Manually provisioning new CSP subscriptions for a previous EA customer

Amber Ermish 40 Reputation points
2026-06-17T18:19:56.62+00:00

We have a customer that is moving from their EA to us, a CSP. They are maintaining the same licensing, but I've been told that EA products have a different SKU and users will need to be reassigned to the new CSP product. Example they have Microsoft 365 E3 now with EA and will purchase Microsoft 365 E3 with CSP. Would users need to be reassigned?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For business | Other
Answer accepted by question author
Alexis-NG 18,070 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-06-17T19:04:42.83+00:00

Hi Amber,

Based on Microsoft's EA-to-CSP transition guidance, users generally do not need to be manually reassigned if the CSP subscription is the equivalent offer/SKU and the license count remains the same.

It depends entirely on whether the CSP "Microsoft 365 E3" you purchase maps to the exact same provisioning ID as the EA "Microsoft 365 E3" they currently have. Partners who purchase subscriptions with SKUs that are different than the other channel's subscriptions need to reassign licenses to users after purchasing or migrate data behind their services.

CSP Partners can support a customer service from other channels using channel transfers or by the manual path.

  • The Channel transfers renew to CSP capability more easily allows the transacting CSP partner to see their customers EA services and schedule CSP subscription creations. This new capability unblocks CSPs to continue EA subscription stock keeping units (SKUs), primarily Teams enable SKUs that are end of sale. This path allows the CSP to continue their customer's services even if they're end of sale and can't be purchased through the CSP catalog.
  • The manual path enables the CSP partner to purchase supported SKUs from the CSP catalog. The capability has a long history of being supported.

The partner can either purchase CSP subscriptions for their EA customer through the manual path or use channel transfers. Both paths require the customer to have a relationship with the CSP Partner. Customers created in partner center already have a relationship with the CSP. Customers that aren't CSP Customers yet need to accept a relationship request from the CSP before the CSP can transact or renew EA subscriptions to their CSP billing account.

Note: Channel transfers EA to CSP supports only commercial SKUs. Partners who want to continue public sector services from EA to CSP can use the manual path to purchase the CSP subscriptions using the partner center catalog user interface or APIs.

However, due to the EU/Teams unbundling changes, some EA agreements have a "with Teams" vs "no Teams" variant of E3. If the customer's EA was provisioned as one variant and the CSP purchase defaults to the other, that is a different provisioning ID and reassignment would be required in that specific case.

For more information, please consult: Move license-based customers to CSP program - Partner Center | Microsoft Learn

I hope this provides enough clarity and helps you stay inform with your current situation.

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AI answer

2026-06-17T18:20:13.5066667+00:00

When manually moving an EA customer to CSP, whether users must be reassigned depends on whether the CSP subscription uses the same provisioning ID (SKU) as the EA subscription.

For the manual path:

  • CSP partners should purchase CSP subscriptions that align to the same provisioning IDs as the existing EA subscriptions.
  • When the provisioning IDs (also called SKUs or part numbers) are the same, licenses generally do not need to be reassigned to users after acquiring the CSP subscription.
  • If a different SKU/provisioning ID is purchased (for example, a different variant of Microsoft 365 E3), then users must be reassigned to the new CSP product, and any required data migration handled.

So, for a customer moving from Microsoft 365 E3 under EA to Microsoft 365 E3 under CSP, ensure that the CSP offer you buy has the same provisioning ID as the EA offer. If it matches, user reassignment should not be required; if it differs, users will need to be reassigned to the new CSP licenses.

References:

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