diff --git a/integration/test_collection_config.py b/integration/test_collection_config.py
index b545b99cb..d0693ee33 100644
--- a/integration/test_collection_config.py
+++ b/integration/test_collection_config.py
@@ -1953,6 +1953,31 @@ def test_object_ttl_update(collection_factory: CollectionFactory) -> None:
     assert conf.object_ttl_config is None
 
 
+def test_object_ttl_roundtrip_from_dict(collection_factory: CollectionFactory) -> None:
+    dummy = collection_factory("dummy")
+    if dummy._connection._weaviate_version.is_lower_than(1, 35, 0):
+        pytest.skip("object ttl is not supported in Weaviate versions lower than 1.35.0")
+
+    collection = collection_factory(
+        object_ttl=Configure.ObjectTTL.delete_by_creation_time(
+            time_to_live=datetime.timedelta(seconds=60),
+            filter_expired_objects=True,
+        ),
+    )
+    config = collection.config.get()
+    assert config.object_ttl_config is not None
+
+    name = f"TestObjectTTLRoundtrip{collection.name}"
+    config.name = name
+    with weaviate.connect_to_local() as client:
+        client.collections.delete(name)
+        client.collections.create_from_dict(config.to_dict())
+        new = client.collections.use(name).config.get()
+        assert config == new
+        assert config.to_dict() == new.to_dict()
+        client.collections.delete(name)
+
+
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("index_name", ["filterable", "searchable", "rangeFilters"])
 def test_delete_property_index(
     index_name: IndexName, collection_factory: CollectionFactory
diff --git a/test/collection/test_config.py b/test/collection/test_config.py
index 81fb485b2..65af47504 100644
--- a/test/collection/test_config.py
+++ b/test/collection/test_config.py
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-from datetime import timedelta
 from typing import List, Union
 
 import pytest
@@ -14,7 +13,6 @@
     Vectorizers,
     _CollectionConfigCreate,
     _GenerativeProvider,
-    _ObjectTTLConfig,
     _RerankerProvider,
     _VectorizerConfigCreate,
     _ReplicationConfigCreate,
@@ -2614,90 +2612,6 @@ def test_config_with_vectors(vector_config: List[_VectorConfigCreate], expected:
     }
 
 
-TEST_OBJECT_TTL_CONFIG_TO_DICT_PARAMETERS = [
-    # delete_by_creation_time
-    (
-        _ObjectTTLConfig(
-            enabled=True,
-            time_to_live=timedelta(hours=24),
-            filter_expired_objects=True,
-            delete_on="creationTime",
-        ),
-        {
-            "enabled": True,
-            "timeToLive": 86400,
-            "filterExpiredObjects": True,
-            "deleteOn": "creationTime",
-        },
-    ),
-    # delete_by_update_time
-    (
-        _ObjectTTLConfig(
-            enabled=True,
-            time_to_live=timedelta(days=7),
-            filter_expired_objects=False,
-            delete_on="updateTime",
-        ),
-        {
-            "enabled": True,
-            "timeToLive": 604800,
-            "filterExpiredObjects": False,
-            "deleteOn": "updateTime",
-        },
-    ),
-    # delete_by_date_property
-    (
-        _ObjectTTLConfig(
-            enabled=True,
-            time_to_live=timedelta(hours=1, minutes=30),
-            filter_expired_objects=True,
-            delete_on="releaseDate",
-        ),
-        {
-            "enabled": True,
-            "timeToLive": 5400,
-            "filterExpiredObjects": True,
-            "deleteOn": "releaseDate",
-        },
-    ),
-    # None time_to_live
-    (
-        _ObjectTTLConfig(
-            enabled=True,
-            time_to_live=None,
-            filter_expired_objects=False,
-            delete_on="creationTime",
-        ),
-        {
-            "enabled": True,
-            "filterExpiredObjects": False,
-            "deleteOn": "creationTime",
-        },
-    ),
-    # negative offset (delete_by_date_property with offset before date)
-    (
-        _ObjectTTLConfig(
-            enabled=True,
-            time_to_live=timedelta(seconds=-3600),
-            filter_expired_objects=True,
-            delete_on="eventDate",
-        ),
-        {
-            "enabled": True,
-            "timeToLive": -3600,
-            "filterExpiredObjects": True,
-            "deleteOn": "eventDate",
-        },
-    ),
-]
-
-
-@pytest.mark.parametrize("ttl_config,expected", TEST_OBJECT_TTL_CONFIG_TO_DICT_PARAMETERS)
-def test_object_ttl_config_to_dict(ttl_config: _ObjectTTLConfig, expected: dict) -> None:
-    """Test that _ObjectTTLConfig.to_dict() properly converts timedelta to seconds."""
-    assert ttl_config.to_dict() == expected
-
-
 TEST_CONFIGURE_WITH_REPLICATION_PARAMETERS = [
     (Configure.replication(), {}),
     (
diff --git a/weaviate/collections/classes/config.py b/weaviate/collections/classes/config.py
index 04d4ce535..699a3c2a8 100644
--- a/weaviate/collections/classes/config.py
+++ b/weaviate/collections/classes/config.py
@@ -2004,6 +2004,22 @@ class _ObjectTTLConfig(_ConfigBase):
     filter_expired_objects: bool
     delete_on: Union[str, Literal["updateTime"], Literal["creationTime"]]
 
+    def to_dict(self) -> dict:
+        delete_on = self.delete_on
+        if delete_on == "creationTime":
+            delete_on = "_creationTimeUnix"
+        elif delete_on == "updateTime":
+            delete_on = "_lastUpdateTimeUnix"
+
+        out: dict = {
+            "enabled": self.enabled,
+            "filterExpiredObjects": self.filter_expired_objects,
+            "deleteOn": delete_on,
+        }
+        if self.time_to_live is not None:
+            out["defaultTtl"] = int(self.time_to_live.total_seconds())
+        return out
+
 
 ObjectTTLConfig = _ObjectTTLConfig