diff --git a/django/core/management/commands/compilemessages.py b/django/core/management/commands/compilemessages.py
index fdc3535cf66..b7392b91733 100644
--- a/django/core/management/commands/compilemessages.py
+++ b/django/core/management/commands/compilemessages.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+from __future__ import unicode_literals
+
 import codecs
 import os
 import sys
@@ -7,7 +9,7 @@ from django.core.management.base import BaseCommand, CommandError
 def has_bom(fn):
     with open(fn, 'rb') as f:
         sample = f.read(4)
-    return sample[:3] == '\xef\xbb\xbf' or \
+    return sample[:3] == b'\xef\xbb\xbf' or \
             sample.startswith(codecs.BOM_UTF16_LE) or \
             sample.startswith(codecs.BOM_UTF16_BE)
 
diff --git a/tests/regressiontests/i18n/commands/compilation.py b/tests/regressiontests/i18n/commands/compilation.py
index d88e1feef63..b6119cf43d4 100644
--- a/tests/regressiontests/i18n/commands/compilation.py
+++ b/tests/regressiontests/i18n/commands/compilation.py
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 import os
-from io import BytesIO
 
 from django.core.management import call_command, CommandError
 from django.test import TestCase
 from django.test.utils import override_settings
 from django.utils import translation
+from django.utils.six import StringIO
 
 test_dir = os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(__file__))
 
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ class PoFileTests(MessageCompilationTests):
         os.chdir(test_dir)
         with self.assertRaisesRegexp(CommandError,
                 "file has a BOM \(Byte Order Mark\)"):
-            call_command('compilemessages', locale=self.LOCALE, stderr=BytesIO())
+            call_command('compilemessages', locale=self.LOCALE, stderr=StringIO())
         self.assertFalse(os.path.exists(self.MO_FILE))
 
 
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ class PoFileContentsTests(MessageCompilationTests):
 
     def test_percent_symbol_in_po_file(self):
         os.chdir(test_dir)
-        call_command('compilemessages', locale=self.LOCALE, stderr=BytesIO())
+        call_command('compilemessages', locale=self.LOCALE, stderr=StringIO())
         self.assertTrue(os.path.exists(self.MO_FILE))
 
 
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ class PercentRenderingTests(MessageCompilationTests):
     def test_percent_symbol_escaping(self):
         from django.template import Template, Context
         os.chdir(test_dir)
-        call_command('compilemessages', locale=self.LOCALE, stderr=BytesIO())
+        call_command('compilemessages', locale=self.LOCALE, stderr=StringIO())
         with translation.override(self.LOCALE):
             t = Template('{% load i18n %}{% trans "Looks like a str fmt spec %% o but shouldn\'t be interpreted as such" %}')
             rendered = t.render(Context({}))