diff --git a/cmd/accounts_storage.go b/cmd/accounts_storage.go
index df398f36e3..4d249b2d77 100644
--- a/cmd/accounts_storage.go
+++ b/cmd/accounts_storage.go
@@ -71,8 +71,7 @@ type AccountsStorage struct {
 
 // NewAccountsStorage Creates a new AccountsStorage.
 func NewAccountsStorage(ctx *cli.Context) *AccountsStorage {
-	// TODO: move to account struct? Currently MUST pass email.
-	email := getEmail(ctx)
+	userID := getUserID(ctx)
 
 	serverURL, err := url.Parse(ctx.GlobalString("server"))
 	if err != nil {
@@ -82,10 +81,10 @@ func NewAccountsStorage(ctx *cli.Context) *AccountsStorage {
 	rootPath := filepath.Join(ctx.GlobalString("path"), baseAccountsRootFolderName)
 	serverPath := strings.NewReplacer(":", "_", "/", string(os.PathSeparator)).Replace(serverURL.Host)
 	accountsPath := filepath.Join(rootPath, serverPath)
-	rootUserPath := filepath.Join(accountsPath, email)
+	rootUserPath := filepath.Join(accountsPath, userID)
 
 	return &AccountsStorage{
-		userID:          email,
+		userID:          userID,
 		rootPath:        rootPath,
 		rootUserPath:    rootUserPath,
 		keysPath:        filepath.Join(rootUserPath, baseKeysFolderName),
diff --git a/cmd/cmd_list.go b/cmd/cmd_list.go
index 68fd0c7079..01f642fdfd 100644
--- a/cmd/cmd_list.go
+++ b/cmd/cmd_list.go
@@ -91,8 +91,8 @@ func listCertificates(ctx *cli.Context) error {
 }
 
 func listAccount(ctx *cli.Context) error {
-	// fake email, needed by NewAccountsStorage
-	if err := ctx.GlobalSet("email", "unknown"); err != nil {
+	// fake userID, needed by NewAccountsStorage
+	if err := ctx.GlobalSet("user-id", "unknown"); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
diff --git a/cmd/flags.go b/cmd/flags.go
index 8307b2c9f3..a73424d4d6 100644
--- a/cmd/flags.go
+++ b/cmd/flags.go
@@ -24,6 +24,10 @@ func CreateFlags(defaultPath string) []cli.Flag {
 			Name:  "email, m",
 			Usage: "Email used for registration and recovery contact.",
 		},
+		cli.StringFlag{
+			Name:  "user-id",
+			Usage: "Local userID. The default is to use the given email.",
+		},
 		cli.StringFlag{
 			Name:  "csr, c",
 			Usage: "Certificate signing request filename, if an external CSR is to be used.",
diff --git a/cmd/setup.go b/cmd/setup.go
index e2a41a57e4..4ad2762a00 100644
--- a/cmd/setup.go
+++ b/cmd/setup.go
@@ -26,7 +26,8 @@ func setup(ctx *cli.Context, accountsStorage *AccountsStorage) (*Account, *lego.
 	if accountsStorage.ExistsAccountFilePath() {
 		account = accountsStorage.LoadAccount(privateKey)
 	} else {
-		account = &Account{Email: accountsStorage.GetUserID(), key: privateKey}
+		email := ctx.GlobalString("email")
+		account = &Account{Email: email, key: privateKey}
 	}
 
 	client := newClient(ctx, account, keyType)
@@ -80,12 +81,15 @@ func getKeyType(ctx *cli.Context) certcrypto.KeyType {
 	return ""
 }
 
-func getEmail(ctx *cli.Context) string {
-	email := ctx.GlobalString("email")
-	if email == "" {
-		log.Fatal("You have to pass an account (email address) to the program using --email or -m")
+func getUserID(ctx *cli.Context) string {
+	userID := ctx.GlobalString("user-id")
+	if userID == "" {
+		userID = ctx.GlobalString("email")
 	}
-	return email
+	if userID == "" {
+		log.Fatal("You have to pass an account to the program using --email or -m (email address) or --user-id")
+	}
+	return userID
 }
 
 func createNonExistingFolder(path string) error {