diff --git a/django/contrib/gis/geoip/base.py b/django/contrib/gis/geoip/base.py
index 4b114f8b2b5..d4793a2ae90 100644
--- a/django/contrib/gis/geoip/base.py
+++ b/django/contrib/gis/geoip/base.py
@@ -137,9 +137,6 @@ class GeoIP(object):
         if not isinstance(query, six.string_types):
             raise TypeError('GeoIP query must be a string, not type %s' % type(query).__name__)
 
-        # GeoIP only takes ASCII-encoded strings.
-        query = query.encode('ascii')
-
         # Extra checks for the existence of country and city databases.
         if city_or_country and not (self._country or self._city):
             raise GeoIPException('Invalid GeoIP country and city data files.')
@@ -148,8 +145,8 @@ class GeoIP(object):
         elif city and not self._city:
             raise GeoIPException('Invalid GeoIP city data file: %s' % self._city_file)
 
-        # Return the query string back to the caller.
-        return query
+        # Return the query string back to the caller. GeoIP only takes bytestrings.
+        return force_bytes(query)
 
     def city(self, query):
         """
@@ -157,33 +154,33 @@ class GeoIP(object):
         Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN).  Some information in the dictionary
         may be undefined (None).
         """
-        query = self._check_query(query, city=True)
+        enc_query = self._check_query(query, city=True)
         if ipv4_re.match(query):
             # If an IP address was passed in
-            return GeoIP_record_by_addr(self._city, c_char_p(query))
+            return GeoIP_record_by_addr(self._city, c_char_p(enc_query))
         else:
             # If a FQDN was passed in.
-            return GeoIP_record_by_name(self._city, c_char_p(query))
+            return GeoIP_record_by_name(self._city, c_char_p(enc_query))
 
     def country_code(self, query):
         "Returns the country code for the given IP Address or FQDN."
-        query = self._check_query(query, city_or_country=True)
+        enc_query = self._check_query(query, city_or_country=True)
         if self._country:
             if ipv4_re.match(query):
-                return GeoIP_country_code_by_addr(self._country, query)
+                return GeoIP_country_code_by_addr(self._country, enc_query)
             else:
-                return GeoIP_country_code_by_name(self._country, query)
+                return GeoIP_country_code_by_name(self._country, enc_query)
         else:
             return self.city(query)['country_code']
 
     def country_name(self, query):
         "Returns the country name for the given IP Address or FQDN."
-        query = self._check_query(query, city_or_country=True)
+        enc_query = self._check_query(query, city_or_country=True)
         if self._country:
             if ipv4_re.match(query):
-                return GeoIP_country_name_by_addr(self._country, query)
+                return GeoIP_country_name_by_addr(self._country, enc_query)
             else:
-                return GeoIP_country_name_by_name(self._country, query)
+                return GeoIP_country_name_by_name(self._country, enc_query)
         else:
             return self.city(query)['country_name']
 
diff --git a/django/contrib/gis/geoip/prototypes.py b/django/contrib/gis/geoip/prototypes.py
index 1cec0d5c246..283d7213952 100644
--- a/django/contrib/gis/geoip/prototypes.py
+++ b/django/contrib/gis/geoip/prototypes.py
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ def check_string(result, func, cargs):
         free(result)
     else:
         s = ''
-    return s
+    return s.decode()
 
 GeoIP_database_info = lgeoip.GeoIP_database_info
 GeoIP_database_info.restype = geoip_char_p
@@ -100,7 +100,12 @@ GeoIP_database_info.errcheck = check_string
 
 # String output routines.
 def string_output(func):
+    def _err_check(result, func, cargs):
+        if result:
+            return result.decode()
+        return result
     func.restype = c_char_p
+    func.errcheck = _err_check
     return func
 
 GeoIP_country_code_by_addr = string_output(lgeoip.GeoIP_country_code_by_addr)
diff --git a/django/contrib/gis/geoip/tests.py b/django/contrib/gis/geoip/tests.py
index 458c947a272..bb4a3e7e23c 100644
--- a/django/contrib/gis/geoip/tests.py
+++ b/django/contrib/gis/geoip/tests.py
@@ -106,12 +106,6 @@ class GeoIPTest(unittest.TestCase):
         d = g.city("www.osnabrueck.de")
         self.assertEqual('Osnabrück', d['city'])
 
-    def test06_unicode_query(self):
-        "Testing that GeoIP accepts unicode string queries, see #17059."
-        g = GeoIP()
-        d = g.country('whitehouse.gov')
-        self.assertEqual('US', d['country_code'])
-
 
 def suite():
     s = unittest.TestSuite()