diff --git jackrabbit-api/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/api/security/user/UserManager.java jackrabbit-api/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/api/security/user/UserManager.java
index e2e7157..2208531 100644
--- jackrabbit-api/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/api/security/user/UserManager.java
+++ jackrabbit-api/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/api/security/user/UserManager.java
@@ -68,6 +68,17 @@ public interface UserManager {
     Authorizable getAuthorizable(String id) throws RepositoryException;
 
     /**
+     * Get the Authorizable of a specific type by its id.
+     *
+     * @param id the user of group id.
+     * @param authorizableClass the type of Authorizable required.
+     * @return Authorizable or <code>null</code>, if not present.
+     * @throws AuthorizableTypeException If an authorizable exists but is not of the requested type.
+     * @throws RepositoryException If an error occurs
+     */
+    <T> T getAuthorizable(String id, Class<T> authorizableClass) throws AuthorizableTypeException, RepositoryException;
+
+    /**
      * Get the Authorizable by its Principal.
      *
      * @param principal The principal of the authorizable to retrieve.
@@ -77,6 +88,17 @@ public interface UserManager {
     Authorizable getAuthorizable(Principal principal) throws RepositoryException;
 
     /**
+     * Get the Authorizable of a specific type by its Principal.
+     *
+     * @param principal The principal of the Authorizable to retrieve.
+     * @param authorizableClass the type of Authorizable required.
+     * @return Authorizable or <code>null</code>, if not present.
+     * @throws AuthorizableTypeException If an authorizable exists but is not of the requested type.
+     * @throws RepositoryException If an error occurs.
+     */
+    <T> T getAuthorizable(Principal principal, Class<T> authorizableClass) throws AuthorizableTypeException, RepositoryException;
+
+    /**
      * In accordance to {@link org.apache.jackrabbit.api.security.user.Authorizable#getPath()}
      * this method allows to retrieve an given authorizable by it's path.
      *
@@ -90,6 +112,18 @@ public interface UserManager {
     Authorizable getAuthorizableByPath(String path) throws UnsupportedRepositoryOperationException, RepositoryException;
 
     /**
+     * In accordance to {@link org.apache.jackrabbit.api.security.user.Authorizable#getPath()}
+     * this method allows to retrieve an authorizable of a specific type by it's path.
+     *
+     * @param path The path to an authorizable.
+     * @param authorizableClass the type of Authorizable required.
+     * @return Authorizable or <code>null</code>, if not present.
+     * @throws AuthorizableTypeException If an authorizable exists but is not of the requested type.
+     * @throws RepositoryException If another error occurs.
+     */
+    <T> T getAuthorizableByPath(String path, Class<T> authorizableClass) throws AuthorizableTypeException, RepositoryException;
+
+    /**
      * Returns all <code>Authorizable</code>s that have a
      * {@link Authorizable#getProperty(String) property} with the given relative
      * path (or name) that matches the specified value.
diff --git jackrabbit-api/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/api/security/user/package-info.java jackrabbit-api/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/api/security/user/package-info.java
index 7dfcdf8..21316bf 100644
--- jackrabbit-api/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/api/security/user/package-info.java
+++ jackrabbit-api/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/api/security/user/package-info.java
@@ -18,5 +18,5 @@
 /**
  * Jackrabbit extensions for user management.
  */
-@aQute.bnd.annotation.Version("2.3.2")
+@aQute.bnd.annotation.Version("2.4.0")
 package org.apache.jackrabbit.api.security.user;
diff --git jackrabbit-core/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/security/user/UserManagerImpl.java jackrabbit-core/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/security/user/UserManagerImpl.java
index 7a0a656..bdfcaf0 100644
--- jackrabbit-core/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/security/user/UserManagerImpl.java
+++ jackrabbit-core/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/security/user/UserManagerImpl.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ package org.apache.jackrabbit.core.security.user;
 import org.apache.jackrabbit.api.security.principal.ItemBasedPrincipal;
 import org.apache.jackrabbit.api.security.user.Authorizable;
 import org.apache.jackrabbit.api.security.user.AuthorizableExistsException;
+import org.apache.jackrabbit.api.security.user.AuthorizableTypeException;
 import org.apache.jackrabbit.api.security.user.Group;
 import org.apache.jackrabbit.api.security.user.Query;
 import org.apache.jackrabbit.api.security.user.User;
@@ -451,6 +452,13 @@ public class UserManagerImpl extends ProtectedItemModifier
     }
 
     /**
+     * @see UserManager#getAuthorizable(String, Class)
+     */
+    public <T> T getAuthorizable(String id, Class<T> authorizableClass) throws AuthorizableTypeException, RepositoryException {
+        return getAuthorizableByType(getAuthorizable(id), authorizableClass);
+    }
+
+    /**
      * @see UserManager#getAuthorizable(Principal)
      */
     public Authorizable getAuthorizable(Principal principal) throws RepositoryException {
@@ -490,6 +498,13 @@ public class UserManagerImpl extends ProtectedItemModifier
     }
 
     /**
+     * @see UserManager#getAuthorizable(Principal, Class)
+     */
+    public <T> T getAuthorizable(Principal principal, Class<T> authorizableClass) throws AuthorizableTypeException, RepositoryException {
+        return getAuthorizableByType(getAuthorizable(principal), authorizableClass);
+    }
+
+    /**
      * Always throws <code>UnsupportedRepositoryOperationException</code> since
      * this implementation of the user management API does not allow to retrieve
      * the path of an authorizable.
@@ -501,6 +516,13 @@ public class UserManagerImpl extends ProtectedItemModifier
     }
 
     /**
+     * @see UserManager#getAuthorizableByPath(String, Class)
+     */
+    public <T> T getAuthorizableByPath(String path, Class<T> authorizableClass) throws AuthorizableTypeException, RepositoryException {
+        return getAuthorizableByType(getAuthorizableByPath(path), authorizableClass);
+    }
+
+    /**
      * @see UserManager#findAuthorizables(String,String)
      */
     public Iterator<Authorizable> findAuthorizables(String relPath, String value) throws RepositoryException {
@@ -911,6 +933,13 @@ public class UserManagerImpl extends ProtectedItemModifier
         return getAuthorizable(n);
     }
 
+    private <T> T getAuthorizableByType(Authorizable authorizable, Class<T> authorizableClass) throws AuthorizableTypeException {
+        if (authorizable == null || authorizableClass.isInstance(authorizable)) {
+            return authorizableClass.cast(authorizable);
+        }
+        throw new AuthorizableTypeException("Invalid authorizable type '" + authorizable.getClass() + "'");
+    }
+
     private Value getValue(String strValue) {
         return session.getValueFactory().createValue(strValue);
     }
diff --git jackrabbit-core/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/api/security/user/UserManagerTest.java jackrabbit-core/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/api/security/user/UserManagerTest.java
index fdc5446..b43c02e 100644
--- jackrabbit-core/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/api/security/user/UserManagerTest.java
+++ jackrabbit-core/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/api/security/user/UserManagerTest.java
@@ -70,4 +70,51 @@ public class UserManagerTest extends AbstractUserTest {
             throw new NotExecutableException();
         }
     }
+
+    public void testGetAuthorizableByPathAndType() throws NotExecutableException, RepositoryException {
+        String uid = superuser.getUserID();
+        Authorizable a = userMgr.getAuthorizable(uid);
+        if (a == null) {
+            throw new NotExecutableException();
+        }
+        try {
+            String path = a.getPath();
+            Authorizable a2 = userMgr.getAuthorizableByPath(path, a.getClass());
+            assertNotNull(a2);
+            assertEquals(a.getID(), a2.getID());
+        } catch (UnsupportedRepositoryOperationException e) {
+            throw new NotExecutableException();
+        }
+    }
+
+    public void testGetAuthorizableByIdAndType() throws NotExecutableException, RepositoryException {
+        for (Principal principal : getPrincipalSetFromSession(superuser)) {
+            Principal p = principal;
+            Authorizable auth = userMgr.getAuthorizable(p);
+            if (auth != null) {
+                Authorizable authByID = userMgr.getAuthorizable(auth.getID(), auth.getClass());
+                assertEquals("Equal ID expected", auth.getID(), authByID.getID());
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    public void testGetAuthorizableByIdAndWrongType() throws NotExecutableException, RepositoryException {
+        for (Principal principal : getPrincipalSetFromSession(superuser)) {
+            Principal p = principal;
+            Authorizable auth = userMgr.getAuthorizable(p);
+            if (auth != null) {
+                Class<? extends Authorizable> otherType = auth.isGroup() ? User.class : Group.class;
+                try {
+                    userMgr.getAuthorizable(auth.getID(), otherType);
+                    fail("Wrong Authorizable type is not detected.");
+                } catch (AuthorizableTypeException ignore) {
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    public void testGetNonExistingAuthorizableByIdAndType() throws NotExecutableException, RepositoryException {
+        Authorizable auth = userMgr.getAuthorizable("nonExistingAuthorizable", User.class);
+        assertNull(auth);
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git jackrabbit-core/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/security/user/UserImporterTest.java jackrabbit-core/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/security/user/UserImporterTest.java
index 651cb3d..ee61c1a 100644
--- jackrabbit-core/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/security/user/UserImporterTest.java
+++ jackrabbit-core/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/security/user/UserImporterTest.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import org.apache.jackrabbit.api.security.principal.PrincipalIterator;
 import org.apache.jackrabbit.api.security.principal.PrincipalManager;
 import org.apache.jackrabbit.api.security.user.Authorizable;
 import org.apache.jackrabbit.api.security.user.AuthorizableExistsException;
+import org.apache.jackrabbit.api.security.user.AuthorizableTypeException;
 import org.apache.jackrabbit.api.security.user.Group;
 import org.apache.jackrabbit.api.security.user.Impersonation;
 import org.apache.jackrabbit.api.security.user.Query;
@@ -1593,14 +1594,26 @@ public class UserImporterTest extends AbstractJCRTest {
                     return null;
                 }
 
+                public <T> T getAuthorizable(String id, Class<T> authorizableClass) throws AuthorizableTypeException, RepositoryException {
+                    return null;
+                }
+
                 public Authorizable getAuthorizable(Principal principal) throws RepositoryException {
                     return null;
                 }
 
+                public <T> T getAuthorizable(Principal principal, Class<T> authorizableClass) throws AuthorizableTypeException, RepositoryException {
+                    return null;
+                }
+
                 public Authorizable getAuthorizableByPath(String path) throws UnsupportedRepositoryOperationException, RepositoryException {
                     return null;
                 }
 
+                public <T> T getAuthorizableByPath(String path, Class<T> authorizableClass) throws AuthorizableTypeException, RepositoryException {
+                    return null;
+                }
+
                 public Iterator<Authorizable> findAuthorizables(String relPath, String value) throws RepositoryException {
                     return null;
                 }