diff --git a/mongoengine/queryset/base.py b/mongoengine/queryset/base.py
index a49f9968..7ffb9976 100644
--- a/mongoengine/queryset/base.py
+++ b/mongoengine/queryset/base.py
@@ -762,14 +762,29 @@ class BaseQuerySet(object):
             distinct = self._dereference(queryset._cursor.distinct(field), 1,
                                          name=field, instance=self._document)
 
-            # We may need to cast to the correct type eg.
-            # ListField(EmbeddedDocumentField)
-            doc_field = getattr(
-                self._document._fields.get(field), "field", None)
-            instance = getattr(doc_field, "document_type", False)
+            doc_field = self._document._fields.get(field.split('.', 1)[0])
+            instance = False
+            # We may need to cast to the correct type eg. ListField(EmbeddedDocumentField)
             EmbeddedDocumentField = _import_class('EmbeddedDocumentField')
-            GenericEmbeddedDocumentField = _import_class(
-                'GenericEmbeddedDocumentField')
+            ListField = _import_class('ListField')
+            GenericEmbeddedDocumentField = _import_class('GenericEmbeddedDocumentField')
+            if isinstance(doc_field, ListField):
+                doc_field = getattr(doc_field, "field", doc_field)
+            if isinstance(doc_field, (EmbeddedDocumentField, GenericEmbeddedDocumentField)):
+                instance = getattr(doc_field, "document_type", False)
+            # handle distinct on subdocuments
+            if '.' in field:
+                for field_part in field.split('.')[1:]:
+                    # if looping on embedded document, get the document type instance
+                    if instance and isinstance(doc_field, (EmbeddedDocumentField, GenericEmbeddedDocumentField)):
+                        doc_field = instance
+                    # now get the subdocument
+                    doc_field = getattr(doc_field, field_part, doc_field)
+                    # We may need to cast to the correct type eg. ListField(EmbeddedDocumentField)
+                    if isinstance(doc_field, ListField):
+                        doc_field = getattr(doc_field, "field", doc_field)
+                    if isinstance(doc_field, (EmbeddedDocumentField, GenericEmbeddedDocumentField)):
+                        instance = getattr(doc_field, "document_type", False)
             if instance and isinstance(doc_field, (EmbeddedDocumentField,
                                                    GenericEmbeddedDocumentField)):
                 distinct = [instance(**doc) for doc in distinct]
diff --git a/tests/queryset/queryset.py b/tests/queryset/queryset.py
index 7f3d5c48..03d2bdd9 100644
--- a/tests/queryset/queryset.py
+++ b/tests/queryset/queryset.py
@@ -2981,6 +2981,46 @@ class QuerySetTest(unittest.TestCase):
 
         self.assertEqual(authors, [mark_twain, john_tolkien])
 
+    def test_distinct_ListField_EmbeddedDocumentField_EmbeddedDocumentField(self):
+        class Continent(EmbeddedDocument):
+            continent_name = StringField()
+        
+        class Country(EmbeddedDocument):
+            country_name = StringField()
+            continent = EmbeddedDocumentField(Continent)
+
+        class Author(EmbeddedDocument):
+            name = StringField()
+            country = EmbeddedDocumentField(Country)
+
+        class Book(Document):
+            title = StringField()
+            authors = ListField(EmbeddedDocumentField(Author))
+
+        Book.drop_collection()
+
+        europe = Continent(continent_name='europe')
+        asia = Continent(continent_name='asia')
+        
+        scotland = Country(country_name="Scotland", continent=europe)
+        tibet = Country(country_name="Tibet", continent=asia)
+
+        mark_twain = Author(name="Mark Twain", country=scotland)
+        john_tolkien = Author(name="John Ronald Reuel Tolkien", country=tibet)
+
+        book = Book(title="Tom Sawyer", authors=[mark_twain]).save()
+        book = Book(
+            title="The Lord of the Rings", authors=[john_tolkien]).save()
+        book = Book(
+            title="The Stories", authors=[mark_twain, john_tolkien]).save()
+        country_list = Book.objects.distinct("authors.country")
+
+        self.assertEqual(country_list, [scotland, tibet])
+        
+        continent_list = Book.objects.distinct("authors.country.continent")
+        
+        self.assertEqual(continent_list, [europe, asia])
+
     def test_distinct_ListField_ReferenceField(self):
 
         class Bar(Document):