diff --git a/search-service/src/main/kotlin/com/egm/stellio/search/entity/service/EntityQueryService.kt b/search-service/src/main/kotlin/com/egm/stellio/search/entity/service/EntityQueryService.kt
index 2251284e6..aed3750a8 100644
--- a/search-service/src/main/kotlin/com/egm/stellio/search/entity/service/EntityQueryService.kt
+++ b/search-service/src/main/kotlin/com/egm/stellio/search/entity/service/EntityQueryService.kt
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import com.egm.stellio.search.authorization.service.AuthorizationService
 import com.egm.stellio.search.common.util.allToMappedList
 import com.egm.stellio.search.common.util.deserializeAsMap
 import com.egm.stellio.search.common.util.oneToResult
-import com.egm.stellio.search.common.util.toOptionalZonedDateTime
 import com.egm.stellio.search.common.util.toUri
 import com.egm.stellio.search.common.util.wrapToAndClause
 import com.egm.stellio.search.entity.model.EntitiesQuery
@@ -29,7 +28,6 @@ import com.egm.stellio.shared.util.entityNotFoundMessage
 import org.springframework.r2dbc.core.DatabaseClient
 import org.springframework.stereotype.Service
 import java.net.URI
-import java.time.ZonedDateTime
 
 @Service
 class EntityQueryService(
@@ -279,9 +277,7 @@ class EntityQueryService(
      * or, if it exists, whether it is currently deleted (in which case, it may be possible to create it again
      * if authorized)
      */
-    suspend fun getEntityState(
-        entityId: URI
-    ): Either<APIException, Pair<URI, ZonedDateTime?>> {
+    suspend fun isMarkedAsDeleted(entityId: URI): Either<APIException, Boolean> {
         val selectQuery =
             """
             select entity_id, deleted_at
@@ -292,7 +288,7 @@ class EntityQueryService(
         return databaseClient
             .sql(selectQuery)
             .bind("entity_id", entityId)
-            .oneToResult { Pair(toUri(it["entity_id"]), toOptionalZonedDateTime(it["deleted_at"])) }
+            .oneToResult { it["deleted_at"] != null }
     }
 
     suspend fun filterExistingEntitiesAsIds(entitiesIds: List<URI>): List<URI> {
diff --git a/search-service/src/main/kotlin/com/egm/stellio/search/entity/service/EntityService.kt b/search-service/src/main/kotlin/com/egm/stellio/search/entity/service/EntityService.kt
index 8eaf78df8..c87d6b5f2 100644
--- a/search-service/src/main/kotlin/com/egm/stellio/search/entity/service/EntityService.kt
+++ b/search-service/src/main/kotlin/com/egm/stellio/search/entity/service/EntityService.kt
@@ -74,11 +74,11 @@ class EntityService(
         expandedEntity: ExpandedEntity,
         sub: Sub? = null
     ): Either<APIException, Unit> = either {
-        entityQueryService.getEntityState(ngsiLdEntity.id).let {
+        entityQueryService.isMarkedAsDeleted(ngsiLdEntity.id).let {
             when (it) {
                 is Left -> authorizationService.userCanCreateEntities(sub.toOption()).bind()
                 is Right ->
-                    if (it.value.second == null)
+                    if (!it.value)
                         AlreadyExistsException(entityAlreadyExistsMessage(ngsiLdEntity.id.toString())).left().bind()
                     else
                         authorizationService.userCanAdminEntity(ngsiLdEntity.id, sub.toOption()).bind()
diff --git a/search-service/src/main/kotlin/com/egm/stellio/search/temporal/service/TemporalService.kt b/search-service/src/main/kotlin/com/egm/stellio/search/temporal/service/TemporalService.kt
index 4ec13363f..047cfd024 100644
--- a/search-service/src/main/kotlin/com/egm/stellio/search/temporal/service/TemporalService.kt
+++ b/search-service/src/main/kotlin/com/egm/stellio/search/temporal/service/TemporalService.kt
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ class TemporalService(
         jsonLdTemporalEntity: ExpandedEntity,
         sub: Sub? = null
     ): Either<APIException, CreateOrUpdateResult> = either {
-        entityQueryService.getEntityState(entityId).let {
+        entityQueryService.isMarkedAsDeleted(entityId).let {
             when (it) {
                 is Left -> {
                     createTemporalEntity(
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ class TemporalService(
                         entityId,
                         jsonLdTemporalEntity,
                         jsonLdTemporalEntity.getAttributes().sorted(),
-                        it.value.second != null,
+                        it.value,
                         sub
                     ).bind()
                     CreateOrUpdateResult.UPSERTED
diff --git a/search-service/src/test/kotlin/com/egm/stellio/search/entity/service/EntityQueryServiceTests.kt b/search-service/src/test/kotlin/com/egm/stellio/search/entity/service/EntityQueryServiceTests.kt
index 65d4789de..431f205e8 100644
--- a/search-service/src/test/kotlin/com/egm/stellio/search/entity/service/EntityQueryServiceTests.kt
+++ b/search-service/src/test/kotlin/com/egm/stellio/search/entity/service/EntityQueryServiceTests.kt
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ import kotlinx.coroutines.test.runTest
 import org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals
-import org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNull
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired
@@ -239,12 +239,11 @@ class EntityQueryServiceTests : WithTimescaleContainer, WithKafkaContainer {
                 )
             }
 
-        entityQueryService.getEntityState(entity01Uri)
+        entityQueryService.isMarkedAsDeleted(entity01Uri)
             .shouldSucceedWith {
-                assertEquals(entity01Uri, it.first)
-                assertNull(it.second)
+                assertFalse(it)
             }
-        entityQueryService.getEntityState(entity02Uri)
+        entityQueryService.isMarkedAsDeleted(entity02Uri)
             .shouldFail { assert(it is ResourceNotFoundException) }
     }
 }
diff --git a/search-service/src/test/kotlin/com/egm/stellio/search/temporal/service/TemporalServiceTests.kt b/search-service/src/test/kotlin/com/egm/stellio/search/temporal/service/TemporalServiceTests.kt
index 0e1396f95..9e04afa27 100644
--- a/search-service/src/test/kotlin/com/egm/stellio/search/temporal/service/TemporalServiceTests.kt
+++ b/search-service/src/test/kotlin/com/egm/stellio/search/temporal/service/TemporalServiceTests.kt
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ class TemporalServiceTests {
     fun `it should ask to create a temporal entity if it does not exist yet`() = runTest {
         mockkAuthorizationForCreation()
         coEvery {
-            entityQueryService.getEntityState(entityUri)
+            entityQueryService.isMarkedAsDeleted(entityUri)
         } returns ResourceNotFoundException("Entity does not exist").left()
         coEvery { entityService.createEntity(any(), any(), any()) } returns Unit.right()
         coEvery { entityService.upsertAttributes(any(), any(), any()) } returns Unit.right()
@@ -66,9 +66,7 @@ class TemporalServiceTests {
     @Test
     fun `it should ask to create a temporal entity if it already exists but is deleted`() = runTest {
         mockkAuthorizationForCreation()
-        coEvery {
-            entityQueryService.getEntityState(entityUri)
-        } returns Pair(entityUri, null).right()
+        coEvery { entityQueryService.isMarkedAsDeleted(entityUri) } returns false.right()
         coEvery { entityService.createEntity(any(), any(), any()) } returns Unit.right()
         coEvery { entityService.upsertAttributes(any(), any(), any()) } returns Unit.right()
 
@@ -80,9 +78,7 @@ class TemporalServiceTests {
     @Test
     fun `it should ask to upsert a temporal entity if it already exists but is not deleted`() = runTest {
         mockkAuthorizationForCreation()
-        coEvery {
-            entityQueryService.getEntityState(entityUri)
-        } returns Pair(entityUri, null).right()
+        coEvery { entityQueryService.isMarkedAsDeleted(entityUri) } returns false.right()
         coEvery { entityService.upsertAttributes(any(), any(), any()) } returns Unit.right()
 
         val expandedEntity = loadAndExpandSampleData("temporal/beehive_create_temporal_entity.jsonld")