diff --git a/lib/Doctrine/ORM/Configuration.php b/lib/Doctrine/ORM/Configuration.php
index 9c7d1cb13..db0ef7a7b 100644
--- a/lib/Doctrine/ORM/Configuration.php
+++ b/lib/Doctrine/ORM/Configuration.php
@@ -562,11 +562,22 @@ class Configuration extends \Doctrine\DBAL\Configuration
      * Add a filter to the list of possible filters.
      *
      * @param string $name The name of the filter.
-     * @param string $className The class name of the filter.
+     * @param string|Query\Filter\SQLFilter $filter The filter class name or an
+     *                                              SQLFilter instance.
+     *
+     * @throws \InvalidArgumentException If the filter is an object and it doesn't
+     *                                   extend the Query\Filter\SQLFilter class.
      */
-    public function addFilter($name, $className)
+    public function addFilter($name, $filter)
     {
-        $this->_attributes['filters'][$name] = $className;
+        if (is_object($filter) && ! $filter instanceof Query\Filter\SQLFilter) {
+            throw new \InvalidArgumentException(
+                "A filter can be either a class name or an object extending \Doctrine\ORM\Query\Filter\SQLFilter," .
+                " instance of '" . get_class($filter) . "' given."
+            );
+        }
+
+        $this->_attributes['filters'][$name] = $filter;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -574,10 +585,10 @@ class Configuration extends \Doctrine\DBAL\Configuration
      *
      * @param string $name The name of the filter.
      *
-     * @return string The class name of the filter, or null of it is not
-     *  defined.
+     * @return string|Query\Filter\SQLFilter The class name of the filter, an
+     *                                       SQLFilter instance or null of it is not defined.
      */
-    public function getFilterClassName($name)
+    public function getFilter($name)
     {
         return isset($this->_attributes['filters'][$name])
             ? $this->_attributes['filters'][$name]
diff --git a/lib/Doctrine/ORM/Query/FilterCollection.php b/lib/Doctrine/ORM/Query/FilterCollection.php
index fc47eb111..495b6a29b 100644
--- a/lib/Doctrine/ORM/Query/FilterCollection.php
+++ b/lib/Doctrine/ORM/Query/FilterCollection.php
@@ -103,12 +103,14 @@ class FilterCollection
      */
     public function enable($name)
     {
-        if (null === $filterClass = $this->config->getFilterClassName($name)) {
+        if (null === $filter = $this->config->getFilter($name)) {
             throw new \InvalidArgumentException("Filter '" . $name . "' does not exist.");
         }
 
         if (!isset($this->enabledFilters[$name])) {
-            $this->enabledFilters[$name] = new $filterClass($this->em);
+            $this->enabledFilters[$name] = is_object($filter)
+                ? $filter
+                : new $filter($this->em);
 
             // Keep the enabled filters sorted for the hash
             ksort($this->enabledFilters);
diff --git a/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/ConfigurationTest.php b/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/ConfigurationTest.php
index b53fd617b..91343640d 100644
--- a/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/ConfigurationTest.php
+++ b/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/ConfigurationTest.php
@@ -215,9 +215,9 @@ class ConfigurationTest extends PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
 
     public function testAddGetFilters()
     {
-        $this->assertSame(null, $this->configuration->getFilterClassName('NonExistingFilter'));
+        $this->assertSame(null, $this->configuration->getFilter('NonExistingFilter'));
         $this->configuration->addFilter('FilterName', __CLASS__);
-        $this->assertSame(__CLASS__, $this->configuration->getFilterClassName('FilterName'));
+        $this->assertSame(__CLASS__, $this->configuration->getFilter('FilterName'));
     }
 
     public function setDefaultRepositoryClassName()
diff --git a/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/Functional/SQLFilterTest.php b/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/Functional/SQLFilterTest.php
index 82c240951..133517a0a 100644
--- a/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/Functional/SQLFilterTest.php
+++ b/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/Functional/SQLFilterTest.php
@@ -58,11 +58,27 @@ class SQLFilterTest extends \Doctrine\Tests\OrmFunctionalTestCase
     public function testConfigureFilter()
     {
         $config = new \Doctrine\ORM\Configuration();
+        $validFilter = $this->getMockBuilder('\Doctrine\ORM\Query\Filter\SQLFilter')
+            ->disableOriginalConstructor()
+            ->getMock();
 
+        $config->addFilter("geolocation", $validFilter);
         $config->addFilter("locale", "\Doctrine\Tests\ORM\Functional\MyLocaleFilter");
 
-        $this->assertEquals("\Doctrine\Tests\ORM\Functional\MyLocaleFilter", $config->getFilterClassName("locale"));
-        $this->assertNull($config->getFilterClassName("foo"));
+        $this->assertEquals("\Doctrine\Tests\ORM\Functional\MyLocaleFilter", $config->getFilter("locale"));
+        $this->assertNull($config->getFilter("foo"));
+        $this->assertInstanceOf("\Doctrine\ORM\Query\Filter\SQLFilter", $config->getFilter("geolocation"));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @expectedException InvalidArgumentException
+     */
+    public function testConfigureFilterFails()
+    {
+        $config = new \Doctrine\ORM\Configuration();
+        $invalidFilter = $this->getMock('\StdClass');
+
+        $config->addFilter("geolocation", $invalidFilter);
     }
 
     public function testEntityManagerEnableFilter()