---
type: concept
title: Username Change Process
tags: [identity-management, data-migration, policy, administration, privacy, gdpr]
related: [zentraler-nutzeraccount, accountloeschung, gdpr-compliance]
created: 2026-06-30
updated: 2026-06-30
sources: ["output/rz_uni_greifswald_de_dienste_allgemein_zentraler_nutzeraccount_benutzernamen_aen.md", "output/rz_uni_greifswald_de_dienste_allgemein_zentraler_nutzeraccount_datenschutz.md"]
---

# Username Change Process

The **Username Change Process** is the administrative procedure for modifying a user's unique identifier within the university's IT systems. It is used by the [[universitatsrechenzentrum-urz]] to accommodate legal name changes and other exceptional circumstances.

## General Policy and Technical Constraints
As a general rule, usernames cannot be changed. This stability is required for the consistency of the university's identity and resource management.

Technically, usernames function as immutable unique identifiers (primary keys) across the university's IT infrastructure. Because the username is the unique key for account assignment in all systems, it cannot be modified in place. Any "change" is technically the creation of a new identity and the decommissioning of the old one.

## Exceptions for Change Requests
Changes may be requested in exceptional personal or legal situations, including:
- **Legal Name Changes**: Such as those resulting from a contentious divorce.
- **Self-Determination Act**: Changes based on the *Selbstbestimmungsgesetz*.
- **dgti Supplement ID**: Changes based on a supplement ID from the *Deutsche Gesellschaft für Transgender Identität*.

## Legal and Privacy Requirements
Because these exceptions often involve **Special Categories of Personal Data** under **Art. 9(1) GDPR** (e.g., data revealing gender identity or health), the process has strict legal requirements:
- **Explicit Consent**: The change is performed only upon the user's explicit consent according to **Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR** and **Art. 9(2)(a) GDPR**.
- **Consent Mechanism**: Consent is granted when the user submits the request via the URZ ticket system.

## Process Workflow
The process follows a strict sequence to ensure continuity of access while maintaining system integrity:

1. **Application:** The user requests a change via a [[groupware]] ticket (Type: URZ/Diverses).
2. **Decommissioning:** The existing account is set to expire and is subsequently deleted following the standard [[concepts/account-loeschung]] lifecycle.
3. **Provisioning:** A new account with the corrected username is automatically generated the day after the request is processed.
4. **Credential Transfer:** To simplify the transition, the URZ manually migrates the password from the old account to the new one.

## Manual Data Migration
A critical aspect of this process is that **no automatic data migration occurs**. The user is entirely responsible for moving their data between the two accounts.

### Affected Services
Users must manually migrate data from the following services:
- **Email:** Moving messages and folders.
- **File Storage:** Transferring files from the old home directory on [[nas.rz.uni-greifswald.de]] to the new one.
- **Cloud Storage:** Moving files within [[nextcloud]].
- **Permissions:** Re-establishing shared folder access and resource permissions.

## Grace Period (*Karenzzeit*)
All migration activities must be completed within the **grace period** (*Karenzzeit*). Once the old account is permanently deleted according to the university's account deletion policy, any data not migrated is lost.