diff --git a/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/Config.java b/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/Config.java
index 41e8971f09f858138b64005cdf8915f5ad812167..2b9cee9fdc5b1a6f660438188ee9a00d8e045f20 100644
--- a/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/Config.java
+++ b/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/Config.java
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ public final class Config {
 	public static final int REFRESH_UI_INTERVAL = 500;
 
 	public static final boolean NO_PROXY_LOOKUP = false; //useful to debug ibb
+	public static final boolean DISABLE_STRING_PREP = false; // setting to true might increase startup performance
 
 	public static final long MILLISECONDS_IN_DAY = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
 	public static final long MAM_MAX_CATCHUP =  MILLISECONDS_IN_DAY / 2;
diff --git a/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/xmpp/jid/Jid.java b/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/xmpp/jid/Jid.java
index f6ab73bfacf851bdc689246e35bf02b5764dc4a5..c95e45f912754acfc0b41d856d7080da97d96f67 100644
--- a/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/xmpp/jid/Jid.java
+++ b/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/xmpp/jid/Jid.java
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import net.java.otr4j.session.SessionID;
 
 import java.net.IDN;
 
+import eu.siacs.conversations.Config;
 import gnu.inet.encoding.Stringprep;
 import gnu.inet.encoding.StringprepException;
 
@@ -103,7 +104,7 @@ public final class Jid {
 		} else {
 			final String lp = jid.substring(0, atLoc);
 			try {
-				localpart = Stringprep.nodeprep(lp);
+				localpart = Config.DISABLE_STRING_PREP ? lp : Stringprep.nodeprep(lp);
 			} catch (final StringprepException e) {
 				throw new InvalidJidException(InvalidJidException.STRINGPREP_FAIL, e);
 			}
@@ -118,7 +119,7 @@ public final class Jid {
 		if (slashCount > 0) {
 			final String rp = jid.substring(slashLoc + 1, jid.length());
 			try {
-				resourcepart = Stringprep.resourceprep(rp);
+				resourcepart = Config.DISABLE_STRING_PREP ? rp : Stringprep.resourceprep(rp);
 			} catch (final StringprepException e) {
 				throw new InvalidJidException(InvalidJidException.STRINGPREP_FAIL, e);
 			}
@@ -154,7 +155,7 @@ public final class Jid {
 			throw new InvalidJidException(InvalidJidException.INVALID_PART_LENGTH);
 		}
 
-		Jid.cache.put(jid,this);
+		Jid.cache.put(jid, this);
 
 		this.displayjid = finaljid;
 	}