Personalization of portable data carriers

In a method for personalizing portable data carriers (700) is a nonvolatile memory (350) of the data carrier (700) with personalization data (100, 101, 102), wherein the personalization first as virtual personalization (1000) (in a virtual disk 500 ) is carried out, then a memory map (250) (as bit-exact copy of a memory 150) of the virtual volume (500) is generated, and finally, the memory map (250) (with the aid of its physical memory addresses directly in the memory 350) of the real data carrier (700) is introduced. The personalization data (100, 101), 102) additionally comprise the initialization data (90) also individualization data (110, 111, 112). Preferably, the introduction of the personalization data can (100, 101, 102) after the production of the data carrier into the data carrier (700) (700) in a disk (700) issuing institution or at the end customer to be performed.