diff --git a/packages/babel-traverse/src/path/inference/inferer-reference.js b/packages/babel-traverse/src/path/inference/inferer-reference.js
index 0af6f1eedb04..94505566e684 100644
--- a/packages/babel-traverse/src/path/inference/inferer-reference.js
+++ b/packages/babel-traverse/src/path/inference/inferer-reference.js
@@ -91,9 +91,15 @@ function getTypeAnnotationBindingConstantViolations(binding, path, name) {
     }
   }
 
-  if (types.length) {
-    return t.createUnionTypeAnnotation(types);
+  if (!types.length) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  if (t.isTSTypeAnnotation(types[0]) && t.createTSUnionType) {
+    return t.createTSUnionType(types);
   }
+
+  return t.createUnionTypeAnnotation(types);
 }
 
 function getConstantViolationsBefore(binding, path, functions) {
@@ -201,6 +207,13 @@ function getConditionalAnnotation(binding, path, name) {
   }
 
   if (types.length) {
+    if (t.isTSTypeAnnotation(types[0]) && t.createTSUnionType) {
+      return {
+        typeAnnotation: t.createTSUnionType(types),
+        ifStatement,
+      };
+    }
+
     return {
       typeAnnotation: t.createUnionTypeAnnotation(types),
       ifStatement,
diff --git a/packages/babel-traverse/src/path/inference/inferers.js b/packages/babel-traverse/src/path/inference/inferers.js
index fb9a467b1f64..876516725557 100644
--- a/packages/babel-traverse/src/path/inference/inferers.js
+++ b/packages/babel-traverse/src/path/inference/inferers.js
@@ -83,17 +83,29 @@ export function BinaryExpression(node) {
 }
 
 export function LogicalExpression() {
-  return t.createUnionTypeAnnotation([
+  const argumentTypes = [
     this.get("left").getTypeAnnotation(),
     this.get("right").getTypeAnnotation(),
-  ]);
+  ];
+
+  if (t.isTSTypeAnnotation(argumentTypes[0]) && t.createTSUnionType) {
+    return t.createTSUnionType(argumentTypes);
+  }
+
+  return t.createUnionTypeAnnotation(argumentTypes);
 }
 
 export function ConditionalExpression() {
-  return t.createUnionTypeAnnotation([
+  const argumentTypes = [
     this.get("consequent").getTypeAnnotation(),
     this.get("alternate").getTypeAnnotation(),
-  ]);
+  ];
+
+  if (t.isTSTypeAnnotation(argumentTypes[0]) && t.createTSUnionType) {
+    return t.createTSUnionType(argumentTypes);
+  }
+
+  return t.createUnionTypeAnnotation(argumentTypes);
 }
 
 export function SequenceExpression() {
diff --git a/packages/babel-traverse/test/fixtures/type-reference/input.ts b/packages/babel-traverse/test/fixtures/type-reference/input.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..9fc2c011bd9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/babel-traverse/test/fixtures/type-reference/input.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+function foo() {
+  const x = 1 ? a() : b();
+
+  return [...x];
+}
+
+function a(): number[] {
+  return [];
+}
+
+function b(): number[] {
+  return [];
+}
diff --git a/packages/babel-traverse/test/fixtures/type-reference/options.json b/packages/babel-traverse/test/fixtures/type-reference/options.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..f809bfc203e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/babel-traverse/test/fixtures/type-reference/options.json
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+{
+  "plugins": ["transform-spread"],
+  "presets": ["typescript"]
+}
diff --git a/packages/babel-types/src/asserts/generated/index.js b/packages/babel-types/src/asserts/generated/index.js
index 06464cd3a347..a99c58081d41 100644
--- a/packages/babel-types/src/asserts/generated/index.js
+++ b/packages/babel-types/src/asserts/generated/index.js
@@ -1202,6 +1202,9 @@ export function assertTSTypeElement(node: Object, opts?: Object = {}): void {
 export function assertTSType(node: Object, opts?: Object = {}): void {
   assert("TSType", node, opts);
 }
+export function assertTSBaseType(node: Object, opts?: Object = {}): void {
+  assert("TSBaseType", node, opts);
+}
 export function assertNumberLiteral(node: Object, opts: Object): void {
   console.trace(
     "The node type NumberLiteral has been renamed to NumericLiteral",
diff --git a/packages/babel-types/src/builders/typescript/createTSUnionType.js b/packages/babel-types/src/builders/typescript/createTSUnionType.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..49138ad029f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/babel-types/src/builders/typescript/createTSUnionType.js
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+import { TSUnionType } from "../generated";
+import removeTypeDuplicates from "../../modifications/typescript/removeTypeDuplicates";
+
+/**
+ * Takes an array of `types` and flattens them, removing duplicates and
+ * returns a `UnionTypeAnnotation` node containg them.
+ */
+export default function createTSUnionType(
+  typeAnnotations: Array<Object>,
+): Object {
+  const types = typeAnnotations.map(type => type.typeAnnotations);
+  const flattened = removeTypeDuplicates(types);
+
+  if (flattened.length === 1) {
+    return flattened[0];
+  } else {
+    return TSUnionType(flattened);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/babel-types/src/constants/generated/index.js b/packages/babel-types/src/constants/generated/index.js
index 1f4b576a87b6..acdf21744af7 100644
--- a/packages/babel-types/src/constants/generated/index.js
+++ b/packages/babel-types/src/constants/generated/index.js
@@ -51,3 +51,4 @@ export const JSX_TYPES = FLIPPED_ALIAS_KEYS["JSX"];
 export const PRIVATE_TYPES = FLIPPED_ALIAS_KEYS["Private"];
 export const TSTYPEELEMENT_TYPES = FLIPPED_ALIAS_KEYS["TSTypeElement"];
 export const TSTYPE_TYPES = FLIPPED_ALIAS_KEYS["TSType"];
+export const TSBASETYPE_TYPES = FLIPPED_ALIAS_KEYS["TSBaseType"];
diff --git a/packages/babel-types/src/definitions/typescript.js b/packages/babel-types/src/definitions/typescript.js
index 608ea8ab2207..421b16c47d6c 100644
--- a/packages/babel-types/src/definitions/typescript.js
+++ b/packages/babel-types/src/definitions/typescript.js
@@ -143,14 +143,14 @@ const tsKeywordTypes = [
 
 for (const type of tsKeywordTypes) {
   defineType(type, {
-    aliases: ["TSType"],
+    aliases: ["TSType", "TSBaseType"],
     visitor: [],
     fields: {},
   });
 }
 
 defineType("TSThisType", {
-  aliases: ["TSType"],
+  aliases: ["TSType", "TSBaseType"],
   visitor: [],
   fields: {},
 });
@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@ defineType("TSMappedType", {
 });
 
 defineType("TSLiteralType", {
-  aliases: ["TSType"],
+  aliases: ["TSType", "TSBaseType"],
   visitor: ["literal"],
   fields: {
     literal: validateType([
diff --git a/packages/babel-types/src/index.js b/packages/babel-types/src/index.js
index b0586a4f90ec..a2126a1fe81c 100644
--- a/packages/babel-types/src/index.js
+++ b/packages/babel-types/src/index.js
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ export * from "./asserts/generated";
 // builders
 export { default as createTypeAnnotationBasedOnTypeof } from "./builders/flow/createTypeAnnotationBasedOnTypeof";
 export { default as createUnionTypeAnnotation } from "./builders/flow/createUnionTypeAnnotation";
+export { default as createTSUnionType } from "./builders/typescript/createTSUnionType";
 export * from "./builders/generated";
 
 // clone
diff --git a/packages/babel-types/src/modifications/typescript/removeTypeDuplicates.js b/packages/babel-types/src/modifications/typescript/removeTypeDuplicates.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..1ed0e34f3f2b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/babel-types/src/modifications/typescript/removeTypeDuplicates.js
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+import {
+  isTSAnyKeyword,
+  isTSUnionType,
+  isTSBaseType,
+} from "../../validators/generated";
+
+/**
+ * Dedupe type annotations.
+ */
+export default function removeTypeDuplicates(
+  nodes: Array<Object>,
+): Array<Object> {
+  const generics = {};
+  const bases = {};
+
+  // store union type groups to circular references
+  const typeGroups = [];
+
+  const types = [];
+
+  for (let i = 0; i < nodes.length; i++) {
+    const node = nodes[i];
+    if (!node) continue;
+
+    // detect duplicates
+    if (types.indexOf(node) >= 0) {
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    // this type matches anything
+    if (isTSAnyKeyword(node.type)) {
+      return [node];
+    }
+
+    // Analogue of FlowBaseAnnotation
+    if (isTSBaseType(node)) {
+      bases[node.type] = node;
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    if (isTSUnionType(node)) {
+      if (typeGroups.indexOf(node.types) < 0) {
+        nodes = nodes.concat(node.types);
+        typeGroups.push(node.types);
+      }
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    // TODO: add generic types
+
+    types.push(node);
+  }
+
+  // add back in bases
+  for (const type of Object.keys(bases)) {
+    types.push(bases[type]);
+  }
+
+  // add back in generics
+  for (const name of Object.keys(generics)) {
+    types.push(generics[name]);
+  }
+
+  return types;
+}
diff --git a/packages/babel-types/src/validators/generated/index.js b/packages/babel-types/src/validators/generated/index.js
index f78c4127ef0b..4fc045c201a9 100644
--- a/packages/babel-types/src/validators/generated/index.js
+++ b/packages/babel-types/src/validators/generated/index.js
@@ -4611,6 +4611,36 @@ export function isTSType(node: ?Object, opts?: Object): boolean {
 
   return false;
 }
+export function isTSBaseType(node: ?Object, opts?: Object): boolean {
+  if (!node) return false;
+
+  const nodeType = node.type;
+  if (
+    nodeType === "TSBaseType" ||
+    "TSAnyKeyword" === nodeType ||
+    "TSBooleanKeyword" === nodeType ||
+    "TSBigIntKeyword" === nodeType ||
+    "TSNeverKeyword" === nodeType ||
+    "TSNullKeyword" === nodeType ||
+    "TSNumberKeyword" === nodeType ||
+    "TSObjectKeyword" === nodeType ||
+    "TSStringKeyword" === nodeType ||
+    "TSSymbolKeyword" === nodeType ||
+    "TSUndefinedKeyword" === nodeType ||
+    "TSUnknownKeyword" === nodeType ||
+    "TSVoidKeyword" === nodeType ||
+    "TSThisType" === nodeType ||
+    "TSLiteralType" === nodeType
+  ) {
+    if (typeof opts === "undefined") {
+      return true;
+    } else {
+      return shallowEqual(node, opts);
+    }
+  }
+
+  return false;
+}
 export function isNumberLiteral(node: ?Object, opts?: Object): boolean {
   console.trace(
     "The node type NumberLiteral has been renamed to NumericLiteral",