diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverter.java b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverter.java
index bf2fbaee4..fc6d09602 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverter.java
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverter.java
@@ -351,10 +351,9 @@ public class MappingMongoConverter extends AbstractMongoConverter implements App
 		}
 
 		Class<?> entityType = obj.getClass();
-		boolean handledByCustomConverter = conversions.getCustomWriteTarget(entityType, DBObject.class) != null;
 		TypeInformation<? extends Object> type = ClassTypeInformation.from(entityType);
 
-		if (!handledByCustomConverter && !(dbo instanceof BasicDBList)) {
+		if (requiresTypeHint(entityType)) {
 			typeMapper.writeType(type, dbo);
 		}
 
@@ -363,6 +362,18 @@ public class MappingMongoConverter extends AbstractMongoConverter implements App
 		writeInternal(target, dbo, type);
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Check if a given type requires a type hint {@literal aka _class attribute} when writing to the document.
+	 *
+	 * @param type must not be {@literal null}.
+	 * @return true if not a simple type, collection or type with custom write target.
+	 */
+	private boolean requiresTypeHint(Class<?> type) {
+
+		return !conversions.isSimpleType(type) && !ClassUtils.isAssignable(Collection.class, type)
+				&& !conversions.hasCustomWriteTarget(type, DBObject.class);
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Internal write conversion method which should be used for nested invocations.
 	 *
diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverterUnitTests.java b/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverterUnitTests.java
index 3a496594c..ac1d55e46 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverterUnitTests.java
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverterUnitTests.java
@@ -1853,6 +1853,15 @@ public class MappingMongoConverterUnitTests {
 		assertThat(converter.read(Attribute.class, source).value, is(instanceOf(List.class)));
 	}
 
+	@Test // DATAMONGO-2043
+	public void omitsTypeHintWhenWritingSimpleTypes() {
+
+		DBObject target = new BasicDBObject();
+		converter.write(new BasicDBObject("value", "FitzChivalry"), target);
+
+		assertThat(target.get("_class"), is(nullValue()));
+	}
+
 	static class GenericType<T> {
 		T content;
 	}