Solution Provider No Longer Authorized

Question

I received an email with the following text:

According to our records, there are subscription(s) associated with the following Microsoft partner: Endurance International Group Holdings, Inc., US. This partner is no longer authorized to transact as a direct bill cloud solution provider at this country location. 

I need someone to walk me through the process of buying directly from Microsoft while maintaining uninterrupted service. I am not finding anything in the links or text in the email notification that make this a remotely intuitive process.

Jay Kirkpatrick

Answer 1

Hi @Jay Kirkpatrick, 

Thank you for reaching out and for sharing your concern. 

Based on your description, your current Microsoft 365 subscriptions associated with a partner that is no longer authorized to operate in your region. As a result, the subscription is unmanaged and at risk of deprovisioning.   

To avoid any disruption, please review the options below and choose the one that best fits your situation:  

Option 1: Transfer the subscription to a new CSP partner  

This option is recommended if you would like to continue working with a reseller for billing and support: 

• Find a new CSP partner through the Microsoft partner directory.  
• Contact the selected partner and ask them to send a reseller relationship invitation.  
• Accept the invitation in the Microsoft 365 admin center.  
• Request the new partner to initiate a subscription transfer.  
• Stay in close contact with both the current and new partners until the transfer is completed.  

Important: The current partner must approve the transfer request and they aren't obligated to do so. Early coordination is strongly recommended to avoid delays.  

For more information, please refer to: Manage Microsoft-certified solution provider partner relationships | Microsoft Learn  

Option 2: Purchase a subscription directly from Microsoft  

This is the way to maintain service continuity if the transfer process is delayed or if you prefer direct billing.  

• Sign in to Microsoft 365 admin center, navigate to Billing > Select Your products. 
• Choose Add more products.  

• Search for and purchase the same subscription plan you are currently using.  
• Assign the new licenses to the same users in Users > Active users. 
• Locate the user, select the Licenses and apps tab.  

• Confirm that all users can access their services normally.  
• After everything is stable, allow the old subscription to expire or proceed with cleanup.  

Important: To avoid service interruption, it is recommended to purchase the new subscription before the expiration date and assign licenses immediately.  

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow the steps above and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can continue working together to resolve the issue.  

Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have any questions or need additional assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out so I can continue to support you. If you found the response useful, please consider marking it as accepted, as this may help other community members who are looking for similar guidance.  

I look forward to continuing the conversation.

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Answer 2

How/where do i find another authorized CSP partner?

Answer 3

Because the current Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partner is no longer authorized to transact as a direct-bill partner, subscriptions must be moved to a new partner or channel to maintain continuity. Buying “directly from Microsoft” is not an automated path described in the provided material; instead, the supported path is to transfer billing ownership from the current CSP partner to another CSP partner (for example, a new CSP partner of choice) while keeping service uninterrupted.

Below is the supported, no-downtime transfer path using CSP partner transfer capabilities.

1. Choose a new CSP partner
   • Identify a new CSP partner that will manage and bill the subscriptions going forward (this can be an indirect provider or another CSP partner).
   • Ensure the new partner is authorized to transact in the relevant country/region.
2. Establish a relationship with the new partner
   • The new (target) partner sends a reseller/partner relationship request to the customer tenant.
   • Accept that relationship request so the new partner is associated with the tenant.
3. Coordinate transfer details
   • The customer, current partner (source), and new partner (target) should agree on:
     • Which subscriptions (Microsoft 365, Azure, other license-based services) will be transferred.
     • Timing of the transfer to avoid billing or service overlap.
4. New partner initiates the transfer request
   • Once the relationship is in place, the target partner uses the Partner Center transfer capability to request transfer of subscriptions from the source partner.
   • For new commerce license-based subscriptions, the process is:
     1. Customer and source partner agree to transfer.
     2. Source and target partners align on subscription details.
     3. Target partner sends a relationship request (if not already done) and then a transfer request including:
        • Customer email for notifications.
        • Source partner’s Microsoft ID.
5. Source partner approves the transfer
   • The source partner receives the transfer request (email and/or Partner Center audit log event).
   • The source partner selects which subscriptions to transfer and submits the transfer.
   • If the source partner declines or does not respond, the request expires after 30 days; Microsoft does not override this.
6. Service continuity
   • When using the CSP transfer capability for new commerce license-based subscriptions or Azure plan items, billing ownership moves from the old partner to the new partner while the underlying services remain active.
   • This is the supported way to avoid disruption while changing who bills and manages the subscription.

If a direct CSP partner is losing authorization (as in the notification received), Microsoft expects that partner to support transitioning customers’ subscriptions to another partner. The transfer capability described above is the mechanism for that transition.

If instead of moving to another partner, the goal is to move out of CSP entirely and purchase directly from Microsoft, the provided material does not describe a direct, automated path that preserves continuity. In that case, the general (manual) pattern for license-based services is:

1. Turn off auto-renew on the existing CSP subscription so it can expire naturally.
2. Wait until the subscription reaches its end date and enters the Expired state (30-day grace period with continued access).
3. Purchase an equivalent subscription in the new channel (for example, direct from Microsoft) during that 30-day grace period.

This “manual path” is used when moving between channels and is designed to avoid data loss and disruption, provided the same offers and license counts are provisioned.

Because the current partner is no longer authorized to transact as a direct-bill CSP, the most straightforward way to maintain uninterrupted service is to:

1. Select a new CSP partner.
2. Establish a relationship with that partner.
3. Have that partner initiate CSP subscription transfer requests so billing ownership moves from the old partner to the new one without interrupting service.

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References:

• Partner transfers the billing ownership to another Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partner
• Transition from Cloud Solution Provider direct-bill partner to indirect reseller
• Move license-based customers from other channels, tenants, and partners to the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program
• Partner transition guide
• Direct Bill eligibility requirements
• Which support portal should I use?