diff --git a/doc/en/writing_plugins.rst b/doc/en/writing_plugins.rst
index 04dc68b64..469ee57ca 100644
--- a/doc/en/writing_plugins.rst
+++ b/doc/en/writing_plugins.rst
@@ -335,8 +335,6 @@ string value of ``Hello World!`` if we do not supply a value or ``Hello
 
 .. code-block:: python
 
-    # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
-
     import pytest
 
 
diff --git a/testing/acceptance_test.py b/testing/acceptance_test.py
index 9d0d7f863..9d903f802 100644
--- a/testing/acceptance_test.py
+++ b/testing/acceptance_test.py
@@ -507,14 +507,13 @@ class TestGeneralUsage:
     def test_parametrized_with_null_bytes(self, testdir):
         """Test parametrization with values that contain null bytes and unicode characters (#2644, #2957)"""
         p = testdir.makepyfile(
-            """
-            # encoding: UTF-8
+            """\
             import pytest
 
             @pytest.mark.parametrize("data", [b"\\x00", "\\x00", u'ação'])
             def test_foo(data):
                 assert data
-        """
+            """
         )
         res = testdir.runpytest(p)
         res.assert_outcomes(passed=3)
diff --git a/testing/logging/test_reporting.py b/testing/logging/test_reporting.py
index f845f5c39..fc775b951 100644
--- a/testing/logging/test_reporting.py
+++ b/testing/logging/test_reporting.py
@@ -840,16 +840,14 @@ def test_log_file_unicode(testdir):
         )
     )
     testdir.makepyfile(
-        """
-        # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
-        from __future__ import unicode_literals
+        """\
         import logging
 
         def test_log_file():
             logging.getLogger('catchlog').info("Normal message")
             logging.getLogger('catchlog').info("├")
             logging.getLogger('catchlog').info("Another normal message")
-    """
+        """
     )
 
     result = testdir.runpytest()
diff --git a/testing/python/collect.py b/testing/python/collect.py
index 544e71f25..981e30fc3 100644
--- a/testing/python/collect.py
+++ b/testing/python/collect.py
@@ -116,12 +116,7 @@ class TestModule:
         """Check test modules collected which raise ImportError with unicode messages
         are handled properly (#2336).
         """
-        testdir.makepyfile(
-            """
-            # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
-            raise ImportError(u'Something bad happened ☺')
-        """
-        )
+        testdir.makepyfile("raise ImportError(u'Something bad happened ☺')")
         result = testdir.runpytest()
         result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(
             [
@@ -1256,13 +1251,7 @@ def test_class_injection_does_not_break_collection(testdir):
 def test_syntax_error_with_non_ascii_chars(testdir):
     """Fix decoding issue while formatting SyntaxErrors during collection (#578)
     """
-    testdir.makepyfile(
-        """
-    # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
-
-    ☃
-    """
-    )
+    testdir.makepyfile("☃")
     result = testdir.runpytest()
     result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(["*ERROR collecting*", "*SyntaxError*", "*1 error in*"])
 
diff --git a/testing/python/fixtures.py b/testing/python/fixtures.py
index 3b14dc835..2dc3b4308 100644
--- a/testing/python/fixtures.py
+++ b/testing/python/fixtures.py
@@ -3338,7 +3338,6 @@ class TestContextManagerFixtureFuncs:
     def test_simple(self, testdir, flavor):
         testdir.makepyfile(
             """
-            from __future__ import print_function
             from test_context import fixture
             @fixture
             def arg1():
@@ -3367,7 +3366,6 @@ class TestContextManagerFixtureFuncs:
     def test_scoped(self, testdir, flavor):
         testdir.makepyfile(
             """
-            from __future__ import print_function
             from test_context import fixture
             @fixture(scope="module")
             def arg1():
@@ -3601,7 +3599,6 @@ class TestParameterizedSubRequest:
 def test_pytest_fixture_setup_and_post_finalizer_hook(testdir):
     testdir.makeconftest(
         """
-        from __future__ import print_function
         def pytest_fixture_setup(fixturedef, request):
             print('ROOT setup hook called for {0} from {1}'.format(fixturedef.argname, request.node.name))
         def pytest_fixture_post_finalizer(fixturedef, request):
@@ -3611,14 +3608,12 @@ def test_pytest_fixture_setup_and_post_finalizer_hook(testdir):
     testdir.makepyfile(
         **{
             "tests/conftest.py": """
-            from __future__ import print_function
             def pytest_fixture_setup(fixturedef, request):
                 print('TESTS setup hook called for {0} from {1}'.format(fixturedef.argname, request.node.name))
             def pytest_fixture_post_finalizer(fixturedef, request):
                 print('TESTS finalizer hook called for {0} from {1}'.format(fixturedef.argname, request.node.name))
         """,
             "tests/test_hooks.py": """
-            from __future__ import print_function
             import pytest
 
             @pytest.fixture()
diff --git a/testing/test_assertion.py b/testing/test_assertion.py
index 6102f9578..e651c09ce 100644
--- a/testing/test_assertion.py
+++ b/testing/test_assertion.py
@@ -1217,11 +1217,10 @@ def test_assert_indirect_tuple_no_warning(testdir):
 
 def test_assert_with_unicode(monkeypatch, testdir):
     testdir.makepyfile(
-        """
-        # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+        """\
         def test_unicode():
             assert u'유니코드' == u'Unicode'
-    """
+        """
     )
     result = testdir.runpytest()
     result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(["*AssertionError*"])
diff --git a/testing/test_capture.py b/testing/test_capture.py
index 1657f05d9..0825745ad 100644
--- a/testing/test_capture.py
+++ b/testing/test_capture.py
@@ -95,14 +95,13 @@ def test_capturing_unicode(testdir, method):
         pytest.xfail("does not work on pypy < 2.2")
     obj = "'b\u00f6y'"
     testdir.makepyfile(
-        """
-        # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+        """\
         # taken from issue 227 from nosetests
         def test_unicode():
             import sys
             print(sys.stdout)
             print(%s)
-    """
+        """
         % obj
     )
     result = testdir.runpytest("--capture=%s" % method)
@@ -624,7 +623,6 @@ class TestCaptureFixture:
         """
         testdir.makepyfile(
             """\
-            from __future__ import print_function
             import sys
             import pytest
 
@@ -1363,7 +1361,6 @@ def test_dontreadfrominput_has_encoding(testdir):
 def test_crash_on_closing_tmpfile_py27(testdir):
     p = testdir.makepyfile(
         """
-        from __future__ import print_function
         import threading
         import sys
 
diff --git a/testing/test_doctest.py b/testing/test_doctest.py
index 54b23e15d..65c8cf366 100644
--- a/testing/test_doctest.py
+++ b/testing/test_doctest.py
@@ -574,14 +574,13 @@ class TestDoctests:
         """Fix internal error with docstrings containing non-ascii characters.
         """
         testdir.makepyfile(
-            '''
-            # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+            '''\
             def foo():
                 """
                 >>> name = 'с' # not letter 'c' but instead Cyrillic 's'.
                 'anything'
                 """
-        '''
+            '''
         )
         result = testdir.runpytest("--doctest-modules")
         result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(["Got nothing", "* 1 failed in*"])
@@ -652,9 +651,6 @@ class TestDoctests:
         """
         p = testdir.makepyfile(
             test_unicode_doctest_module="""
-            # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
-            from __future__ import unicode_literals
-
             def fix_bad_unicode(text):
                 '''
                     >>> print(fix_bad_unicode('único'))
diff --git a/testing/test_junitxml.py b/testing/test_junitxml.py
index aa7287fb5..69b9c09c3 100644
--- a/testing/test_junitxml.py
+++ b/testing/test_junitxml.py
@@ -567,12 +567,12 @@ class TestPython:
     def test_unicode(self, testdir):
         value = "hx\xc4\x85\xc4\x87\n"
         testdir.makepyfile(
-            """
+            """\
             # coding: latin1
             def test_hello():
                 print(%r)
                 assert 0
-        """
+            """
             % value
         )
         result, dom = runandparse(testdir)
diff --git a/testing/test_mark.py b/testing/test_mark.py
index c66b85568..8d97f8b4e 100644
--- a/testing/test_mark.py
+++ b/testing/test_mark.py
@@ -960,7 +960,6 @@ def test_markers_from_parametrize(testdir):
     """#3605"""
     testdir.makepyfile(
         """
-        from __future__ import print_function
         import pytest
 
         first_custom_mark = pytest.mark.custom_marker
diff --git a/testing/test_nose.py b/testing/test_nose.py
index b726c9682..8a3ce6454 100644
--- a/testing/test_nose.py
+++ b/testing/test_nose.py
@@ -366,13 +366,12 @@ def test_nottest_class_decorator(testdir):
 
 def test_skip_test_with_unicode(testdir):
     testdir.makepyfile(
-        """
-        # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+        """\
         import unittest
         class TestClass():
             def test_io(self):
                 raise unittest.SkipTest(u'😊')
-    """
+        """
     )
     result = testdir.runpytest()
     result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(["* 1 skipped *"])
diff --git a/testing/test_pastebin.py b/testing/test_pastebin.py
index eb2fd8fae..48dea14bd 100644
--- a/testing/test_pastebin.py
+++ b/testing/test_pastebin.py
@@ -60,11 +60,10 @@ class TestPasteCapture:
         correctly. See #1219.
         """
         testdir.makepyfile(
-            test_unicode="""
-            # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+            test_unicode="""\
             def test():
                 assert '☺' == 1
-        """
+            """
         )
         result = testdir.runpytest("--pastebin=all")
         expected_msg = "*assert '☺' == 1*"
diff --git a/testing/test_pluginmanager.py b/testing/test_pluginmanager.py
index 4e476fc01..8afb37fa1 100644
--- a/testing/test_pluginmanager.py
+++ b/testing/test_pluginmanager.py
@@ -149,12 +149,11 @@ def test_importplugin_error_message(testdir, pytestpm):
     """
     testdir.syspathinsert(testdir.tmpdir)
     testdir.makepyfile(
-        qwe="""
-        # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+        qwe="""\
         def test_traceback():
-            raise ImportError(u'Not possible to import: ☺')
+            raise ImportError('Not possible to import: ☺')
         test_traceback()
-    """
+        """
     )
     with pytest.raises(ImportError) as excinfo:
         pytestpm.import_plugin("qwe")
diff --git a/testing/test_runner.py b/testing/test_runner.py
index 61828294b..77fdcecc3 100644
--- a/testing/test_runner.py
+++ b/testing/test_runner.py
@@ -639,13 +639,12 @@ def test_pytest_fail_notrace_non_ascii(testdir, str_prefix):
     This tests with native and unicode strings containing non-ascii chars.
     """
     testdir.makepyfile(
-        """
-        # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+        """\
         import pytest
 
         def test_hello():
             pytest.fail(%s'oh oh: ☺', pytrace=False)
-    """
+        """
         % str_prefix
     )
     result = testdir.runpytest()
@@ -784,8 +783,7 @@ def test_pytest_cmdline_main(testdir):
 
 def test_unicode_in_longrepr(testdir):
     testdir.makeconftest(
-        """
-        # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+        """\
         import pytest
         @pytest.hookimpl(hookwrapper=True)
         def pytest_runtest_makereport():
@@ -793,7 +791,7 @@ def test_unicode_in_longrepr(testdir):
             rep = outcome.get_result()
             if rep.when == "call":
                 rep.longrepr = u'ä'
-    """
+        """
     )
     testdir.makepyfile(
         """
diff --git a/testing/test_warnings.py b/testing/test_warnings.py
index 0046709f3..1d6128273 100644
--- a/testing/test_warnings.py
+++ b/testing/test_warnings.py
@@ -123,8 +123,7 @@ def test_ignore(testdir, pyfile_with_warnings, method):
 @pytest.mark.filterwarnings("always")
 def test_unicode(testdir, pyfile_with_warnings):
     testdir.makepyfile(
-        """
-        # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+        """\
         import warnings
         import pytest
 
@@ -136,7 +135,7 @@ def test_unicode(testdir, pyfile_with_warnings):
 
         def test_func(fix):
             pass
-    """
+        """
     )
     result = testdir.runpytest()
     result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(