("test").setType("child").setSource(jsonBuilder().startObject().startObject("type")
+                .startObject("_parent").field("type", "parent").endObject()
+                .endObject().endObject()).execute().actionGet();
+
+        SearchResponse response = client().prepareSearch("test").setQuery(filteredQuery(matchAllQuery(), termFilter("_parent", "p1")))
+                .execute().actionGet();
+        assertHitCount(response, 0l);
+
+        client().prepareIndex("test", "parent", "p1").setSource("p_field", "value").execute().actionGet();
+        client().prepareIndex("test", "child", "c1").setSource("c_field", "value").setParent("p1")
+                .execute().actionGet();
+
+        response = client().prepareSearch("test").setQuery(filteredQuery(matchAllQuery(), termFilter("_parent", "p1")))
+                .execute().actionGet();
+        assertHitCount(response, 0l);
+        refresh();
+
+        response = client().prepareSearch("test").setQuery(filteredQuery(matchAllQuery(), termFilter("_parent", "p1")))
+                .execute().actionGet();
+        assertHitCount(response, 1l);
+
+        response = client().prepareSearch("test").setQuery(filteredQuery(matchAllQuery(), termFilter("_parent", "parent#p1")))
+                .execute().actionGet();
+        assertHitCount(response, 1l);
+
+        client().prepareIndex("test", "parent2", "p1").setSource("p_field", "value")
+                .setRefresh(true).execute().actionGet();
+
+        response = client().prepareSearch("test").setQuery(filteredQuery(matchAllQuery(), termFilter("_parent", "p1")))
+                .execute().actionGet();
+        assertHitCount(response, 1l);
+
+        response = client().prepareSearch("test").setQuery(filteredQuery(matchAllQuery(), termFilter("_parent", "parent#p1")))
+                .execute().actionGet();
+        assertHitCount(response, 1l);
+    }
+
 }