A method and apparatus for managing common and application specific presence information, wherein the apparatus programs a computer to perform the method, which includes: receiving a publication message comprising presence information from a presentity; partitioning the presence information into common presence information and application specific presence information; storing the common presence information in a common presence information database, wherein authorization for access to the common presence information database is controlled by the presence server; and forwarding the application specific presence information to an external application, wherein the external application controls storage of the application specification presence information and authorization for access to the application specific presence information.