diff --git a/app/models/concerns/external_user.rb b/app/models/concerns/external_user.rb
index 2745443..4efec9d 100644
--- a/app/models/concerns/external_user.rb
+++ b/app/models/concerns/external_user.rb
@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@ module ExternalUser
     ExternalPerson.where(id: self.external_person_id).first
   end
 
+  def person_with_external
+    self.external_person || self.person_without_external
+  end
+
   module ClassMethods
     def webfinger_lookup(login, domain, environment)
       if login && domain && environment.has_federated_network?(domain)
diff --git a/app/models/user.rb b/app/models/user.rb
index 8d7ab7e..3a6c3c5 100644
--- a/app/models/user.rb
+++ b/app/models/user.rb
@@ -108,6 +108,8 @@ class User < ApplicationRecord
   has_one :person, dependent: :destroy, autosave: false
   belongs_to :environment
 
+  alias_method_chain :person, :external
+
   has_many :sessions, dependent: :destroy
   # holds the current session, see lib/authenticated_system.rb
   attr_accessor :session
diff --git a/test/unit/user_test.rb b/test/unit/user_test.rb
index 4cfb176..1811b07 100644
--- a/test/unit/user_test.rb
+++ b/test/unit/user_test.rb
@@ -759,6 +759,14 @@ class UserTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
     end
   end
 
+  should 'get person or external person' do
+    user = create_user('new_user')
+    assert_kind_of Person, user.person
+    user.external_person_id = ExternalPerson.create!(identifier: 'new_user', name: 'New User').id
+    assert_kind_of ExternalPerson, user.person
+    assert_kind_of Person, user.person_without_external
+  end
+
   protected
     def new_user(options = {})
       user = User.new({ :login => 'quire', :email => 'quire@example.com', :password => 'quire', :password_confirmation => 'quire' }.merge(options))
--
libgit2 0.21.2