diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/ProjectionOperation.java b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/ProjectionOperation.java
index 4b3c56f90..bfb2fead2 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/ProjectionOperation.java
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/ProjectionOperation.java
@@ -140,11 +140,6 @@ public class ProjectionOperation implements FieldsExposingAggregationOperation {
 	 */
 	public ProjectionOperation andExclude(String... fieldNames) {
 
-		for (String fieldName : fieldNames) {
-			Assert.isTrue(Fields.UNDERSCORE_ID.equals(fieldName),
-					String.format(EXCLUSION_ERROR, fieldName, Fields.UNDERSCORE_ID));
-		}
-
 		List<FieldProjection> excludeProjections = FieldProjection.from(Fields.fields(fieldNames), false);
 		return new ProjectionOperation(this.projections, excludeProjections);
 	}
diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/ProjectionOperationUnitTests.java b/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/ProjectionOperationUnitTests.java
index 287063219..c88926df4 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/ProjectionOperationUnitTests.java
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/ProjectionOperationUnitTests.java
@@ -207,10 +207,13 @@ public class ProjectionOperationUnitTests {
 		assertThat(oper.get(MOD), is((Object) Arrays.<Object> asList("$a", 3)));
 	}
 
-	@Test(expected = IllegalArgumentException.class) // DATAMONGO-758
-	public void excludeShouldThrowExceptionForFieldsOtherThanUnderscoreId() {
+	@Test // DATAMONGO-758, DATAMONGO-1893
+	public void excludeShouldAllowExclusionOfFieldsOtherThanUnderscoreId/* since MongoDB 3.4 */() {
 
-		new ProjectionOperation().andExclude("foo");
+		ProjectionOperation projectionOp = new ProjectionOperation().andExclude("foo");
+		Document document = projectionOp.toDocument(Aggregation.DEFAULT_CONTEXT);
+		Document projectClause = DocumentTestUtils.getAsDocument(document, PROJECT);
+		assertThat((Integer) projectClause.get("foo")).isEqualTo(0);
 	}
 
 	@Test // DATAMONGO-758